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Pumpkin Picking and Halloween Activities in Exeter

It looks like Halloween is back on this year with lots of places to choose from Pumpkin Picking and Halloween Activities in Exeter and the surrounding area. It does look like everything is on a pre-booked basis so if you find something you fancy make sure you snap up some tickets.

Pumpkin Picking and Halloween Activities in Exeter and surrounding areas

I definitely want to take the kid’s pumpkin picking this year. We haven’t done it before and last year the place we were supposed to go was rained off on the day we’d booked and then cancelled for the remainder of the dates due to flooding which was a shame.

Here are some of the great activities and places to go this Halloween.

Halloween Pumpkin Trail – Devon Railway Centre

Running from 23rd – 31st October, the Devon Railway Centre. Follow the Pumpkins to find the Halloween Treasure. Find out more via the Devon Railway Centre Facebook Page.

Halloween Party – The Creedy Centre, Crediton – Sunday 31st October

Run by Unique Sweets and Treats and Paint Pots of Devon there are two sessions running on the day. The Admission Price includes sweets from the Trunk & Treat attraction, unlimited squash from the Café, free access to all the games & attractions. For more details and to book tickets head to the Facebook Event.

Spook Fest – Crealy – 23rd – 31st October

Featuring NEW spook-tacular attractions, creepily good live shows and entertainment and the return of some of your favourite Halloween attractions! The fang-tastic Halloween event includes…

The Creaky Hotel (Under New Management)
The Haunting Of The Wilderness
Scarecrow Scare Maze

Book Of Spells Live Show
Buddy & Blossom’s Halloween Bash
Pumpkin Patch’s Plot (Includes FREE pumpkin)

To book Tickets via the Crealy Website.

Jolly Pumpkin – Pick your own – Silverton – 15th – 31st October

Pick from 50 different varieties of pumpkin, Squash, and Gourd starting at just £1. Ticket booking is essential but no time scale on how long you stay. Put your wellies on and grab one of their colourful wheelbarrows. Refreshments are available. For more information and to book tickets head to the Jolly Pumpkin Facebook Page.

Halloween Spooktacular Train Play – Topsham – 31st October 10am – 4pm

Fancy dress is optional but there will be prizes every session for the best dressed.
Pre-booking only via their website www.trainplaydevon.co.uk

Halloween Half-Term Party – Ullacombe Farm Shop – 26th October 10.30 – 12.30

Held at the fabulous Ullacombe Farm in Bovey, there will be lots of spooky party games with prizes, decorating Halloween decs, learning dance, and singing a song from some Halloween-themed musicals! Suitable for ages 5+ and just £15 to join in for the 2-hour workshop. There is a £5 non-refundable deposit to pay upon booking. This is a drop-off session with parents returning at the end for a mini-performance from the young spooks! For more information and to book a ticket head to the Ullacombe Farm Shop Facebook Page.

Halloween Walk – Exton – 31st October 5pm

A thrilling and super scary, sweet-filled Halloween walk on 31st October. It will start at Copper Beech House (with the chimpanzee!), will pass by a number of our generous hosts, and end at the puffing billy for snacks. Get your costumes and dramatic makeup at the ready! Head to the Exton Village Facebook Page for more info.

Pick your own Pumpkin and Charity Scarecrow Train – Crediton – 28th – 30th October 10am – 4pm

Pick Your Own Pumpkin festival with the added bonus of a charity scarecrow trail around the farm. Great for all ages. Bag of sweets for completed trail finds. Fancy dress is optional. For more details head to Thorne’s Farm Shop Facebook Page.

Fright Night Shaldon Zoo – Saturday 30th October 3.30pm – 5.30pm

A fun filled evening for all the family. Come dressed in your favourite costumes and enter the fancy dress competition. Do a spooky walk around the zoo and see the animals who love to be awake after hours. To book tickets head to the Shaldon Zoo website.

Pick Your Own Pumpkin – Days Pottle Lane, Exminster – 16th & 17th Oct and 23rd – 31st October

Pick your own pumpkins straight from the field, prices start at £1. No booking is required. Homemade food and drinks are available. Carve them onsite. Thre are is also an electric bike track, inflatable obstacles, face painting and archery. For more details head to the Facebook page.

Whatever you do this Halloween – Have a Spooktacular time!

See what we get up to in the next Family Life post.

Family Fun at Paulos Circus Topsham

This weekend we had the pleasure of visiting Paulos Circus at Darts Farm in Topsham. it’s a fantastic setting with plenty of parking and the appeal of coffee, cake, and ice cream afterwards.

Aerial Acrobat performing in the air at Paulos Circus

We visited when they were there back in 2017 so we knew we were in for a treat – Paulos Circus 2017.

Paulos Circus has been entertaining the nation since 1816. Isabelle’s Tour is a mixture of traditional circus acts presented with a 21st-century twist.

The excitement builds once the Big Top is insight. The walk there today was a soggy one, but it definitely didn’t put a dampener on the experience.

I went with my sister and her daughter. As well as my two. I wasn’t sure if Freddie was going to sit still but he was mesmerised throughout the show as there are so many different acts to see as well as all the lighting and effects.

An Aerial gymnast performing in the Paulos Circus

We wore masks until we were seated. As we were seated ringside, there were plastic partitions between each family group and a one-way system in and out of the tent. There were also hand sanitisers at the entrance and in the toilets.

What to Expect

The show was Go….Go…..Go throughout with act after act providing non-stop entertainment.

The acts included:

Juggling
Balancing
Aerial Gymnastics
Aerial Cube Gymnastics
Ladder walking (not sure if that’s the technical term, but you’ll know what I mean)
Trapeze Artist
A Fairy on a tightrope
A Robot and a Spaceship

And not forgetting Poroto the clown who we saw in between each act – he was absolutely hilarious.

There were refreshments available on a cash-only basis so don’t forget to take some cash on the day.

The show lasted around 75 minutes and it went by really quickly.

It is loud in the big top and there are a lot of flashing lights. I did notice a couple of children wearing ear defenders, but my three-year-old and ten-year-old were absolutely fine without.

How much are the tickets?

Isabelle’s Tour is at Dart’s Farm until the 25th July with plenty of shows available and then on to Newquay for the rest of the Summer.

The tickets are £8 per person which is a very reasonable price. Under 2’s are FREE.

These can be prebooked or bought on the gate, but personally, I’m not sure I would risk the disappointment of being turned away. You can book your Paulos Circus Tickets Here.

For all updates, it’s best to follow their Facebook Page.

Our Thoughts

Right from the beginning, I thought it was well thought out with a one-way system and hand sanitisers available on arrival. The Big Top wasn’t packed full of people, there was plenty of room and in terms of COVID and social distancing, I felt that we didn’t have any issues at all.

The show was fantastic. There was something going on all of the time which just keeps the excitement going throughout. I wasn’t sure if Freddie was going to sit still as he has no experience of sitting in this kind of setting as he was only 18 months old when the pandemic hit. However, he was mesmerised by the lights and the acts. He joined in with the clapping and laughed throughout. My daughter and niece enjoyed it so much and again joined in wholeheartedly.

I love the circus and the atmosphere was brilliant. Everybody was clapping along and laughing the whole time. The performers give 100% to their acts and it shines throughout the acts.

To see more of the acts have a look at our Day’s Out Highlights over on our Instagram account.

*We were gifted tickets to attend the Paulos Circus to enable us to provide an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.