🎃 Also see our pumpkin patch recommendations
Autumn is an incredible time of year in Hampshire, with its orange colours, pigs in the New Forest, Autumnal family days out, and Halloween activities. This blog will go over it all, so sit back and get comfortable with your autumnal snacks, ready to see what’s out there.
👉 Hampshire is great for a short break – don’t miss out on these highly-rated accommodation options.
Spookesbury
Images from: https://www.spookesbury.com/
This Halloween event is perfect for daytime family fun and if you fancy exploring its darker side, it has its selection of scare nights.
🎃👹 Spookesbury: Harvest & Haunt aims to deliver an unforgettable immersive experience for all ages, with its daytime activities during the October half term from choosing pumpkins to decorating in the craft tent.
☕️🌭 Food & drink available for daytime and evening events.
🧟♂️ If you’re a thrill seeker, they have their scare nights filled with immersive features: terrifying scare attractions, roaming actors frightening guests with terrifying interactions, and scare elements from the moment you arrive.
You can also enjoy a selection of live music in the evenings as well.
📍 Southwick Road, Wickham, PO17 6HT
What3Words: trash.seat.generated
🎟️ Tickets & more information here
Hawk Conservancy Trust’s ‘Owl-O-Ween‘
Image from: https://www.hawk-conservancy.org/events/owl-o-ween/
🦉 This Owl themed event is perfect for families! Enjoy ghostly storytelling and marvel at the owls as they put on two mystical flying displays against the backdrop of the moonlit grounds.
They have Halloween trails to follow around the trust, which you can explore before the Owl displays.
🍔🌭 If you’re hungry, they have a BBQ and fresh hot churros. The Feathers Restaurant will be open to buy warm drinks and light snacks as well.
Food and drink available from 5:30pm.
Owl flying displays commence at 7pm.
Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th October.
📍 Hawk Conservancy Trust, Visitor Centre, Sarson Lane, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8DY
What3Words: informer.tragedy.gangs
🎟️ Tickets and more information here
Itchen Valley Country Park Haunted Forest Family Trail
Image from: https://www.itchenvalley.co.uk/whats-on/haunted-forest-halloween-trail
🌲🦇 Explore their family friendly Haunted Forest Trail this Halloween.
You’d find your way through the forest with eerie forest tails, spine tingling clues, and you will have the chance to enter into their competition for a chance to win a goodie bag!
🎃 More Halloween events can be found on their website: https://www.itchenvalley.co.uk/whats-on
📍 Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Ln, Hampshire, SO30 3HQ
What3Words: watch.mess.discrepancy
🎟️ Tickets and more information here
New Forest Activities – Pumpkin Shooting
Images from: https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/event/halloween-archery-pumpkin-shooting-with-new-forest-activities/218547101/ https://www.thenewforest.co.uk/event/halloween-archery-pumpkin-shooting-with-new-forest-activities/185966101/ https://www.lymington.com/event/halloween-archery-pumpkin-shooting-with-new-forest-activities
🎃 New Forest Activities are offering a perfect Halloween family friendly opportunity. You get to decorate a pumpkin before using it as target practice! They offer a variety of targets alongside your pumpkin such as ghosts, zombies and werewolves.
90 minute shooting time.
🏹 Shooting at Halloween targets to begin with and moving onto the pumpkins towards the end.
Available at: Hazel Copse Farm and Hartford Woods archery sites.
📍 Hazel Copse Farm, Beaulieu SO42 7WA
What3Words: viewer.flock.recruited
🎟️ Tickets and more information here
Fiesta Dia De Los Muertos – The Garden Society
Images from: https://www.thegardensociety.co.uk/fiesta-dia-de-los-muertos/
🇲🇽💀 The Garden Society is back this year with its popular event celebrating The Day of the Dead, a Mexican tradition dating back to the early 1500s.
🕺 Join them for new acts, and their immersive performative take on the event, and lots of dancing!
🌮🌯 Mexican inspired food menu available.
⚠️ Potential flashing and strobe lighting.
