Kilduff Pumpkin Festival FAQs
All you need to know about visiting The Patch
All you need to know about visiting The Patch
The Patch is at Kilduff Farm just outside Athelstaneford in East Lothian. The postcode for the farm is EH39 5BD. Access to The Patch is from the B1343. The Patch and parking will be clearly signposted so you won’t miss it!
Coming by bus? The farm is serviced by the North Berwick to Haddington route – the 121 is currently run by Eve’s Coaches.
Kilduff Farm isn’t a scheduled stop but if you make the driver aware that you are coming to The Patch they should stop to let you off. Walk up the farm drive and you can access The Patch safely from there.
The Patch will open for our pumpkin festival in October 2022 on the following dates:
Sessions will run between 9.30am & 11.30am, 12pm & 2pm and 2.30pm & 4.30pm.
You are welcome to arrive at any time during your chosen session but must leave The Patch by the end of the session time to allow us to clear The Patch and car park before the start of the next session.
Yes, the pumpkin festival is a ticketed event. You need to purchase a car parking ticket to access The Patch. Please contact us if you are intending to arrive by foot or on public transport.
We introduced ticketing to pick pumpkins in 2020 and will be continue to run our pumpkin festival on a ticketed basis. This allows us to manage numbers and ensure a safe and happy experience for all of our visitors.
Tickets for 2022 will be PER CAR not per person. Please purchase one ticket per car that you intend to arrive in. You can then fill the car with as many passengers as is legal to do so!
Car parking tickets are per car (regardless of number of passengers). Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Your car parking ticket will allow your group access to The Patch during the 2 hour picking session for which you have booked. You can access The Patch at any time during your session but you will be asked to leave as soon as the session ends to allow us to clear The Patch and prepare it for the next session to begin.
Please note that tickets will be limited to 2 car parking tickets per transaction and you will be required to provide contact details.
Car parking tickets are priced per car (regardless of number of passengers).
Pumpkins are priced according to weight.
Tickets are non-refundable and we regret that, due to restrictions on numbers, we are unable to transfer tickets to different picking sessions.
We aim to make our pumpkin festival as accessible as possible. Please bear in mind however that our pumpkin picking is an outdoor event located in a stubble field. While we do everything we can to ensure that The Patch and car parking areas are accessible, we are at the mercy of the weather and the ground may become wet and muddy and may not be suitable for all types of wheelchair.
Parking for our ASN sessions will be in a grass paddock located next to The Patch. If you require accessible parking during our regular sessions please let one of our car parking attendants know on arrival and they will direct you to an accessible parking area.
The bale maze is designed to leave enough space for wheelchair and buggy access. We monitor ground conditions in the maze and lay straw when required to provide some stable ground cover in muddy areas where required.
We have accessible toilets on The Patch and a stretch tent for shelter should it be required.
While we cannot cater for all dietary requirements, we are working hard to ensure our food offering will include gluten and dairy free options.
Should you have any queries on accessibility or would like to speak to us for more information please call Lucy on 07793 600 289 or email on lucy@kilduff.co.uk. We want to make our Pumpkin Festival a memorable day out for all families and will help in any way we can.
We will be running two pumpkin picking sessions for children with additional support needs and their families and hope to create a safe, calm and happy environment for those families who need a little extra support.
At ASN sessions you will find:
We ask that only those families who feel they would benefit from these sessions book tickets for them.
Parking for the pumpkin festival is in a grass paddock adjacent to The Patch or on the farm steading, depending on weather and ground conditions. Please note that there is no parking on the roads around the farm.
While we will do everything we can to keep the car parks from getting too muddy, we are in Scotland and it might get very wet! If your car is as precious as Cinderella’s carriage we may not be the place for you to visit.
There will be members of staff managing the traffic and parking so please follow their instructions – they are there to help and keep you safe.
If you have mobility difficulties and need to park close to The Patch please let our staff know and they will direct you to a parking spot as close as possible.
We have planted thousands of pumpkin seeds of lots of different varieties and each pumpkin grows in its own way so you are sure to find the perfect pumpkin to suit you.
All the pumpkins will be cut from the vine and ready to lift into one of the wheelbarrows waiting on The Patch.
We plant thousands of pumpkin seeds at Kilduff Farm each year. Our culinary pumpkins are grown on a dedicated culinary patch separate from the pick your own patch. Our aim is to grow all the pumpkins we sell ourselves from seed right here at Kilduff. Pumpkins do however need certain weather conditions to grow and survive until they are harvested in Autumn. They need sunshine and warmth to ripen and encourage their skins to set.
We all know that Scottish weather doesn’t always play the game and sadly not every pumpkin survives on The Patch until picking. If weather conditions make growing pumpkins tricky, we may need to top up our numbers of carving pumpkins with pumpkins grown on other farms. We want to try to make sure that we have enough for everyone. These pumpkins will come from farms further South where conditions are warmer and dryer.
The culinary pumpkins we sell will only ever be grown here at Kilduff Farm.
Yes, we accept contactless and cash payments on The Patch.
Unfortunately not. The Patch is a pooch-free place. Dogs must be left at home or, if happy, in the car.
There are lots of lovely walks surrounding the farm and further afield in East Lothian that you can all enjoy together once you’ve visited The Patch.
Wrap up warm and wear wellies – we are in Scotland after all!
The Patch will be open for picking whatever the weather (as long as snow and storms stay away) so please dress appropriately. Children always have a better time on The Patch when they are cosy and dry.
The Patch and car park may get muddy so save your white trainers for another day!
We are excited to be able to run our pumpkin festival with a full offering in 2022.
We will have food trucks, our straw bale maze, autumn family photo opportunities and lots of other exciting festival fun and games to keep everyone entertained.
Our stretch tent will be back for shelter as well as our toilet facilities, including accessible toilets this year.
Remember that a pumpkin is fresh produce, so it won’t last forever. Most uncarved pumpkins will last for at least a couple of weeks (and often longer) but unfortunately some will rot after a few days of being picked. It depends on a huge number of factors! Culinary pumpkins can usually be stored for up to 6 months.
Pumpkins like being kept clean and uncarved in a cool, dry place. As soon as you damage the skin of a pumpkin (i.e. carve it) it will start to deteriorate – it’s natural!
If you are wanting your pumpkin masterpiece to last until Halloween it is best to leave it to carve until the weekend before. Please note that we are unable to offer refunds for pumpkins that rot.
The health and safety of our pumpkin pickers and staff are of upmost importance. We continue to follow Government guidelines in dealing with the risk of Covid-19 while still trying to ensure that everyone has fun while on The Patch.
Before you come to The Patch please ensure that you are up to date with the most recent Government guidance which can be found here:
https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/