Half-term witchy walks, spooky stories and pumpkins

The National Trust is gearing up for a spooky family October half term as the pumpkin harvest begins.

There’s plenty to keep children entertained including witchy trails, creative crafts, spooky stories and harvest celebrations.

Families can celebrate a bountiful harvest at Buckland Abbey where the gardeners have been growing squashes and pumpkins galore to show off as part of an autumnal display.

Also, youngsters are invited to visit Buckland Abbey for a half term filled with fearsome sea monsters. Watch out for the Kraken, leviathan, Sirens and much more.

For more at Buckland Abbey (Saturday, October 17- Sunday, November 1, 10am-4pm) see this link: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/buckland-abbey

Meanwhile, a magical trail of potions has been laid for families at Antony House, Torpoint, to discover ingredients hidden in the house and gardens to create an enchanted elixir.

Visitors can follow the clues across Antony's autumnal gardens to complete the trail.

Antony is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12pm-5pm. Trail should be collected by 3pm, giving time to find clues.

Visitors are encouraged to wear Halloween and magical garments to enter into the spirit of the event.

Carrying on the theme of delving into the imagination, visitors to Lanhydrock can step into a world of folklore with the Stranger Folk app, a free National Trust app generating Halloween family adventures in the grounds.

Parents are asked to download the app before they visit, then collect the magic password to begin their quest. Guided by the mysterious ‘Crone’ character, they will then complete a series of fun, interactive challenges searching for the Stranger Folk and decide their fate. Suitable for ages seven-plus.

The Stranger Folk digital adventure runs between Saturday, October 17 – Sunday, November 1. 10.30am-4.30pm

There is also storytelling at Lanhydrock with the The legend of Jan Tregeagle by ‘Mythwalker’ on Sunday, October 25, and between 29-31 October. 11am-4pm.

Further details of National Trust Lanhydrock at this link: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cornwall/lanhydrock