weather<\/a>.<\/p>\nAre you more of an ‘eat-as-you-go’ kind of picker, or a more sensible fill your punnet and show off your prized pickings to the rest of your family?<\/p>\n
The good news for us here in Bristol is that there are a few places in and around the city where you can just turn up with the kids, gather up what you want and then pay for your pickings before you leave.<\/p>\n
But it is important that the family is adequately prepared and kitted out for the conditions. Farmers recommend wearing sturdy shoes while fruit picking including wellies if it is raining.<\/p>\n
Everyone should be wearing long sleeves and trousers to protect their skin from thistles and nettles which are dotted around the fields. Here’s our rundown of fruit farms around Bristol…<\/p>\n
Primrose Vale Farm Shop<\/p>\n
Where:<\/strong> Shurdington Road, Gloucester<\/p>\nAbout a 40-minute drive from Bristol, Primrose Vale offers some fifteen different crops for picking \u2014 with the most popular being table top strawberries \u2014 which are available to pick now.<\/p>\n
Gooseberries and raspberries will be available shortly, with blackberries, tayberries, black currents and Logan Berries due to be ready in the next few weeks. Sweet Corn will be on the picking menu from around the middle of August.<\/p>\n
Dogs are not allowed in the picking fields or children\u2019s play area. Well behaved dogs on a lead are permitted to the front of the farm shop, and around the seating area at the management\u2019s discretion.<\/p>\n
Pick-your-own hours for this season at the farm will be:<\/p>\n
Mon \u2013 Sat 9am \u2013 5.30pm<\/p>\n
Sun & Bank Holidays 9.30am \u2013 5pm<\/p>\n
Over Farm<\/p>\n
Where:<\/strong> Gloucester<\/p>\nAlso about a 45-minute drive from Bristol, this is another farm that is a bit of a trek but still a good option. It features a fabulous 18th century barn and a variety of different yummy but healthy treats on offer.<\/p>\n
Several varieties of strawberries are on offer from early June all the way through until the end of August. Other goodies are on offer as well, check their site for more information.<\/p>\n
Opening times are:<\/p>\n
Mondays: 1pm \u2013 4:30pm<\/p>\n
Tuesdays: Closed for fruit maintenance<\/p>\n
Wednesdays – Fridays: 1pm \u2013 4:30pm<\/p>\n
Saturdays and Sundays: 10am \u2013 5pm<\/p>\n
You can bring a picnic but the farm also offers barista-made hot drinks, hearty meals or delicious home baked treats. From August sunflowers are also available on the picking menu and pumpkins will also be on offer later in the year.<\/p>\n
The farm has a lot to offer the whole family including plenty of fun activities for people of all ages.<\/p>\n
Lotmead Farm Park<\/p>\n
Where:<\/strong> Near Swindon<\/p>\nLotmead is on Wanborough Road just outside Swindon, about a 45-minute drive from Bristol.<\/p>\n
Open from May until Christmas, the farm has different crops available for picking and some animals \u2014 but these cannot be fed by the public.<\/p>\n
They also have a cafe and shop which are open daily.<\/p>\n
They have a play area for the children and dogs are allowed if well behaved. They must also be kept on a lead at all times and owners must pick up after their pets.<\/p>\n
Pick-your-own opening times are Mon \u2013 Sun 9.30am \u2013 5pm (subject to fruit availability).<\/p>\n
The farm’s website has the following information: “We offer some eight different crops for picking, our most popular being table-top strawberries, which are grown on raised platforms so that the strawberries are easy to pick. The first strawberry crop of the season is grown at knee height which makes picking for little ones easy and fun.<\/p>\n
“But do not miss these other amazing fruits \u2013 raspberries gooseberries, blackberries, blackcurrants & redcurrants We have vegetables too, depending on the year\u2026 Currently Broad Beans Sweetcorn & Potatoes, plus of course loads of Pumpkins for Halloween.”<\/p>\n
Thurloxton Fruit Growers<\/p>\n
Where:<\/strong> Taunton<\/p>\nThis farm is a little further afield – just under an hour’s drive away – but is definitely highly rated and many believe to be worth the trip.<\/p>\n
Thurloxton Fruit Growers is home to a range of berries and vegetables \u2014 plus a flock of sheep.<\/p>\n
Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n
The farm opens for a variety of pick-your-own fruits in June including strawberries, gooseberries, red currants and rhubarb \u2014 check the site for exact dates.<\/p>\n
In July there will be be other options on the menu such as blackcurrants and raspberries. Pumpkin picking will be available later in the year.<\/p>\n
Families can have picnics at the farm but these must be conducted in the designated picnic area. You can bring your own containers or the farm also have some you can use. Ice cream and a variety of drinks are available from the farm’s hut and their website has a comprehensive list of FAQs available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fruit picking is a fun and exciting activityYoung boy picking a strawberry, viewed from above. Fruit picking is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,748,393,4884,15125,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-150271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-things-to-do-in-bristol","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114609885496974882","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_gettyimages-1305547766-170667a.jpg\")
Young boy picking a strawberry, viewed from above.<\/p>\n