Nothing says summer more than the deliciously sweet smell of strawberries — and there are farms all over the county offering the chance to pick your own as a fun activity for all ages.
SoGlos has selected some of the best places you can go fruit picking in and around Gloucestershire, with the chance to embrace the great outdoors, soak up the sunshine and show your support for local farmers and producers.
Fruit picking at Primrose Vale Farm Shop
Primrose Vale Farm Shop near Cheltenham offers more than 15 different types of crops for picking, with its PYO fields open from late May until October.
Strawberries, which are grown on raised platforms, are the most popular crop, but you can also find raspberries, gooseberries and blackberries, along with the occasional vegetable. After plucking the juiciest berries from the picking field, browse the farm shop for more local produce, grab a drink in the cafe and let the kids loose on the play area.
Fruit picking at Over Farm
Head to Over Farm, just outside Gloucester, to pick super sweet strawberries, blackberries and raspberries during the summer months — with sunflowers ready to be picked to brighten up your home from the start of August, too!
Entrance slots for fruit picking at Over Farm are free but must be booked online in advance, and can be used to visit the PYO sunflower field once it opens as well.
Fruit picking at Hayles Fruit Farm
Hayles Fruit Farm near Winchcombe opens its PYO fields from June until October, so visitors can harvest their own fruit while visiting this family-owned farm shop.
As well as everyone's favourite PYO strawberries, there's plums, apples and pears to pick throughout the season — check the Hayles Fruit Farm Facebook page for the very latest updates.
Fruit picking at Lotmead Farm
Just across the border on the edge of Swindon, take a trip to the award-winning Lotmead Farm to pick your own summer berries — with strawberries, raspberries and plenty more crops ripe for harvesting from late May until October.
There's plenty more to do at Lotmead, too, with a play area, small animals to meet and a nature walk making a great addition to the PYO experience that’s sure to keep little ones occupied.
Fruit picking at Clive's Fruit Farm
A bit further afield in neighbouring Worcestershire, Clive's Fruit Farm in Upton upon Severn is well-worth travelling to for fruit picking fun this summer.
Midweek strawberry pickers can take advantage of a special deal and fill an entire basket full for £15, with PYO raspberries, plums, cherries, apples and pears to follow later in the season.
