Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Families with wheelbarrows picking pumpkins across the field at Arnprior under a grey October sky, with a painted photo frame in the foreground.
Stirlingshire

Arnprior Farm

A family farm on the A811 west of Stirling with a pick-your-own pumpkin patch in October, lambing days in April and a private indoor pool.

Visit websiteCall
Welcome

Arnprior was one of the first farms in Scotland to grow pumpkins for families to pick, and it's still one of the best.

The McEwen family have farmed here since 1936, and when they swapped their cattle for pumpkins in 2015 a few people thought they were mad. Now every October more than 20,000 of them fill the fields beside the A811, eleven miles west of Stirling. You book a slot for the car and head into the patch, and there's a quad pod ride, a pumpkin cannon, a bale mountain, an indoor hay barn, face painting and a pop-up shop in the polytunnel. Dogs are welcome on a lead. For lunch there are Arnprior doughnuts, pumpkin soup and burgers from Skinners of Kippen. In April the farm opens again for lambing, when more than 1,300 ewes are due and you can help feed the sheep and cuddle the lambs. All year round there's a private indoor pool, heated to 32 degrees, to book for a swim.

Not farCottonrake Bakery18 milesSee itCottonrake Bakery
Before you go

Every car needs a ticket for the pumpkin patch, booked through the farm's own site; there is nowhere else in Arnprior to park.

Where
In the village of Arnprior on the A811, 11 miles west of Stirling, FK8 3HA.
Pumpkins
Three weeks in October, every day 9am to 5.30pm in booked slots, then after-school sessions; £14.90 a car, and £5 of it goes towards your pumpkins.
Lambing
In April, one-hour slots helping in the lambing shed, from school age five; tickets go on sale in March.
Swimming
A private indoor pool, heated to 32 degrees, to book all year.
Dogs
Welcome at the pumpkin patch on a lead.
Access
The patch is a real field with gravel paths; email ahead for a disabled parking space.
Getting there
The X10 bus from Stirling or Glasgow stops in the village, though not on Sundays.
Phone
07902 180564

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review
Where it is

In the village of Arnprior on the A811, 11 miles west of Stirling, FK8 3HA.

Close byThe Carse of Stirling, Menteith and Fintry.
  1. Paintings and chairs in the bright white rooms of the gallery.The Green GalleryA gallery of contemporary Scottish painting and applied art in a coach house at Buchlyvie, with four shows a year.3 miles 5 min by road
  2. A wood-fired pizza with pepperoni, mozzarella and fresh basil on a wooden table at Nick's at Port of Menteith.Nick's at Port of MenteithNick and Julia Nairn's country restaurant on the Lochend Estate at Port of Menteith, with Roman-style pizza, a daily menu and a kitchen garden beside it.4 miles 9 min by road
  3. The Lake of Menteith, its wooded islands and the hills beyond.Lake of MenteithScotland's one lake, a shallow sheet of water near Aberfoyle, with Inchmahome Priory on its island.5 miles 9 min by road
  4. The tall roofless walls and arched windows of the priory church.Inchmahome PrioryThe ruined island priory on the Lake of Menteith, where the child Mary Queen of Scots was hidden in 1547.6 miles 11 min by road
  5. The bar of the Fintry Inn under dark ceiling beams, with painted bar stools along the counter and a lit shelf of whisky bottles in the room beyond.Fintry InnThe village pub on Main Street in Fintry, with a bar, a restaurant and a beer garden, pub classics, and a music session on Sunday afternoons.6 miles 9 min by road
  6. Blair Drummond Smiddy FarmshopBlair Drummond Smiddy FarmshopA farm shop, butcher and café at Blair Drummond, west of Stirling, selling local produce with a view of the Gargunnock Hills.8 miles 12 min by road
  7. The Endrick Water pouring over mossy rock steps at the top of the Loup of Fintry, with the green valley and hills stretching away beyond.Loup of FintryA waterfall on the Endrick Water by the B818 east of Fintry, where the river leaps about 28 metres down a staircase of rock.9 miles 14 min by road
  8. Deanston DistilleryDeanston DistilleryA Highland distillery in a cotton mill of 1785 on the River Teith by Doune, making all its own power from the river.10 miles 14 min by road
Directions
A white cottage reflected in still water among dark trees near Aberfoyle.AttractionsAberfoyle9.4 miles
A lion walking through long grass.AttractionsBlair Drummond Safari & Adventure Park9.6 miles
Old gravestones in the kirkyard with the hills beyond.AttractionsAberfoyle Old Parish Church9.7 miles
Rust-coloured water flows through the narrow, moss-covered walls of Finnich GlenAttractionsDevil’s Pulpit11 miles
The Duke's Pass winding through autumn hills, the road curving away below.AttractionsThe Duke's Pass11 miles
A dark river winds between moss-covered rock overhangs in a wooded gorge, bare branches reaching across from either side.AttractionsFinnich Glen11 miles
A loch winds through forested hills beneath a grey, cloudy skyAttractionsThree Lochs Drive12 miles
Carron Valley Reservoir still and blue under a clear sky, with dark forest along the far shore and Meikle Bin rising behind.AttractionsCarron Valley Reservoir12 miles
A wooden footbridge over a burn in the green forest.AttractionsQueen Elizabeth Forest Park12 miles

Recommend to a friend

The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the farm, and when each is next free.

A grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Kinbuck
  • 13 miles from Arnprior
Check datesA Highland calf walks across a lawn before a pink harled house, a stone wall and outbuilding visible behind.Monachyle Mhor
  • To stay
  • In Balquhidder
  • 18 miles from Arnprior
Check datesA grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Stirlingshire
  • 18 miles from Arnprior
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in StirlingshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .