Pumpkin Picking and Halloween in Cumbria 2026: Dates and Prices
Pumpkin patches, castles, ghost walks and one very large moon, sorted by age, price and weather, with the practical bits included.
The short answer
For pumpkin picking in Cumbria in 2026, Walby Farm Park near Carlisle is open daily 3 to 31 October and Lakeland Maze near Kendal opens weekends, then daily 24 to 31 October. For Halloween, Muncaster Castle's Halloween Family Festival (24 October to 1 November, £24.50 adults, £16.95 children) is the big one, with the Room on the Broom trail at Whinlatter and the Museum of the Moon in Carlisle Cathedral as cheaper options. Half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026, and Carlisle Fireshow is free at 6.30pm on Halloween, Saturday 31 October.
Checked 29 September 2026; dates change, so the organiser link is the one to trust. Where a 2026 detail isn't published I say so, and where I'm leaning on a news round-up rather than the organiser I say that too.
Pumpkin picking in Cumbria has become a proper October industry, and Halloween events in the Lake District 2026 have spread the same way: farms, castles, a slate mine, two railways and a seven-metre moon in a cathedral. Half term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October for both Cumbrian councils, so the school break runs Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, with Halloween on the last Saturday. I live in Carlisle with a six-year-old and a seven-year-old, so I know that everything decent sells out and that the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, leaving the sun down by about twenty to five by Halloween.
- Sat 24 Oct: break starts. Muncaster's festival and Ravenglass Halloween week begin, and the Winter Droving is in Carlisle.
- Sun 25 Oct: clocks go back.
- Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct: half term. Muncaster Express ghost trains run Mon 26 and Wed 28.
- Sat 31 Oct: Halloween. Carlisle Fireshow at 6.30pm and Scarecaster's last night. Muncaster's festival ends Sun 1 Nov.
Pumpkin picking in Cumbria: patches, dates and prices
The big ones are Walby near Carlisle, Lakeland Maze near Kendal and Muncaster on the west coast (its patch comes inside the festival, below). Most farms don't print per-person prices where you'd find them, so I say so.
Walby Farm Park pumpkin picking
The pumpkin patch Carlisle families mean, a few miles north-east of the city. Daily 3 to 31 October, 10am to 5.30pm, 12 varieties, and every paying child gets a free pumpkin. There's carving on site, a pumpkin cannon and s'mores (small extra charges), plus the indoor play barn and animals. On Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October it stays open until 7pm for twilight picking (last entry 4.30pm), which suits a child who melts down before tea. Six adults-only After Dark evenings are booked separately.
- Price
- Not on the pumpkin page; see the farm's prices page
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Advance booking required (Cumbria Crack), so book before you set off
Lakeland Maze Farm Park pumpkin patch
Open weekends from 3 October, then daily 24 to 31 October. There's no standalone patch ticket: you pay farm park admission (reduced from October) and buy a pumpkin priced by size, so it's a farm day with a pumpkin at the end. Big soft play and climbing wall, a separate room for under-3s, and a café for customers only, 11.30am to 3.30pm. Only assistance dogs are allowed.
- Price
- Admission plus pumpkins by size; amounts not published, online is cheapest
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Closed on weekdays before half term
Greystoke Castle pumpkin picking
Daily 19 to 31 October, 11am to 4pm: £10 per child including a pumpkin and the Little Knights and Princesses play area, with pizza and burgers from an indoor BBQ. A Kids Halloween Party runs Friday 30 October, 2pm to 5pm, £10 a child, adults free. The castle's site wouldn't load for me, so this is from Visit Eden.
- Price
- £10 per child; adults not priced
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Booking isn't mentioned; ring the castle
Four smaller patches come from Cumbria Crack's 21 September round-up. I found no organiser pages, so treat these as second-hand.
- Red's, Langwathby: Saturdays and Sundays 3 to 25 October, 10am to 3pm, free entry and parking, cash only, dogs on leads welcome. Maize maze £4 with a pumpkin, £6 without.
- Stephney Farm, Seascale: 10, 11, 17, 18 and 24 to 27 October, in slots booked through the farm's Facebook page. No dogs.
