6 Must-Visit Apple Orchards Near London
Now that it’s October there’s a chill in the air, leaves have turned golden, and we’re all mentally preparing ourselves for the long ol’ winter ahead. But in an attempt to make the most of the seasonal changes (and harvest season!), we’ve rounded up five of the best orchards in and around the city. So grab your wicker basket, pop on your Hunter wellies, and let’s get pick, pick, picking! After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey
Wicker baskets at the ready! Head on over to RHS Garden Wisley because there’s an abundance of fruit that’s ready for harvest. The orchard here certainly has a fruitful history dating back to the 19th century, and today the Wisley Orchard is home to more than 1,300 different fruit cultivars – 700 of them being apple! Have a wander through the trees, soak up the countryside aroma, and don’t forget to stop by the plant centre to buy a bunch of the fresh Orchard fruit. So, who’s turn is it to bake the apple pie?
Where: Wisley Lane, Wisley, Woking, GU23 6QB
Website: www.rhs.org.uk
Hewitts Farm, Kent
Get a shift on over to Hewitts Farm before all of their produce gets snatched up! Hewitts Farm is renowned for its pick your own options and now that it’s apple season, we’ve no doubt there’ll be queues of eager apple lovers trying pick their cooking and eating apples straight off the tree. So it’s time to channel your inner countryside gal and get pick, pick, picking!
Where: Court Road, Bromley, Chelsfield, Orpington, BR6 7QL
Website: hewittsfarm.co.uk
Meopham - Broomfield Farm, Kent
An apple a day keeps the doctor away! If you’re in search of the ultimate pick your own fruit experience, scoot on over to Meopham and the Broomfield Farm in Kent. You’ll be surrounded by row upon row of apple trees, fields of green and even a few strawb plants might still be kicking about to (if you’re lucky!) Apple picking might not *appeel* to everyone but y’all have a pick of raspberries, blackcurrants, sweetcorn and pumpkins too! And if you head down fast, you might even be able to snap up a cheeky Insta in the sunflower fields…
Where: Ifield Road, Meopham, DA13 0QH
Website: www.meophampyo.co.uk
Garsons Esher, Surrey
It’s getting a little fruity up in here…
When you’re home to one of the UK’s largest pick your own farms, it’s highly likely you’ll have a few juicy crops for goers to sink their teeth into. The guys at Garsons Esher in Surrey have just so, hosting 30 crops totalling over 75 different varieties. Now we’re fast approaching harvest you can find all of the fruit and veggies you could ever want and more!
Where: Winterdown Road, Esher, Surrey, KT10 8LS
Website: www.garsons.co.uk
Fenton House, Hampstead
Tucked away over in Hampstead you’ll find a charming 17th-century house that’s home to a 300 year-old orchard nuzzled in the kitchen gardens. It’s here you’ll find 32 different heritage varieties of apples and pears (excuse my cockney) surrounded by formal lawns, pristine flowerbeds and a kitchen garden brimming with veggies. Make a day of it and explore one of London’s smallest historic houses, gaze across London’s iconic views from the balcony, and snap up an Insta or two in the rose garden (obvs).
Where: Hampstead Grove, Hampstead, NW3 6SP
Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fenton-house
Castle Farm
Only 50 minutes drive from London, this family farm in Kent opens the pretty little orchard with some of the freshest, sweetest and juiciest apples. It reopens for the public this weekend from the 6th of September, and it’s free to enter the orchard – just pay for what you pick. Their Market Stall, situated just inside the Orchard, will be selling ice-creams, snacks, hot and cold drinks, baskets, Castle Farm oils and Lavender products.
Where: Redmans Ln, Sevenoaks TN14 7UB
Website: castlefarmkent.co.uk
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