The best pick-your-own strawberry farms in the UK

The best pick-your-own strawberry farms in the UK

Wester Hardmuir Fruit Farm

Where: Nairn, IV12 5QG
Sample price: Strawberries £6/kg

Families have been visiting this Highland farm since 1978 to purchase ready-picked and pick-your-own soft fruits. Early harvests to look out for are Wester Hardmuir’s gooseberries, raspberries and strawberries in June. One extra temptation is the farm's ice cream, created by blending fresh farm berries with Miele's of Forres ice cream. Visit the farm shop to pick up frozen fruit and an array of vegetables. Look out for apple juice from their own apples, too, before hitting the fields. As well as strawberries, you can expect to see apples, brambles, blackcurrants, blueberries, cherries, gooseberries, plums, raspberries and redcurrants across different times of year. hardmuir.com

Charleton Fruit Farm

Where: Hillside, Montrose, DD10 9EW
Sample price: Strawberries £6.50/kg

Charleton’s season starts with strawberries and blackcurrants in late June. Don’t miss the tayberries in July and August, too. First created in 1979, this cross between a raspberry and a blackberry thrives in the Angus climate. Pick your own or buy them ready-picked in Charleton’s farm shop. Tayberry jam and Charleton strawberry tarts are available, too. Charleton is also a popular place to dine in its own right, with its three dining areas — the Stables, the relaxed Flower Barn, or the sheltered al fresco courtyard. An adventure park for kids, family events and a well-stocked farm shop add to the PYO experience. charleton-farm.co.uk

Cairnie Fruit Farm

Where: Cairnie, Cupar, Fife, KY15 4QD
Sample price: Strawberries £5/kg.

Cairnie Fruit Farm stands out thanks to its maize maze. From mid July to the end of October, the maze is open with a fresh design and challenge to solve each year. As well as sumptuous fruit, Cairnie’s Funyard for kids is another huge draw, open from March to November. A farm shop and café (dishing up excellent strawberry tarts) complete the scene. Dogs are welcome on the farm, too. Along with strawberries, you can pick raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, gooseberries, cherries, brambles, pumpkins and sunflowers. cairniefruitfarm.co.uk

Craigies Farm

Where: Queensferry EH30 9AR
Sample price: Strawberries: £6.49/kg

This farming ‘destination’ offers a vast shop, café, PYO, and the Little Farmers adventure farm park newly opened in summer 2021. Craigies' proximity to Scotland’s capital makes it hugely popular, welcoming 260,000 visitors a year. The PYO fruit season starts in June with strawberries, rounding off with blackberries and apples in early autumn. craigies.co.uk

Finlay’s Place

Where: 40 Comber Road, Killinchy, Co. Down, BT23 6PB

Alongside fresh fruit, Finlay's Place sells new potatoes, local seasonal vegetables and eggs. Head to Finlay’s for the Elsanta variety of strawberry, which are temptingly bright red, large and glossy. The season starts in June, swiftly followed by blackcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries and redcurrants. The farm also sells eucalyptus and cut flowers, and runs wreath-making workshops. Dip into the farm shop for local honey, artisan muesli and fresh produce from neighbouring farmers. finlaysplace.co.uk

Strawberry Fields

Where: Lifton, Devon, PL16 0DH
Sample price: Entry is £2.50, strawberries £8/kg – includes strawberry picking, golden strawberry hunt and access to the farm barn.

Strawberry Fields has just been awarded the UK’s best national large farm shop at the Farm Retail Association Awards. Strawberry picking season starts around June. For little ones, there’s also a golden strawberry hunt to the farm barn, complete with farm animals, games, a sand pit, and hay mountain. An array of food is available in the farm shop, or treat the family to the sumptuous afternoon picnic (booking essential). Flower picking is another popular pastime here. Strawberry Fields Farm Shop website.

The Balloon Tree

Where: Stamford Bridge Road, Gate Helmsley, York, YO41 1NB
Sample price: £1.50 booking fee, strawberries £7.25/kg

Balloon Tree offers three main varieties of strawberries — Vibrant, Malling Centenary and Florence. We’re talking nearly 7km of strawberry tables, too! The café and farm shop are both open seven days a week, and there’s a children’s playground and ride-on jeeps. Look out for fresh strawberry treats made on-site in the relaxed Balloon Tree bakery. theballoontree.co.uk

Crockford Bridge Farm

Where: New Haw Road, Addlestone, Nr. Weybridge, Surrey KT15 2BU
Sample price: Farm passes are £4 for adults and £2 for children (aged 1-14). The value of your farm pass is redeemed against the cost of fruit and veg picked. Strawberries £8.95/kg.

For pickers who want to start early, Crockford Bridge’s season starts in April with its PYO rhubarb and asparagus. The website has excellent ‘how to pick’ tips for each fruit, plus fascinating facts, history and recipes. After picking all the fruit you can carry, potential rewards can be found at the ice cream parlour and tea shack. crockfordbridgefarm.co.uk

Copas Fruit Fields

Where: Calves Lane Farm, Billet Lane, Iver, Buckinghamshire, SL0 0LU
Sample price: Fruit vouchers are £4 per person, which are deductible from fruit and veg picked from the fields, plus a 25p non-refundable admin fee. Strawberries £5.95/kg.

Copas has two farms, one in Iver and one in Cookham, so check out which one is the best location for you. Copas’ season starts in May with asparagus, swiftly followed with strawberries from June onwards. Summer holiday fruits are raspberries, cherries, blackcurrants and plums. Extras include a maize maze with clues and game cards to set the grey cells working. thefruitfields.co.uk

Clive’s Fruit Farm

Where: Willingsworth, Upton Upon Severn, Worcester, WR8 0SA
Sample price: £2 admission fee. Strawberries £6.95/kg

If Elsantas is your strawberry variety of choice, then Clive’s Fruit Farm uses a table-top system in polytunnels to grow them from June through to August. This farm was one of the pioneers of the pick your own movement in the 1960s, and for those who know their fruit varieties, Clive's Fruit Farm is the place to go. Raspberries range from Glen Ample and Glen Fyne to Tulameen. Clive’s has a unique extra, too — the Juice Shed. Buy freshly pressed pear and apple juice, or opt for contract pressing to transform apples from your garden into bottled juices. It's lovely to see a venue selling damsons as well, which is quite rare these days. clivesfruitfarm.co.uk

Bellis Brothers

Where: Wrexham Rd, Holt, Wrexham, LL13 9YU
Sample price: Strawberries £7.49/kg

Bellis Brothers dates back to 1860 and the family has been farming strawberries since the late 19th century, so they've learnt a thing or two along the way. After picking your fill of strawberries, swing by the Bellis Brothers’ award-winning garden centre to dine at the Strawberry Fields restaurant. Its afternoon tea features a mix of fruity treats. bellisbrothers.co.uk

Gower PYO

Where: Scurlage Farm, Reynoldston, Scurlage, Swansea SA3 1BJ
What to expect: Strawberries, raspberries and broad beans.
Sample prices: Strawberries £7.50/kg and raspberries £11.50/kg. Baskets 30p, 50p and £1, or bring your own.

Gower is an all-weather PYO, so grab those berries come rain or shine. Enjoy undercover and tabletop picking at this Swansea farm. The season runs from May to September, plus ice cream, homemade cakes and coffee are available at the farm café. gowerpickyourown.wales

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