- The Milk Hut, Ulverston: weekends 10 to 31 October, 10am to 4pm, no ticket or parking cost.
- Polly's, Middleton: weekends 10 to 31 October, free entry, with a farm trail and animals.
Rule of pumpkin picking: the child who chose the biggest pumpkin will not be the child who carries it.
Halloween in Cumbria for under 5s
Small children want pumpkins and dressing up and not much of the dark. These bend to a three-year-old's mood, and most have shelter.
Room on the Broom Halloween Trail, Whinlatter
Forestry England's trail gets extra Halloween cauldrons, clues and a crossword (finish it for a sticker) until 31 October. About 1.25 miles and an hour on stone tracks with a couple of moderate climbs, pushchair friendly, low on scares. Cheap, until the car park charge.
- Price
- Trail pack £4; Halloween sheet £1.50
- Parking
- £2.90 first hour, £14 daily max, pay on exit
- Toilets/buggies
- Toilets 8.30am to 8.30pm; pushchair friendly
- Check first
- Café closes 4pm weekdays, 4.30pm weekends
Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum steam days
Steam locomotives run through half term, 24 to 31 October, 10am to 5pm, with rides included in admission. Holiday steam times are 11.00, 12.00, 1.15, 2.00, 3.00 and 4.00. Not a Halloween event (I found no spooky programme), but it occupies a train-obsessed four-year-old for hours, and dogs are welcome.
- Price
- Adult £9.50, over-65 £9, under-16 £5.50
- Parking
- Ample free parking, says the museum
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Train times on the day, 01768 779747
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Halloween half term
From 24 October to 1 November the stations and cafés go ghoulish, the museum has interactive exhibits and children's activities, and double-header trains with two steam engines run at selected times, subject to operations. Fares and double-header days weren't on the page. It pairs with Muncaster, on the same dates.
- Price
- Normal fares; amounts not on the page
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Double-header times, 01229 717171
Windermere Jetty Museum Halloween crafts
Free drop-in crafts on 24 October and 26 to 30 October, 11am to 3.45pm: children make a fish mask inspired by Windermere's wildlife, no booking. Boathouse Spooky Stories on 27 October need booking.
- Price
- Crafts free; museum admission not shown
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Museum entry, and booking for the stories
Museum of the Moon at Carlisle Cathedral
Luke Jerram's seven-metre moon, printed with NASA imagery, hangs in Carlisle Cathedral until Sunday 1 November. Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm), Sunday 12 to 2pm, no daytime booking, entry by donation. Indoors, huge, and good for small people on wet Wednesdays. The autumn guide lists children's workshops and pyjama parties, but I can't give dates.
- Price
- Suggested £5 adult or £12 family
- Parking
- None listed; use a city centre car park
- Toilets/buggies
- Café listed; access not on the moon page
- Check first
- Sunday hours; Moon Lates dates in the autumn guide
Lakes Aquarium
The wet-day fallback: open daily from 10am, last admission 4.30pm, closing 5.30pm, otter talk and feed at 11.45am and 2.30pm. I found no Halloween or half-term programme, so it's plan B.
- Price
- Online: adult £8.95, child £5.95, under-3s free, family of four £24.99
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- No Halloween programme found
Halloween events for 5 to 9 year olds
The sweet spot: old enough for a mask and a maze, not yet embarrassed by you. It's also where the money goes, because many of these are proper day tickets.
Muncaster Castle Halloween Family Festival
The big Muncaster Halloween week, 24 October to 1 November, on a Zombies and Boggles theme. Cumbria Guru, which checked with Muncaster on 17 September, lists a Scary Maze, pumpkin patch, spooky trails, parades, haunted State Rooms, a costume competition, torchlight march and bird-of-prey displays. The first 2,500 child tickets include a pumpkin, and the Castle Show costs extra. Muncaster's own page still said tickets were coming soon on 29 September. Mostly outdoors. Two adults and two children is £82.90 before food.
