I visited one of Scotland's most popular pumpkin patches after dark - and got the fright of my life
It’s pumpkin picking season, but one Scottish farm is taking their Halloween offering to a spooky new level, finds Rosalind Erskine.
There’s no doubt that Halloween has become a bigger and more Americanised event than it was 10 years ago. The humble neep has been abandoned in favour of carving a pumpkin, kids are trick or treating, not guising and the more traditional aspects, such as bobbing for apples, seems to have all but disappeared from Halloween parties in Scotland.
I’ve been taking my nephews pumpkin picking for the last few years to Arnprior Farm, one of the nearest pick your own pumpkin patches to Glasgow, and it’s undoubtedly a fun day out for all the family with food trucks, stalls and a gin bar for those parents in need of a pick me up.
While a pumpkin patch is good fun, one farm in South Queensferry has decided to add some Halloween scares to their offering, with an after dark experience. I have childhood memories of an annual spooky walk, held in my hometown to raise money for the local Lifeboat. This walk consisted of a wander to various spots in the town, being told local folklore stories and generally being scared witless by people jumping out or appearing from nowhere. It combined the thrill of the spooky season with the tradition of ghost stories.
One of the closest pumpkin patches to Edinburgh city, Craigies is bringing this kind of thing back. Building on last year’s Halloween success by adding a 900 square metre hay bale trail added to the line-up of spooky activities, and are once again partnering with Scottish event producer NL Productions to create what they’re calling “Edinburgh’s best family Halloween experience”. Last year, the farm introduced the haunted tunnels as part of the after dark experience and was billed as a “scarier night time experience that’s designed for older children and adults. This year the new maze experience is the haunted harvest and features ‘spooky characters and immersive effects”.
I went along for the pumpkin patch after dark opening in mid-October, not sure what to expect but hoping to get into the Halloween spirit, albeit a few weeks early. Without giving too much away, the haunted harvest maze is well laid out with special effects and an easy to follow story, told via video screens. There’s spooky decorations and interactive elements and a few scary surprises - one that gave me the fright of my life, as not all of the statues that you’ll encounter are what they seem. It took me back to these charity spooky walks of my youth, which included ghosts, ghouls and the unmistakable sound of a chainsaw: while you’re having fun, it is also ever-so-slightly unnerving.
Being spooked was once what Halloween was all about, so it was fun to relive that at this well organised experience staffed by very dedicated actors. For those with young kids (including my nephews), the day time experience will be more family-friendly, with less scares and more photo opportunities. The humble neep lantern may not be back for good but being scared by a spooky walk is.
Tickets for the pumpkin picking are £5 and between £10 and £12 for the after dark festival.
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