Apple days are here again with extravagant, and fun filled apple themed events taking place throughout the Cotswolds and the south-west – at National Trust properties and community orchards and more.
Each year, to celebrate apples and orchards, Apple Days are held all over the country to demonstrate the richness and diversity of apple varieties, orchards, soil ecology and culture.
Apple Day is Monday 21st October, but there are several apple themed events held during the whole month of October, some at National Trust properties, others at country estates and community orchards.
So get your layers of warm clothing and boots on to enjoy the autumn colours and scents at any of these apple events to find out more about our wonderful apple heritage – and perhaps to take some home.
Apple pressing at Kingston Lacy
You can visit the kitchen garden at NT Kingston Lacy to see the apple press in action and taste apple juice made with apples from Kingston Lacy’s orchards.
Apple pressing days at Kingston Lacy will be held on Apple Day, Monday 21st October and on Monday, 28th October. You can learn more about the varieties of apples and discover how they use the fruit.
The day starts at 11.30 and ends at 3pm. It is free, but normal admission prices apply. The kitchen garden is approximately a 15-to-20-minute walk from the visitor reception. Look out for the Kingston Lacy team under the gazebo.
NT Kingston Lacy, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 4EA
Brockhampton celebrates the apple harvest
Brockhampton, the moated medieval manor house tucked away in a Herefordshire valley, celebrates the harvest season on Saturday, 5th October from 11am until 3pm. Grab a bag from visitor reception and pick your own apples, take part in an apple pressing demonstration and in the apple-themed activities in the manor house. It’s a free event and there’s no need to book, but normal admission applies.
A traditionally farmed estate, Brockhampton is home to the largest orchard cared for by the National Trust. There are newly replanted orchards and ‘orchard rooms’ on accessible paths.
NT Brockhampton, Bringsty, near Bromyard, Herefordshire WR6 5TB. Tel: 01885 482077. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brockhampton
Apple Day celebrations in Gloucester
Celebrate Gloucestershire’s orchards and cider industry on Saturday, 19th October when The Folk of Gloucester in partnership with the Gloucestershire Orchard Trust, puts on a day of music, dance, activities and demonstrations of historical cider pressing techniques paying homage to the variety of apples in Gloucestershire.
The day starts at 10am in Westgate Street, Gloucester and continues until 4pm. Watch the traditional horse-drawn cider press in action, have a go on the Apple Bike and browse around the local makers’ market. The cafe and bar will be open throughout the day. The event is free with donations welcomed.
The Folk of Gloucester, 99 -103 Westgate St, Gloucester GL1 2PG
The Newt aims to raise awareness about the importance of apples
Apple Day Weekend at The Newt’s country estate in Somerset will be held on Saturday, 19th and Sunday, 20th October, celebrating all things apple from 9am until 6pm each day.
Visitors can harvest apples in the orchards, press the apples to make juice, and taste the cider made from the apples. There will be games related to apples, displays related to apples and visitors can learn about apple recipes. With tractor tours through the orchards, live music and DJ’s, apple-themed menus in the cafe and hog roasting over a fire, it will be a weekend of family fun.
The Newt in Somerset’s Apple Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of orchards to the landscape and culture, as well as the importance of food provenance and traceability.
The Newt, Hadspen, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7NG
www.thenewtinsomerset.com/event/apple-day
FarmED’s Apple Day celebration
Join in the celebration of the fruit from the heritage orchard, including apple refreshments and a delicious lunch at FarmED at Shipton-under-Wychwood on Tuesday 22nd October. You can taste and learn about some of the 200 varieties, from ‘Oxford Beauty’ and ‘Blenheim Orange’ to ‘Eynsham Dumpling’ and ‘Dog’s Snout’.
The day starts at 9.45am and ends at 2pm. There will be talks about apples, apple identification, cider making, and a chance to explore the orchard and take part in an orchard treasure hunt. You will have the opportunity to taste FarmED’s first batch of cider made on Apple Day last year.
Christine Elliott, is a locally well-known apple enthusiast, passionate about heritage apple varieties and as part of the Kitchen Garden People, at FarmED, Christine selected the 180 fruit trees planted in 2021/22 in the agroforestry strip between the vegetable growing spaces. She will talk about apples, how we can enjoy the wide variety of apples from our gardens, how to identify apples, and how to make cider from fallen apples.
Families and children are welcome. Tickets between £25 and £25, £10 for children, and will include a delicious and nutritious lunch, freshly prepared in the FarmED kitchen.
FarmED, Honeydale Farm, Station Rd, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 6BJ www.farm-ed.co.uk
Apple Days at Hinton Ampner NT with Sparsholt College
As part of NT Hinton Ampner’s harvest celebration, join experts from Sparsholt College to learn about the world of apples on Saturday, 26th and Sunday, 27th October, from 10am until 4pm both days.