- Price
- Adult £24.50; child 3 to 15 £16.95; under-3s free
- Parking
- Main car park, sat nav CA18 1RD; accessible parking via Church Gate, a third of a mile away
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Opening times not on the page; no dogs at owl displays
The Muncaster Express ghost train
A West Coast Railways charter to Ravenglass, then a coach to Muncaster. Monday 26 October leaves from Manchester, Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth, Ulverston or Barrow; Wednesday 28 October from Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Workington or Whitehaven. The page mentions a maze, pumpkin patch and costume competition. It doesn't say whether castle entry is included or when trains leave, and I'd want both answered first.
- Price
- Standard adult £59.50, child £49.50; first class £104.50 and £84.50
- Parking
- Depends on your station; not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Castle entry included? Departure times
Halloween at Holker
Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October, 10.30am to 4.30pm: pumpkin carving, a ghostly garden trail, monster crafts, and storytelling from Taffy Thomas at 11am and 2pm. Child tickets are £12 and need an adult Gardens entry; storytelling is £5 a head; face painting is paid on the day.
- Price
- £12 per child plus adult Gardens entry (not on the page); storytelling £5
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Booking recommended
Allan Bank and Wray Castle, National Trust
Stranger Folk is a free phone quest for ages 7 to 12: families try to seal a rift before folklore creatures take hold, in 20 minutes or a day. Download the app first, because signal is patchy. At Wray Castle it runs 19 October to 22 November on selected days (the castle is closed for refurbishment, grounds and café open); at Allan Bank, Saturday to Wednesday. Allan Bank also has half-term pumpkin carving on 25 to 28 and 31 October.
- Price
- Quest free (Allan Bank: with admission); carving £5 a child plus admission
- Parking
- Allan Bank: Blue Badge only, else Grasmere village. Wray: charge for non-members
- Toilets/buggies
- Wray facilities open; Allan Bank not stated
- Check first
- Carving is booking essential, 0344 249 1895
Carlisle Carnivale and the Winter Droving
Saturday 24 October, Carlisle city centre, free. Eden Arts has moved the Winter Droving from Penrith to Carlisle for 2026 after 14 editions in Penrith: dog fancy dress, music, street theatre and a twilight procession. No timetable or route was published on 11 September, and Visit Lake District's older page still says Penrith, so confirm with Eden Arts.
- Price
- Free; ticketed extras to be confirmed
- Parking
- Not published
- Toilets/buggies
- Not published
- Check first
- Times and route; Carlisle, not Penrith
Carlisle Fireshow
Saturday 31 October, Bitts Park, fireworks from 6.30pm, free, no booking. The 37th Fireshow has a bonfire and over 2,000 fireworks set to music, with food and family entertainment in Castle Car Park 5pm to 8.30pm (funfair there all half term). No alcohol, pets, sparklers or personal fireworks. Roads by Castle Way and West Tower Street close about 7.30pm to 8.30pm, so stay and eat. Ear defenders for under-5s.
- Price
- Free
- Parking
- Bitts Park car park closed; Blue Badge at Castle Car Park, last entry 5.45pm
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated; disabled viewing on Sheepmount Road
- Check first
- Page doesn't say what happens in bad weather
Older kids who want a proper fright
Ten and over, give or take, and anyone who has watched a zombie film through their fingers. Brockhole ran a £28 all-activity Halloween Experience last year (25 to 31 October 2025) but has published nothing for 2026, so don't plan around it.
Keswick Ghost Walks
A 90-minute evening walk round Keswick's darker history from the Moot Hall, written for adults but broadly fine for ages 10 and up, says the organiser. Selected evenings at 7.30pm from 3 October, plus 5.30pm and 7.30pm on Halloween. Dogs are very welcome, the rare Halloween thing you can do with the spaniel.
- Price
- £15 adult; £12 for 16 and under or 65 and over
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- No facilities on the route
- Check first
- Advance booking only; meet at Moot Hall, CA12 5JR
Honister Ghost Tours
A lantern-lit storytelling tour underground in England's last working slate mine: the Phantom Miner, a cursed tunnel, the Grey Lady. About 1.5 hours, 22 October to 1 November. Honister says it sells out every year without exception. No minimum age is stated, and it's underground, so I'd phone about anyone under ten.
