Pick Your Own Apples - Ampleforth Abbey Orchard

Ampleforth Abbey is opening its heritage orchard for pick-your-own apple days this autumn, with the final date of the season falling on Saturday 31 October. It's one of those things that's easier to describe than to imagine: you head out into the orchard and pick your own apples straight from the trees.

There's a bit of scale to it that's worth knowing. The orchard is about 200 years old and is one of the largest in the North of England, with 1,500 apple trees and more than 60 different varieties. If you've only ever bought the same two or three types from a supermarket, that's where the real interest is — seeing that many different kinds of apple in one place. It's a proper heritage orchard, so you're picking from trees that have been there for generations.

And it's not just about the picking. While you're there, you can find out how the Abbey's apple juice and full juice cider are pressed in the Cider Mill. The Abbey makes its own juice and cider on-site, so you get to see the process that takes the fruit from the tree to the bottle. It's a nice way to see where the cider actually comes from rather than just buying it off a shelf.

If you're planning to go, it's free to enter — you just pay for the apples you pick. The orchard is at Ampleforth Abbey, York, YO62 4EN, and the picking runs from 11:00am to 3:00pm. This is the last date of the season, so it's your final chance to get out there before the orchard closes for the year.