This October half term, the National Trust’s Buckland Abbey will be celebrating the hard work of the garden team who have grown a bounty of squashes and pumpkins for everyone to enjoy.  

  • Buckland's baby dragon trail will run throughout the half term week and dragon inspired craft sessions led by Naturemake will take place on 27th Oct and 1st Nov
  • Tudor cooking displays in the abbey on 26th and 29th October 
  • Orchard Walk and Talk on 29th October: discover the importance of orchards and learn how to make an apple bird feeder
  • Help the Ranger Team restore the bug hotel at Buckland on 26th October 
  • Visit the Great Barn on 26th and 27th October to see the pumpkin and squash display in as part of the Harvest Weekend celebrations. 

 

A beautiful display showing off the produce will be constructed in the Great Barn for Buckland’s Harvest Weekend on 26 & 27 October. Some of the produce will also be used to create delicious seasonal treats in the café. 

“Despite a challenging wet year, we’re very happy with the harvest at Buckland Abbey and can’t wait to show it off,” says Head Gardener, Sam Brown, “Buckland Abbey has always been a working estate and this weekend we can focus on the best it has to offer this Autumnal season”.   

After taking in the beautiful display, visitors will be able to join in with other joyful seasonal moments on the lawn such as sack races, apple and spoon races or creating leaf bunting.  

The autumnal celebrations continue with a guided Orchard Walk and an opportunity for families to help rebuild BUGland Abbey, Buckland’s resident bug hotel. A fun chance to connect with nature, these events will also offer visitors a chance to learn more about the importance of fruit trees and insects. These events both take place on Saturday 26 October, they are free and can be booked through the website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/devon/buckland-abbey  

There will also be a family trail focused on baby dragons running from 19 October – 3 November. Baby dragons have hatched and taken over Buckland Abbey, making their very first hoards using objects found around the site. Visitors are invited to help find the dragons, solve some riddles and learn a bit more about what goes on behind the scenes. 

Tudor cooking will take place in the Abbey on Saturday 26 and Tuesday 29 October in the Abbey’s Tudor kitchen. Visitors can watch as volunteers create traditional seasonal dishes that would have originally been made in the kitchen.  

Eleanor Hopkinson, Visitor Operations & Experience Manager said, “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to Buckland Abbey this October half term, and of course if anyone visiting would like to come in costume – that is definitely encouraged!” 

Buckland Abbey’s half term activities and Harvest Weekend event will run daily from 10am – 5pm. Normal admission applies.  

See more from Buckland Abbey

Discovery, tranquillity and history – Buckland Abbey is an ancient gem in the Tavy Valley landscape. When you visit Buckland, you follow over 700 years of footsteps; from the Cistercians who built the Abbey and farmed the estate, to seafarers Grenville and Drake who changed the shape of the…