- Price
- £25 per person
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated; ask about pushchairs
- Check first
- Session times; book at bookings.honister.com
Ghostly House Tours at Levens Hall
Candlelit tours of the house, Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November, 4pm and 5pm, about an hour, with a garden scavenger hunt and costume competition. Not suitable for under-5s or reduced mobility, and the ticket covers the evening only. Earlier there's ceramic painting on 27 October (£20 or £23) and a children's mask workshop on 29 October (£17 a child).
- Price
- Tour price not shown; day entry £17.30 adult, £5.75 child
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Tour price and booking on Levens' site
Ulverston Candlelit Walk
Saturday 31 October, 5.45pm to 8.30pm: a candlelit walk through the dark woods of The Gill. £1.75, pre-booked only, normally on sale from early October. The cheapest evening on this page by a distance. Pushchair access isn't stated, and woods in the dark usually mean no.
- Price
- £1.75
- Parking
- Not stated
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Pre-booked only; see the organiser's Facebook page
Scarecaster at Muncaster Castle
Muncaster's grown-ups-and-teens night, Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October from 8pm, ages 16 and over. A maze, zombie woodland walk, roaming monsters and live entertainment, with a Stable Yard Sanctuary of live music, DJ, bar, silent disco and fire show. Outdoors, after dark.
- Price
- £29.50 (Cumbria Guru; not on Visit Lake District)
- Parking
- Sat nav CA18 1RD; accessible parking via Church Gate
- Toilets/buggies
- Not stated
- Check first
- Session chosen at booking; 16 and over only
Halloween half term in Cumbria by price
Per person unless stated, at the time of writing. Parking is extra: at Whinlatter the £14 daily maximum dwarfs the £4 trail pack.
- Free, bar parking: Windermere Jetty crafts (check museum entry), Carlisle Winter Droving, Carlisle Fireshow, and the Stranger Folk quest at Wray and Allan Bank.
- Under £10 a head: Ulverston Candlelit Walk (£1.75), Room on the Broom pack (£4), Allan Bank carving (£5 a child plus admission), Lakes Aquarium online (child £5.95, adult £8.95), Threlkeld (£9.50 adult, £5.50 child), Museum of the Moon (suggested £5 adult, £12 family).
- £10 to £30: Greystoke (£10 a child), Holker (£12 a child plus adult entry), Keswick Ghost Walks (£15), Muncaster festival (£16.95 child, £24.50 adult), Honister (£25), Scarecaster (£29.50).
- Splurge: Muncaster Express, £218 for two adults and two children, before checking castle entry.
- Not published: Walby, Lakeland Maze, Levens tours, Ravenglass fares, so ask.
Things to do at October half term in the Lake District by weather
Half term weather in Cumbria is a coin toss with a side of horizontal rain. Here's how I'd sort it.
- Properly indoors: Museum of the Moon, Lakes Aquarium, Windermere Jetty crafts, Levens tours, Honister (underground, so rain is irrelevant).
- Wet but with cover: Walby's play barn and animals, Lakeland Maze's soft play, and the Muncaster Express, because a train is a roof.
- Fine in waterproofs: Room on the Broom, Threlkeld and Ravenglass steam days, Muncaster's festival, the Allan Bank and Wray quests.
- Dry, cold and dark: Fireshow, Winter Droving, Ulverston Candlelit Walk, Scarecaster, Keswick ghost walks. Sunset is about twenty to five by Halloween.
What to book now and what to turn up to
Book first: Honister (sells out every year), Walby (advance booking required), Muncaster's festival and Scarecaster, Allan Bank carving and the Muncaster Express. Turn up: Museum of the Moon, Threlkeld, the Jetty crafts, the Fireshow and the Winter Droving.
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Questions people ask
Where can I go pumpkin picking in Cumbria?
Walby Farm Park near Carlisle is open daily 3 to 31 October, and Lakeland Maze near Kendal opens weekends from 3 October and daily 24 to 31 October. Smaller patches include Red's at Langwathby (free entry) and The Milk Hut at Ulverston, according to Cumbria Crack.
