Autumn is one of my favourite seasons for a day out; heatwaves have mellowed, kids are back at school, trees turn glorious shades of red, amber and gold and Halloween is just around the corner. So how can we make the most of the next few weeks before the nights draw in, winter edges closer and we all race towards Christmas?
According to the Met Office, the UK is experiencing a burst of unseasonably warm weather, meaning this October is the perfect time to get outside for a walk, see autumn's glorious colours and cosy up by a log fire in a traditional country pub.
As Matthew Fox, CEO of Simply Sea Views, says: ‘Once the summer holidays are over, it's easy to think you've missed the best time to get outside, but in autumn, British beaches and coastal paths tend to be quieter, while the change in season brings different wildlife. You have seal pups appearing around parts of Wales, huge numbers of birds migrating to our shores and the chance to spot whales off Shetland and dolphin calves in the Moray Firth.’
October is also the best time to visit our 3.28 million hectares of woodland to admire colourful autumn leaves, forage for mushrooms (if you know which ones are edible, of course) and end your wander in front of a cosy log fire in a country pub. It costs nothing to pull on your coat and go for a walk – here are 6 of my favourite ideas for making the most of the season…
1. See dolphins, seal pups and minke whales along the coast
Head to Chanonry Point on the Moray Firth in Scotland to watch bottlenose dolphins hunting for salmon close to shore on a one-mile walk from nearby Fortrose. In Pembrokeshire, The National Trust's Deer Park circular walk (around one mile) at Martin's Haven overlooks Skomer Island and neighbouring, Ramsey Island, which is home to the largest grey seal pupping site in southern Britain. Between 500 and 700 pups are born here every year, with the pupping season running until November.
Grey and common seals can also be seen hauled onto the rocks at Mutton Cove near Godrevy in Cornwall throughout autumn. If you have the energy, do the five-mile walk from Godrevy to Hell's Mouth following the South West Coast Path for views down towards the cove. If whale watching is on your bucket list, head to Shetland, where minke whales and harbour porpoises can be seen from dry land.
For other crowd-free coastal walks, Simply Sea Views has highlighted 10 of the best places to spot the UK's most impressive seasonal wildlife. VisitEngland also has a useful list of top autumn seaside adventures from The Nature Coast, stretching from Suffolk and Norfolk in the East to the Historic Coast in Yorkshire (where Traitors-esque castles, maritime legends and waterfront cities meet dramatic landscapes). For more nostalgic seaside adventures in Blackpool, Southport and Morecambe Bay, try the Classic North West Coast, including Lancashire, Wirral and Cumbria.
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2. Visit the UK’s biggest pumpkin patch
We might not go as crazy for pumpkin pie as our American cousins, but who doesn’t enjoy carving a gourd for Halloween? Most farms open their pumpkin fields in early October and we reach peak pumpkin fever just before Halloween. We’ve fully embraced the American pumpkin-patch trend in the UK and there are now hundreds of pick-your-own farms where you can choose the best one to make a spooky lantern with. By far the biggest is Tulleys Farm near Crawley in West Sussex, where you can grab a wheelbarrow and pick your perfect pumpkin from over 1.5 million grown in the fields. Tickets for Europe’s largest pumpkin festival, which runs until 1 November, start from £12.95. New for this year is The Pumpkin Valley, filled with giant pumpkin sculptures and peaceful ponds and there’s street theatre, street food, live music and a 33m Observation Wheel, too.
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3. Admire autumn leaves
The common beech (which turns a deep, coppery gold), ancient oak (russet and warm bronze), silver birch (bright, buttery yellow), wild cherry (crimson red) and field maple (fiery orange), fill Britain’s woodlands with spectacular autumn colours. And while some trees have been shedding their leaves earlier than usual (thanks to our unusually hot summer), there’s plenty that are still waiting to fall. The Woodland Trust, the UK's largest woodland conservation charity, has more than 1,000 sites that are free to visit around the UK and Forestry England has an autumn leaf watch so you can track how the season is unfolding nationwide.
4. Go foraging for mushrooms
Damp autumn woodlands are also the best place to find wild, edible mushrooms such as porcini (ceps), chanterelles and parasols. The best time to go looking is four to seven days after heavy rain following a warm spell, as moist and humid conditions trigger rapid mushroom growth. Try the New Forest in Hampshire, Epping Forest in Essex and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.
Don’t miss UK Fungus Day on 10 October, when you can join events, walks and talks around the UK. What's more, Kew Gardens and Kew Wakefield are also embracing our fascination with fungi. Kew Wakehurst has an interactive Wallace & Gromit: Fantastic Funghi trail through the autumn landscape (17 October-1 November). Meanwhile at Kew, The Fungarium contains 1.25 million dried specimens from all over the world and there’s a two-day fungi drawing and painting course with celebrated botanical artist Lucy T Smith (8-9 October).
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5. Enjoy an autumn walk that ends in a country pub
My favourite autumn day out involves a (short) walk, preferably with a dog, that finishes with a glass of red wine in front of a cosy fire in a traditional country pub. I did exactly that in the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, just a few weeks ago – the leaves were already golden and I enjoyed a scenic walk through rolling hills and woodland to and from the charming Merry Harriers. This dog-friendly pub in a tiny hamlet near Hambledon has just 14 rooms, including five shepherd huts and five recently refurbished garden rooms with patios that look out onto a field of grazing sheep.
The National Trust’s Winkworth Arboretum, with more than 1,000 different species of trees and shrubs was an 8-minute drive away and the food was outstanding – from roasted mushroom parfait with pickled shallot and grilled sourdough to venison reared on the South Downs. A few more pubs with rooms that have made a name for themselves across the UK are The Bull in Charlbury, The George In Rye and The Rose in Deal.
Scotland’s staggering scenery – from highlands to lochs – are beautiful in Autumn, and if I lived a bit closer, I’d go walking there all the time. Walk Highlands has walking routes across the country including an Argyll coastal stroll with a warm welcome from the Linnhe Storehouse & Cafe at the end. Whiskey lovers visiting the Talisker Distillery could combine it with a walk to Carbost Burn Waterfall, around 1mile away and lunch at The Three Chimneys at Talisker’s restaurant on the shores of Loch Harport.
6. Hit the road and go off the beaten track
From the Cotswolds to the Cairngorms, there’s nothing like escaping the traffic and feeling the freedom of the open road. One for hikers, photographers and wildlife lovers, the Cairngorms comes into its own in autumn, when the changing colours bring the landscape to life. And while the honey-coloured Cotswolds are beautiful at any time of year, there’s something about the autumn light and russet-coloured, ivy-covered cottages that make it perfect for a road trip through Broadway, Bourton-on-the-water and Lower and Upper Slaughter. Another great road trip to do is the Northumberland 250 – a 250-mile scenic circular route featuring wild coastlines, dramatic castles, historic towns and the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park.
If you don’t have your own car to drive, why not hire a camper van and make a weekend break of it? Goboony, the Airbnb-style campervan and motorhome platform, has 25,000+ bookable vehicles (think beautifully restored vintage VW campers and Scandinavian-inspired conversions to luxury motorhomes with outdoor kitchens, hot showers and hotel-worthy interiors) across the UK and Europe with prices starting from £75 per night.
