A glorious Sunday in October and the grandchildren in tow – what to do? Visit a maize maze of course, something we’d never done.
My lot are great puzzle solvers and clue seekers so a quick Google search revealed Smeaton Farm about 45 minutes drive away and most importantly we could bring the dog with us. All hands to the picnic preparation and we were off.

Smeaton Farm has been running the maize maze for twenty years and during the summer the whole maze is open with extra entertainment- bouncy castles etc and open every day.
For our visit, it was a section that had a Halloween theme with pumpkin picking and spooky quizzes too.
The maize is massive – over 10feet tall and crisscrossed with paths and dead ends. We had a map to follow and although the place was busy we hardly saw a soul as we navigated our way around.
I was talking to the owner, Richard and he told me the maize is planted in April and harvested as the last guest leaves at the end of October. ( the cobs looked really ripe and ready to eat now!)
They used to mow the paths through the standing crop but this year with the aid of computer technology plugged into their tractor, the whole thing was planted following a plan. How amazing is that?
There is a small animal farm alongside a play area, big bale tower, picnic benches, cafe and toilets. The pumpkins had been harvested and were laid out for selection along with a fleet of wheelbarrows to ferry them back to your car after sizing and pricing.
My lot loved it but it was dry with glorious sunshine – nothing undercover so not a good choice for a rainy day.
Entry for our event was £4 per person.
Sessions are 10.30am- 1pm and 1pm-3.30pm for weekends then every day during half-term week from 23rd to 30th October 2021.
Pop on to their website for more details
Enjoy a break in Cornwall
If you would like to enjoy a break in Cornwall, there are lots of things to do throughout the year. We’ve got a range of cottages which sleep 4-12 people and we’ve won many awards for our family-friendly accommodation – find out more and check availability.
Have you discovered any fun days out or adventures that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you on our Facebook page, Instagram @Action_Nan or tweet @ActionNan