Is there a pumpkin patch near Carlisle?
Yes, Walby Farm Park at Crosby-on-Eden, open daily 3 to 31 October, 10am to 5.30pm, with twilight picking until 7pm on 27 and 28 October. Cumbria Crack says advance booking is required, and the farm doesn't show ticket prices on its pumpkin page.
When is October half term 2026 in Cumbria?
Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026 for both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness councils, so the school break runs Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Academies and independent schools can differ, and the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October.
What are the best Halloween events in the Lake District for families?
Muncaster Castle's Halloween Family Festival (24 October to 1 November, child £16.95, adult £24.50) is the biggest. Halloween at Holker on 30 and 31 October, the Room on the Broom trail at Whinlatter (£4 trail pack) and the Stranger Folk quest at Allan Bank and Wray Castle are the other main family ones.
Is Muncaster Halloween suitable for young children?
Yes, the Halloween Family Festival is a family event: under-3s go free, children 3 to 15 pay £16.95, and it includes a pumpkin patch and parades. Scarecaster, the evening event, is 16 and over only. Muncaster doesn't publish an age guide for the Scary Maze, so ask about small ones.
What is there to do in the Lake District at October half term when it rains?
Museum of the Moon in Carlisle Cathedral (to 1 November, suggested £5 an adult or £12 a family) and Lakes Aquarium (open daily from 10am, family of four £24.99 online) are fully indoors. Honister's ghost tour is underground, and Lakeland Maze has a big soft play.
Are there Halloween events for adults in Cumbria?
Yes. Scarecaster at Muncaster (29 to 31 October, 16 and over, £29.50), Keswick Ghost Walks (£15) and Honister Ghost Tours (£25) are the main ones. Walby also runs six adults-only After Dark pumpkin evenings, booked separately.
Sources and further reading
Facts checked against these pages on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
- Walby Farm Park: Pumpkin picking 2026
- Walby Farm Park home page
- Lakeland Maze Farm Park: Pumpkin patch
- Lakeland Maze Farm Park home page
- Cumbria Crack: Pumpkin patches to visit in Cumbria in 2026 (21 Sep 2026)
- Visit Eden: Pumpkin picking at Greystoke Castle
- Visit Eden: Kids Halloween Party at Greystoke Castle
- Muncaster Castle: Halloween Family Festival
- Cumbria Guru: Muncaster Halloween Family Festival 2026
- Visit Lake District: Scarecaster
- West Coast Railways: The Muncaster Express ghost train
- Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway: Halloween half term
- Cumbria Guru: Room on the Broom Halloween trail, Whinlatter
- Forestry England: Whinlatter Forest
- Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum: opening hours and pricing
- Windermere Lake Cruises: Cumbrian Halloween crafting at Windermere Jetty Museum
- Carlisle Cathedral: Museum of the Moon
- Lakes Aquarium: admission prices
- Lakes Aquarium: opening times
- Holker: Halloween at Holker
- National Trust: Half-term pumpkin carving at Allan Bank
- National Trust: Stranger Folk at Wray Castle
- National Trust: Stranger Folk at Allan Bank
- Lakeland Arts: Halloween half-term activities at Windermere Jetty Museum
- The Fell & Family Almanac, October 2026 entries (events data used to cross-check dates)
- Cumbria Guru: Carlisle Carnivale and the Winter Droving 2026
- Discover Carlisle: Carlisle Fireshow 2026
- Keswick.org: Keswick Ghost Walks
- Lakeland Hauntings
- Honister Slate Mine: Ghost Tours
- Levens Hall: Ghostly House Tours
- Levens Hall: opening times and admission
- Ulverston.com: Candlelit Walk 2026
- Brockhole: Halloween (2025 event page)
- Brockhole: What's on
- Cumberland Council: school term and holiday dates
- Westmorland and Furness Council: school term and holiday dates
- GOV.UK: when do the clocks change
- NOAA Solar Calculator (basis for sunset times)
