The tupelo trees turn bright red, and one variety changes colour around ten days ahead of the rest.
By the water, swamp cypresses glow amber.
You can even arrive by steam on the Bluebell Railway, whose station is a 15-minute walk away.
Cost: £19 adults, £9.50 children — National Trust members free.
RICHMOND PARK, LONDON
BELLOWING stags are the soundtrack in October, when the red deer rut reaches its peak.
Head for the Isabella Plantation, a woodland garden where Japanese maples flare crimson and winged spindle bushes turn rosy scarlet.
Entry is free, but keep one eye on the leaves and the other on the stags, keeping at least 50m away.
Cost: Free entry and parking.
WESTONBIRT, THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM, GLOUCS
Enjoy the many varieties of trees at the National Arboretum in GloucestershireCredit: Getty
NEARLY 300 varieties of Japanese maple grow here, setting the Acer Glade ablaze.
A new trail through Silk Wood this year is themed around nine Japanese ideas about the seasons. Book ahead.
Cost: £19 weekdays or £22 weekends, children £5.
BLICKLING ESTATE, NORFOLK
BEECH, oak, lime and sweet chestnut are mirrored in the lake in front of this Jacobean mansion.
Follow the two-mile Lake Walk, then head into the Great Wood, where the beeches glow amber and a pyramid-shaped mausoleum stands among the trees.
Cost: Free entry to parkland — parking £5, NT members free.
CANNOCK CHASE, STAFFS
NOT every tree that turns gold is a broadleaf.
Larches are conifers that drop their needles in winter, and here they blaze yellow against the dark pines.
Follow the Sherbrook Valley trail to the stepping stones, with beeches adding copper along the way.
Cost: Free entry — parking from £1.20.
SHERWOOD FOREST, NOTTS
Pay your respects to the Major Oak, the giant at Sherwood Forests heartCredit: Getty
ROBIN Hood’s old stomping ground is at its best when the oaks turn russet.
Pay your respects to the Major Oak, the giant at its heart thought to be up to 1,200 years old.
Sadly, the ailing tree died this year after suffering drought and heatwaves, but it still stands as a monument.
Oaks turn late, so there’s still plenty of time.
Cost: Free entry — parking £7, RSPB members free.
HARDCASTLE CRAGS, WEST YORKS
BEECH, oak and birch cling to the sides of this steep valley, near Hebden Bridge, above the tumbling Hebden Water.
Follow the riverside path to Gibson Mill, a cotton mill built around 1800, then grab a drink from its Weaving Shed Cafe and sit out by the millpond, hemmed in by trees.
Cost: Free entry — parking £5–£8, NT members free.
LOUGHRIGG TARN AND ELTERWATER, CUMBRIA
FOR the classic Lake District postcard view, walk the easy four-mile loop from Elterwater village via Skelwith Bridge to Loughrigg Tarn.
On a still day, the Langdale Pikes, the craggy peaks at the head of the valley, are reflected in the water, framed by turning woodland.
Cost: Free entry — paid parking, NT members free.
ALLEN BANKS AND STAWARD GORGE, NORTHUMBERLAND
KEEP an eye out for elusive red squirrels in this deep gorge carved by the River Allen.
Most of its beeches were planted in the 19th century, and they spill copper and gold colours down the valley sides.
The riverside path then leads to medieval ruins and a Victorian summer house.
Cost: Free entry — parking £3–£5, NT members free.
COED Y BRENIN, SNOWDONIA
PISTYLL Cain plunges into a dark pool deep within the 9.000-acre King’s Forest.
You can reach it via a 2.2-mile walk beside the River Mawddach, leaving conifers behind for broadleaf woods and the ruins of old gold mines.
Cost: Free entry and parking at Tyddyn Gwladys.
LOCH AN EILEIN, CAIRNGORMS
A RUINED 13th-century castle on an island steals the show here.
In autumn, the birch, rowan and aspen of the ancient Rothiemurchus Forest flare gold against the dark Scots pines.
The flat 3.5-mile loop is easy for kids. Scotland turns first, so don’t hang about.
Cost: Free entry — parking £5 per car.
TOLLYMORE FOREST PARK, CO DOWN
Tollymore forest park is stunning in autumnCredit: Alamy
GAME Of Thrones fans will recognise this forest at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, which was used as a filming location.
Walk the River Trail along the River Shimna, crossing stepping stones and some of its 16 bridges beneath beech and oak.
