Autumn colour and pumpkins aplenty at Markshall Estate this October half term

Markshall Estate in Coggeshall comes alive this autumn with Wild Wood adventures, spooky tales, and plenty of lost pumpkins.

Family visitors to the Estate this half term can expect a trail with a difference as they search for 30 hand-painted pumpkins hidden in the 200-acre Arboretum. Running from Saturday 23rd – Sunday 31st October, The Great Big Pumpkin Hunt promises a mini pumpkin prize to take home!

Two brand-new events come to Markshall Estate for October. First up is Not-So-Scary Spooky Stories for Kids on Saturday 30th October. Attendees can join spooky storyteller Shane Ibbs for a lantern lit stroll and hear tales of things that go bump in the night, before gathering round the firepit for toasted cinnamon apples and fruit dipped in chocolate melted on the fire.

For those looking for something a little more spooky, Dark and Twisted Tales for Adults on Saturday 30th October will uncover the darker side of Markshall Estate’s past at a spine-chilling after-hours event.

Be sure to stop by for Wild Wednesday on 27th October, and our new Wild Saturday event on 30th October. Families are invited to join the Markshall Estate Team in The Wild Wood and get creative using the natural environment with fun crafts and adventure play. From making leaf puppets to flower painting, hammock building to storytelling, there’s hours of hands-on fun to be had in this free activity session.

For those with an eye for autumn colour and on the lookout for seasonal leaf peeping opportunities, the Arboretum comes alive this month with reds, golds, and oranges as a kaleidoscope of colours creates a true spectacle. Trees to look out for at the Estate include the stunning Swamp birch in the North America zone with its bright golden yellow foliage; the Three-flowered maple in the Asia zone showcasing its unusual orange three-toothed leaves; and the Raywood ash, also known as Claret ash, for its distinctive red hue, which can be found in the Europe zone of the Arboretum.

The Orchard Kitchen café will also be open daily, serving seasonal homemade refreshments including petrifying pumpkin soup, creepy cupcakes, and hauntingly good cakes.

The brand-new Shop, which opened at the end of the summer, will also be showcasing local suppliers, with autumn scented wax melts from Holistic Glow, handmade crochet pumpkins from Tiny Stitches, and a selection of locally grown gourds from A&J Plants in the new Plant Centre.

With hundreds of acres of colourful trees to explore, families of all ages can let their imaginations run wild at Markshall Estate this autumn.

Next month the charity will be announcing a series of special events and programming to celebrate its 50th birthday.