Delight in the wonderful orchard at Hinton Ampner, bursting with fruit and find out about varieties of apples. Booking is not needed for this free event but normal admission applies.
Hinton Ampner NT, nr Alresford, Hampshire SO24 0LA Tel: 01962 771305
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/hampshire/hinton-ampner
NT Barrington Court apple picking at half term
The team in the orchards at Barrington Court near Ilminster between Monday, 28th October and Sunday, 3rd November welcomes visitors to gather in the windfall apples with their mini wheelbarrows. The orchards are home to over 100 varieties of apples and once collected, they will be turned into delicious cider.
The harvest days start at 11am and end at 3pm. Check in at reception and you will be directed to the orchards where you can collect your wheelbarrow. It’s a free event and there’s no need to book but normal admission prices apply.
Barrington Court NT, Barrington, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0NQ Tel: 01460 241938
www.nationaltrust.orguk/barrington
Orchard Harvest Day at Winterbourne Medieval Barn
Orchard Harvest Day is back at Winterbourne Medieval Barn, seven miles north of Bristol, on Sunday 6th October, a fun day out for all the family. Enjoy entertainment from ferret-racing, the 5678 School of Dance, Winterbourne Down Border Morris Dancers, Same Same but Different Puppeteers, and live music from Bygonz wandering minstrels and Piratitude, Bristol’s pirate-themed singalong folk-rock and sea shanty band.
The day starts at 11am and goes on until 4pm, with a variety of artisan crafts stalls, food and drink available all day, children’s competitions and activities, face painting and a pocket money stall. Admission £5 adults, £1 children. Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome. There’s free car parking at Winterbourne Academy and a free shuttle bus.
Winterbourne Medieval Barn, Church Lane, Winterbourne BS36 1SE
www.winterbournebarn.org.uk
Blackmoor apple tasting a regular event for 50 years
Blackmoor Estate’s famous Apple Tasting Day has been running for over 50 years, and returns on Sunday 13th October from 10am until 4.30pm.
The popular free local event at the estate near Liss is in aid of local charities and is an opportunity for fruit enthusiasts to taste a wide variety of the old and new apple and pear varieties grown at Blackmoor – from traditional favourites like ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’ and ‘Norfolk Royal Russet’ to exciting new varieties like ‘Opal’ and ‘Rubens’.
Apple experts will be on hand to identify mystery apples, fruit trees and plants will be available from the nursery, and as usual there will be a range of other attractions including a rural craft fair and demonstrations, a community fete, local produce stalls, horse and cart rides, cakes and teas;,climbing wall, Morris dancing and cider of course! Free entry. Dogs are welcome on leads but not inside the craft barns and food hall.
There will also be Apple Picking Days in October, on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October, and on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October, 9.30am until 4.30pm each day, the chance to stock up on your own autumn apple and pear supply from Blackmoor Estate’s orchards – ‘Cox’, ‘Bramley’, ‘Egremont Russet’, ‘Conference’, ‘Comice’ and more available.
Blackmoor Estate, Blackmoor, Liss, Hampshire GU33 6BS
www.blackmoorestate.co.uk
NT Killerton enters the apple themed celebrations
They are celebrating the apples in their orchards at NT Killerton in October and invite visitors to bring a bag and follow a trail to one of the orchards to harvest apples for traditional cider making or pick your own to take home.
From Thursday 10th October every day from 10am until 4pm until the end of the month on Thursday 31st October, visitors can follow the trail and pick apples. This event is free, but normal admission charges apply for the venue.
On Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th October join a guided walk through one of Killerton’s heritage orchards to the home of Killerton’s 200-year-old apple press.
The walk starts at 1.30pm and ends at 3pm each day. Booking is essential, prices £7 adults, £3 children. Assistance dogs welcome. Phone 01392 881345 to book a space.
Killerton NT, Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon EX53LE. Tel: 01392 881345
Free entry to Cockington Court Apple Day
Cockington Court’s annual Apple Day returns on Sunday, 13th October between 11am and 4pm with free entry to visitors, a wide range of activities to entertain the whole family including arts and crafts, live music and over 40 market stalls selling an array of food, drinks and hand-made crafts.
A traditional apple press on the front lawn will be the star attraction with Gerry Stuart and his demonstrators turning apples into juice and describing how to transform the juice into delicious homemade scrumpy. Visitors are welcome to bring their own apples for pressing, for a small donation.
Alongside Apple Day activities, resident Cockington Court makers will be showcasing their skills in their studios, providing visitors with the opportunity to learn about their craft, and the free, pirate-themed Sculpture Trail runs until the beginning of November.
Cockington Court, Cockington, Torquay, Devon TQ2 6XA.