THE spooks and the ghouls are gathering, and this half-term is gearing up to be spine-chillingly fang-tastic.
Superb Halloween events for all the family are being held across the UK, including in city centres, holiday parks, castles and lots of amazing attractions.
The spooks and the ghouls are gathering, and this half-term is gearing up to be spine-chillingly fang-tasticTeenage monsters will love screaming their way through horror mazes at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Here, Trisha Harbord shares her selection of 13 of the most magical and monstrous activities taking place in the coming weeks.
MAZE MADNESS
DO you have teenage monsters? They’ll love screaming their way through horror mazes at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
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The attraction’s Journey To Hell features three new mazes: Eternal Abyss, a network of tunnels; The Veil, a house steeped in grief; and Deadline, with its nightmarish corridors.
Other frightening encounters include riding ICON: Into The Void blindfolded, and a ghost train.
Screamfest at Staffordshire’s National Forest Adventure Farm is celebrating 15 years with its most terrifying attraction. Cortex 17 is a psychic trial set in a 1960s hospital, featuring 20 weird actors.
It’s among seven chilling experiences with thrill rides and roaming characters until October 31, from £34pp. See screamfest.co.uk.
HOLIDAY PARK HELL
HOLIDAY parks across the UK have cut-price half-term deals. Butlin’s Spooktober is landing at Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness, with discounted three-night breaks from £66 per person.
Fairgrounds have become scaregrounds and there are special Halloween shows, eerie silent discos and crafts as well as Splash Waterworld, TV’s The Masked Singer and Maximum Pro Wrestling. See butlins.com.
If you’re in Scotland or the north of England, Verdant Parks has 11 sites in beautiful coastal and countryside locations where Halloween is being celebrated, with three-night family stays from £259.
You could choose Riverside, on the banks of Wooler Water in Northumberland, which has a pool, wellness area, soft play, arcade, entertainment, bar and restaurant.
Kids can get involved in pumpkin carving and zombie battles. See verdantparks.co.uk.
MONSTER MAYHEM
Manchester’s MCR Monsters are back for their tenth anniversaryCredit: Carl Sukonik
MANCHESTER’s MCR Monsters are back for their tenth anniversary. The giant, inflatable creatures will appear on famous buildings and landmarks such as The Royal Exchange and Corn Exchange from October 24 to 31.
On the first weekend, the free event features real-life characters roaming the streets, plus party games and DJs.
There’s also a new Paul Horror-wood Monster Bake-Off on New Cathedral Street, where you can win a “handshake” and pick up free party bags of sweets. Kids will love the spooky storytelling at the monsters’ library in the Arndale, too.
Dancing puppets, stilt walkers and a brass band will lead a procession to the city centre for a spectacular anniversary party.
All week, the Science And Industry Museum is holding interactive activities about Halloween aliens. See halloweenmcr.com.
GET your wellies on and hitch a ride on a tractor-trailer to pick your own pumpkin. This year, Stockeld Park near Wetherby, Yorkshire, has grown their own to add to their half-term activities from October 24 to November 1.
Enter Halloween fancy dress competitions, complete a forest trail with the help of woodland witches who will share their mischievous skills, explore the Mummy Maze, with a few surprises along the way, and battle it out in the Laser Zombie Experience.
Stockeld also has six playgrounds, a multi-storey playhouse and tree climbing. Tickets from £28pp. See stockeldpark.co.uk.
Still not had enough? There are pumpkins galore – hundreds of thousands to be precise – to be collected at Rougham Estate near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. You’ll also find food trucks, face painting, pedal tractors and ice cream, too! See roughamestate.com.
CHOCCIE HORROR SHOW
HALLOWEEN comes with a sweet twist at Cadbury World. The Birmingham attraction has a new gameshow-style challenge where visitors must guess the characters hiding behind a Trick Or Treat door.
And there’s Freddo’s Spooktacular, with games, songs, magic and chilling surprises, as well as chocolate pumpkins and afternoon tea. Explore 14 zones with activities and a 4D movie. Runs until November 1, tickets from £24. See cadburyworld.co.uk.
Until November 1 at Sea Life Birmingham, sea witch Serafina asks kids to become ocean defenders by following a spellbinding trail. They will tackle challenges, solve puzzles and complete Serafina’s missions to discover life under the sea.
Walk through the UK’s only 360-degree ocean tunnel to see turtles, sharks, rays and hundreds of tropical fish. From £19. See visitsealife.com.
