The popular pastime of pumpkin picking will get underway at Smithills Open Farm today, marking the official countdown to Halloween.

The open farm and neighbouring Smithills Open Farm will be helping get people into the spirit of the season.

The pumpkin patch will be open until October 29.

The patch will be open from 10:30-5:30 and will cost £6 per pumpkin.

It is important to note that you buy the tickets for the number of pumpkins you want and not the number of people visiting.

The Bolton News: Smithills Open Farm pumpkin picking

The pumpkin patches’ popularity has continued to grow since the successes of last year.

The event will run in the same vein as last year with plenty of opportunities to grab photos with staff who are dressed as Pumpkins and Scarecrows and a selection of wheelbarrows are on hand to carry your hard-earned pumpkins to the car.

The farm feels that events like these are an essential part of their calendar and brings a lot of joy to young people throughout Greater Manchester.

Carl Grimshaw, co-owner of the farm said: “It’s very enjoyable. It’s stressful to organise and get set up but people have lots of fun.”

The farm has also put on additional Halloween activities including the Spooky Woodland which acts like a big game of hide and seek.

Young people can be guided through the woods where they will meet a selection of monsters and can complete tasks to win prizes.

Neighbouring Smithills Hall Museum will also see its family fun guided tour return on October 31 when visitors will learn the sinister history of the hall and the tour will include scary stories and the potential to meet a ghost.

For details of the tour and pumpkin picking check the Facebook pages for both organisations