📍 The Garden Society, Allington Ln, Southampton SO50 7DE
What3Words: spoil.smile.melt
🎟️ Bookings and more information here: https://www.thegardensociety.co.uk/fiesta-dia-de-los-muertos/
Spooky Afternoon Tea – Orange Grove Hotel & Gardens
Images from https://www.orangegrovehotel.co.uk/whats-on/ & https://www.facebook.com/OrangeGroveHotelAndGardens/posts/spooky-afternoon-tea-thursday-30th-october-12pm-to-2pmas-the-ber-months-set-in-j/1579018423552163/
🗓️🍁 October 30th, 12pm – 2pm
🏨 Orange Grove Hotel & Gardens offers their twist on a classic afternoon tea.
What to expect:
🎃☕ Halloween themed Afternoon tea
🦇 A Halloween trail around the grounds
👻 Fun family activity pack
⛳ A round of mini golf
📍 Orange Grove Hotel & Gardens, Coldeast Dr, Sarisbury, Southampton SO31 7PT
More information and prices on their website and Facebook page
Knightwood Oak Trail
Map image from: https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/england/hampshire/knightwood-oak-walk
🍁 An easy walk through the Knightwood Oak Forest in the New Forest, it really stands out with its bright orange and yellow colours during Autumn.
🍂🌳 The famous oak tree is believed to have been planted in 1600, it demonstrates pollarding where the tree has been harvested while being kept alive.
Distance: 0.5 km (it can easily be extended)
Duration: 0.5-1 hr (unless extended)
📍 Knightwood Oak Car Park, Brockenhurst, New Forest, Hampshire, SO43 7GR
What3Words: momentous.boomed.suiting
More information here, here, and here
Holmsley Old Railway Line Circular Walk
Map image from: https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/england/hampshire/holmsley-station-tea-room-circular
🚂 Completed in 1847 and closed in the mid 1960s, it was one of Hampshire’s oldest railway lines which ran from Brockenhurst to Ringwood and on to Wimborne. Today the long stretches of track bed have been retained as walking and cycling routes.
🫖🍰 The Old Station Tea Rooms offers some lovely refreshments to help you with your walk.
Distance: 3.4 km
Duration: 0.5 – 1 hr
What3Words: sprains.servants.exactly
What3Words: grapes.stickler.example
More information here
Here’s our visit to the Station Tea Rooms in March 2023: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=913017283449472&id=100042236269437
Meon Valley Trail – Wickham to Brockbridge
🚂 This trail explores the Southern Side of the South Downs National Park. Leading between Wickham and Brockbridge along the Meon Valley Trail, a former railway line which was built from 1898-1903. It ran as a passenger and goods train operated by London and South Western Railway as an express route. Until passenger services ended in 1955 and goods services ending in 1968 due to its rural location.
🌳 Today, it is used as a scenic trail through the forest, open to walking, running, cycling, and horse riding so bear this in mind when enjoying the trail!
Distance: 17.1 km (can be shortened or extended)
Duration: 4-4.5 hrs
What3Words: immune.feasting.snippet
More information here
Pig Pannage in the New Forest
🐷 There are many traditions and laws in the New Forest interweaving the history of the lives of commoners, residents of the New Forest, and landowners, including royalty. One of these relates to commoners being allowed to release domestic pigs to graze on the acorns, chestnuts, or beech mast, known as pannage or ‘common of mast’. This is a practical way of getting the nuts, poisonous to ponies and cattle, off the forest floor. The pigs provide a natural hoover, and they get to enjoy the nuts and the freedom to roam – a win-win for animals and farmers.
🎃🍁 The pannage period varies by year and is determined by the Verderers of the New Forest and Forestry England but is usually from late September through to October. It can be extended depending on the crops of nuts. It will be interesting to see how global warming may affect the timings. In ancient times, pigs would roam in the thousands but there are only hundreds nowadays. Each pig is tagged and ringed.
The pigs wander where they want, including on the roads, so there is a good chance of spotting some, but not to touch. We have witnessed a pony getting very angry with some pigs and kicking out so, whilst they might be domesticated, care and respect around them is a must. Groups of pigs make for an entertaining sight trotting along and rooting around, doing a valuable job keeping their fellow four-legged residents safe.