HIGH-SPEED THRILLS
TEENS’ hearts will be racing when they get to ride their favourite rollercoasters after dark at Alton Towers.
And new scare maze Final Exhibit will have visitors running for their lives to avoid becoming part of a creepy display.
Younger thrill-seekers will prefer a visit to Trick O’ Treat Town and Amigos In The Afterlife, where they’ll meet friendlier characters.
Scarefest runs until November 1 on selected dates, and tickets cost from £37 for day entry or £80 including all four scare mazes. See altontowers.com.
If after-dark thrills are more your thing, Thorpe Park is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Fright Nights with more spine tingles than ever before. Its new scare maze Tenement will have adrenaline junkies looking for the exit in the pitch black. Entry from £39. See thorpepark.com.
SPOOKY WOOKEY
GET your best Halloween togs on and you could win a year of magical adventures.
The show caves at Wookey Hole, near Wells in Somerset, have been transformed into a spellbinding world of pumpkins, monsters, magic and family fun.
Every family in fancy dress who take a photo there will be entered into a draw to win a year’s membership to the attraction, including access to the new Winter Wonderland.
The Halloween event, which runs until November 1, includes a journey through the caves, where immersive projections bring the story of the Witch of Wookey Hall to life.
Vampires and monsters are taking over the circus, there’s a spooky 4D film, a pumpkin trail and surprises. Adult tickets cost from £24.64, child tickets from £19.54. See wookey.co.uk.
CASTLES IN THE SCARE
STAY in a castle and seek out characters from Horrible Histories. Performers will bring the gruesome stories from the kids’ books to life at Leeds Castle near Maidstone, Kent, until November 1.
Follow a ghost-getter’s trail, uncovering tales of royal spirits, witch trials and strange superstitions. Two nights’ B&B for a family of four in a castle bedroom costs £500, including tickets and free evening meals for kids. See leeds-castle.com.
Warwick Castle will also be full of family frights, including haunted hollows and lurking goblins from October 24 to November 1. But on selected nights, the scares are turned up a notch – with spine-tingling sleepovers including three terrifying ghostly experiences, circus acts and a silent disco. B&B and tickets cost from £85pp. See warwick-castle.com.
HOWLS AND OWLS
The Welsh School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry can be found at the British Bird Of Prey Centre, in CarmarthenshireCredit: Gareth Danks
WANNABE Harry Potters can learn spells and meet some owls at The Welsh School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry.
It can be found at the British Bird Of Prey Centre, in Carmarthenshire, which has been transformed for a week of mischief from October 26.
Kids are encouraged to wear magical costumes for classes including wand-making, creating potions and spells. Then, they can try being a falconer and fly an owl or a red kite.
Tickets cost from £14 per adult and £8.50 per child. Flying sessions are from £10. See british birdofpreycentre.co.uk.
If you’re further south, a wizard school is also being held at Southampton’s Tudor House on October 26 and 27, costing £8. The house has a free Halloween open day on October 30, with crafts, facepainting, haunted tales and guided ghost tours. See visitsouthampton.co.uk.
THE HAUNTED WOODS
THINGS aren’t just going bump in the night down at BeWILDerwood outdoor family adventure parks in Norfolk, Cheshire and the Lake District.
There’s a whole host of spooky events in the daytime, too. The woodland attractions are asking young visitors to don their scariest outfits to enjoy the play trails and whoosh along zipwires.
There’s also a Twig Or Treat trail until November 1 – where youngsters will be tasked with uncovering characters and collecting letters to discover the scrambled word and claim their prize.
Then, stick around until nightfall to see the Glowing Light Trail twinkle. Tickets cost from £26.50 per adult and £24.50 per child over 92cm. Families can bag 12.5 per cent off when they book online in advance. See bewilderwood.co.uk.
CREEPY CAPITAL
Halloween characters, the stilt-wearing Peculiar Sisters, are trailing around spookily-decorated shops and houses on Kensington High Street from October 23 to 31Credit: Mark Weeks
LONDON is crawling with creepies this half-term. Halloween characters, including the stilt-wearing Peculiar Sisters, are trailing around spookily-decorated shops and houses on Kensington High Street from October 23 to 31.
And on the last day, Holland Park will be transformed into The Playful Park Of Peculiar with live entertainment. See highstreetkensington.co.uk.
London Dungeon has the three-part immersive show Curse Of The Mummy until November 1. From £29 per adult and £23.50 per child. See thedungeons.com.
