Weekend edition, Friday 9 October 2026
Showery Friday morning, blowy Saturday, calmer Sunday. Shelter first, big outdoors on Sunday.
Friday starts wet, with showers clearing through the day. Saturday is the awkward one: sunny intervals at the coast, but gusts of 36mph to 42mph everywhere (about 42mph at Berwick, 40mph at Alnwick and Hexham, 36mph at Kielder), highs of 11C to 13C, and a better chance of showers inland (Hexham and Kielder 70 to 80 percent first thing, Alnwick 50 percent, Berwick 30 percent). Sunday is the pick: sunny intervals, 12C to 13C, gusts easing to 22mph to 32mph and only a 10 to 20 percent chance of rain. Farne Islands boats make their own call on the day, and Saturday's wind makes cancellations likely.
Sunset 6.19pm in Alnwick on Saturday, 6.17pm on Sunday. Full forecast (Met Office)
Saturday's forecast has the North Sea wind in a mood, so it is a day for woods, farms and a roof when you need one. Sunday calms down enough for the pumpkin fields, a gorge walk and a long overdue picnic.
- About 2.5 miles on the National Trust's Morralee Tarn walk, through ancient woodland
- Allow a leisurely hour or two, depending on how many sticks the children find
- Start: Allen Banks and Staward Gorge car park, near Bardon Mill NE47 7BP
Sunday is the calmer day, and a wooded gorge is the right place to be if there is any breeze left. This is a National Trust site with ancient woodland and a tarn, and the National Trust lists den-building and bug hunts among the things to do here. Dogs are welcome on a lead, there are toilets (including an accessible one) and the site is open from dawn to dusk. It is also a lesser-known pick compared with the Wall and the coast, which is exactly why it is nice.
The ground is uneven and steep in places, so wear boots and expect mud after Saturday's showers. It is not a good one for a buggy. Parking is £3 for 4 hours or £5 all day, and the car park has a 3.3 metre height limit. The National Trust says to avoid sat nav here and use Google Maps directions instead.
Route details (opens the official page)
Sat 10 Oct, gates open 10.30am
Alwinton, Coquetdale
Check the show website, All ages
The last show of the year in the valley, and one of the biggest, with organised activities to watch or join in, trade stands and food vendors. It is a field in the hills, so Saturday's wind will be along for the day: dress as if you are going on an Arctic expedition to the burger van. Price and parking details are on the show's own website, so look before you set off. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, 10am to 3pm; gates close promptly at 3pm
West Chevington nature reserve, near Widdrington NE61 5BB
Free, with free parking on site, Families, children and adults
A Northumberland Wildlife Trust reserve most people drive straight past on the way to the coast. Staff are on hand to talk about their conservation work, and you can follow the footpaths and bridleways on your own, with no booking needed. There is also a separate guided West Chevington Wander that morning, so check the Wildlife Trust page for details. Sheltered paths are handy on a day like this. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct to Sun 1 Nov, 10am to 4pm (open Wednesday to Sunday, daily in school holidays)
Hexham Old Gaol, Hall Gate, Hexham NE46 1XD
Adults £8 (£7 without the optional donation), under 18s free, Under 18s free
Collect a trail sheet at the desk and count every skull lurking in the creepy corners of a medieval gaol. Finish the hunt and you get a sweet, and the museum has a skull in residence, which is a sentence I never expected to type. There are no toilets on site, so use the ones at Wentworth Car Park first, three minutes' walk away. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct to Sun 1 Nov, 10am to 5pm (10am to 4pm from Sat 24 Oct)
The Alnwick Garden, Alnwick
Pumpkin Garden free with garden entry; book Lilidorei and the trick or treat add-on through the Garden's website, All ages
Lilidorei goes Halloween, with costume displays, spooky games, storytelling and a choice of Spooky or Not so Spooky trails. Optional trick or treat bags need riddles solving at the villagers' stations. The Pumpkin Garden has a scavenger hunt, and the Pavilion Café has pumpkin lattes for the grown-ups. Most of it is outdoors, so it is better on Sunday than in Saturday's gusts. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, 12.30pm to 3.30pm
Bullfield Community Orchard, Alnwick NE66 1BB
Cost and booking not listed, ring Alnwick Town Council on 01665 602574, Family event
A small community orchard in Alnwick pressing apples into juice. It is listed as a family event, but the council's page does not say what it costs or if you need to book, so ring them before you go. Children tend to take apple juice very seriously once they have helped make it. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, 1pm to 3.30pm
The Courtyard, Wallington, Cambo
Free activity; normal admission applies, All ages
Colouring, red squirrel facts and a guess-the-nuts competition, with no booking needed. Last week this was a plan-ahead, so it now counts as this weekend. The squirrels have not been told about the programme, so treat any sighting as a bonus. Details and booking
Sat 10 Oct, 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Battlesteads Dark Sky Observatory, Wark
£22.50 adults, £19.50 concessions, £55.50 family (2 adults and 2 children), 6 and up
Astronomers take children through constellations, planets and Moon phases, and everyone can hold real space rocks from the Moon, Mars and asteroids. If cloud wins, it goes ahead with indoor activities and free hot drinks. Check the booking page for places before you drive up. Details and booking
Sun 11 Oct, 9am start, every Sunday
Tyne Green, Hexham NE46 3SG
Free (register with parkrun first and bring your barcode), 4 to 14
A 2km run, jog or walk for children of every ability, with room for a grown-up to jog alongside. It is a good use of a child's energy before the rest of the day, and a better use than the back seat of the car. Sign up on parkrun's site beforehand if it is your first time. Details and booking
Sat 10 and Sun 11 Oct, 10am to 3pm (last entry 2pm)
Broxfield Farm, Alnwick NE66 3RQ
£5 per ticket, under 1s free, All ages
Pick your own pumpkins at a working farm, with a free children's activity shed, plus a bouncy castle, face painting, tractor rides, pumpkin painting, farm games and a pizza van. There is parking, toilets, and pets are welcome. Sunday's calmer wind helps with the carrying. Details and booking
Sat 10 and Sun 11 Oct
Brocksbushes Farm, near Corbridge
£3.50 per person aged 3 and over; family ticket £12 in advance (£14 on the door) for up to five; pumpkins extra, All ages
This weekend is dog-friendly, with dogs on leads welcome, plus a prize hunt with 100 golden sticker pumpkins hidden each day. Booking online is mandatory and spaces are limited. It is a working farm with hills and uneven ground that can be slippy in October, so boots again. Details and booking
Sat 10 and Sun 11 Oct, 10.30am to 4.30pm
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick
Not stated on the event page; ring 01665 511 100, Not stated
Experts show how a Victorian kitchen worked, from the tools and period ingredients to the historic menus, the sights and the sounds. Ring the castle to ask if normal admission covers it, and if it suits small children. Details and booking
Sat 10 and Sun 11 Oct (then 16 to 18 and 23 to 31 Oct); check times when booking
Whitehouse Farm Centre, Morpeth NE61 6AW
Online: children (2 to 16) £18.50, adults £16.95, family of four £64.95; walk-in is a little more, 2 to 16
An indoor pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, a comedy show, a witchcraft school and the Walkway of Terror, plus the farm's usual animals, play equipment and tubing slide. One free pumpkin per paying child. It is not a cheap day, but it is a proper all-weather one. Tickets are non-refundable, though free to reschedule up to 6 hours before. Details and booking