The dungeon is included in National Rail’s discounted entries to attractions, saving a third off the price. Other offers include Ghosts And Legends at the Tower of London and the Haunted Halls Of Hampton Court Palace. See daysoutguide.co.uk.
BRICK OR TREAT
LEGOLAND Discovery Centres in Birmingham and Manchester have been overtaken by minifigure monsters this Halloween.
Until November 1, budding builders can join creative workshops, bringing their own creations to the Brick Or Treat mosaic boards and testing their skills with glow-in-the-dark Lego bricks.
There are also scavenger hunts, pumpkin carving and dance parties. Tickets cost £19pp or £51 per family of four. See legolanddiscoverycentre.com.
And at Legoland Windsor, half-term sees Lord Vampyre’s Creepy Crypt Trail promising treats across the park, as well as new a harbour show, Monster Rocker’s Pumpkin Trail and the Haunted House Halloween Monster Party. Tickets from £39pp at legoland.co.uk.
LORDS OF THE MANOR
Grab yourselves a bit of luxury at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, WalesCredit: Supplied
GRAB yourselves a bit of luxury. Kids under 13 can stay at the five-star Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales, for free.
It costs from £123 per night for a family of four, Monday to Thursday, until October 31 – and that includes use of the health club and spa. There are free Halloween crafts and games, while other activities, such as pottery painting and cupcake decorating, can be booked.
If you’re not into spooks, kids are still entertained – there’s archery, laser combat, high ropes, adventure golf, axe-throwing and swimming. And there’s lots of space for biking or walking. The resort has 2,000 acres of grounds and woodland trails.
Larger families can book self-catering Hunter Lodges, with hot tubs and saunas, sleeping up to eight adults and two children. See celtic-manor.com.
OUR new Spotlight On column gives you the lowdown on what to see, do and enjoy in your favourite holiday hotspots.
This week we are discovering the delights of Scotland‘s Isle of Arran with recommendations from Graham Omand, manager at the Lagg Distillery.
MUST SEE/DO
Graham says: “I have to mention a visit to Lagg Distillery, a place I’ve been calling home for the past six years. Not only is it a modern architectural masterpiece, it is the home of Lagg Single Malt.
“Along with multiple tours and tastings options, there’s also a shop full of bespoke items and gifts, and a cafe with views that stretch from Ailsa Craig to Northern Ireland.
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“There’s no better place to fall in love with peated whisky and learn about the local rich distilling history.”
HIDDEN GEM
“It is impossible to visit the island without admiring its picturesque coastal villages,” says Graham.
“Enjoy a drink in Corrie while looking at seals or sunbathing on the beach.
“Or grab a bite to eat in Lamlash while staring at the majestic Holy Isle at sunset. Or go for a wander around Lochranza Castle spotting otters playing on the rocks and deer roaming the hills. Magical.”
BEST VIEW
Graham says: “Arran is a walker’s paradise. You could choose the classic Goatfell, the highest mountain we have on the island, or other famous walks like the one to King’s Cave, to Machrie Moor standing stones, the many Glens and more.
“Expect breathtaking panoramic views, wildlife encounters and unforgettable memories.”
The Arran hills are beautiful from afarCredit: AlamyThe beaches are worth a visit even in winterCredit: Alamy
RATED RESTAURANT
“There are so many restaurants, pop-up cafes, food vans and more that offer modern and classic dishes with local produce such as venison or seafood,” says Graham.
“The Mara Fish Bar & Deli in Corrie does amazing seafood platters with fantastic views to enjoy.
“There is also the Blackwater Bakehouse & The Bread Shed for fresh bread and croissants.
“The Corrie Hotel is also great for lunch and dinner. And don’t miss the chance for a scoop at Arran Ice Cream.”
BEST BAR
Of course, Graham recommends the Lagg Distillery for a tipple or two with tours and tastings from 10.30am to 4.30pm, Tuesdays to Sundays.
Also worth a visit is the Douglas Hotel, which Graham says has some of the best views of Goatfell mountain.
HOTEL PICK
Tucked away on the west coast of the island, the Kinloch Hotel has 22 rooms as well as self-catering apartments, many with stunning sea views.
The family owned property promises a peaceful retreat.
The restaurant offers hearty local cuisine including a seafood platter with local fish, Highland venison sausages as well as island treats such as Arran Dairies ice cream and Wooleys oat cakes.
After a day exploring, go for a relaxing dip in the indoor pool or enjoy a sauna. Rooms cost £135, based on two sharing. See kinloch-arran.com.
