Strawberry picking spots you can drive to from newcastle

AS A BUMPER CROP OF STRAWBERRIES IS EXPECTED THIS YEAR, HERE'S A PICK OF THE PICKING AREAS WITHIN REACH OF NEWCASTLE WHERE YOU CAN CHOOSE YOURS WHEN THE SEASON GETS UNDER WAY 12:00, 01

Jun 2025 Strawberries and cream are a quintessential part of our British summer, like afternoon tea, Pimms on the lawn, picnics and Wimbledon. And this year could see people having to stock

up on that cream as it seems we could be in for a bumper crop of the fruit. There are reports from growers that weather conditions combining sunshine and cool overnight temperatures are

creating some giant strawberries - including whoppers too big to fit in the mouth according to one. But whatever options might be weighing down supermarket shelves, it's always far more

fun to go out and pick your own. British-grown strawberries – more flavoursome than imported ones - are available only for a short period of time, like raspberries as well as red and

blackcurrants, so we really need to make the most of them when they're available. They are low calorie (until you add the cream), packed full of antioxidants and a surprisingly

versatile ingredient that can be combined in a fruit salad, made into jam, blended into a smoothie, baked in a crumble or crushed up for jelly. Unless you have an allotment and grow their

own, PYO - or pick-your-own - farms offer the next best thing. Strawberries won’t come any fresher than picked straight off the stalk. And a fruit-gathering outing also makes for an ideal

opportunity to enjoy some fresh countryside air. Here we offer a pick of places to go when the strawberry-picking season gets under way, which is usually mid to late June. Article continues

below Save for one well-known favourite location in Northumberland, which we start with, there are not many options being advertised around the North East as some former PYO farms have

closed down. So we have included some next-nearest suggestions, which are within travelling distance of Newcastle - if you're up for a bit of a drive. NORTHUMBERLAND BROCKSBUSHES FARM

AND TEA ROOM is adjacent to the A69 just off the Corbridge roundabout. THE POSTCODE IS NE43 7UB AND CONTACT DETAILS ARE [email protected]/ 01434 633 100. BROCKSBUSHES The farm near

Corbridge has yet to announce the exact date that PYO fruit will become available but there won't be long to wait. It says the 2025 season will begin around mid-June by which time its

fields will be 'full of red juicy strawberries' - and there will be a record number of them too with more than 125,000 plants being grown. New for this year will be having 10 out

of its 11 blocks of strawberries now grown on table-tops, making picking far more accessible for those who struggle with ground level. There will be 'toddler tops' too, about half

the size, to help little ones get in on the action. The farm and tea room, which as previously reported expanded last summer with a large farm shop, butchery and deli as well as The

Courtyard Kitchen restaurant alongside a play barn, is an annual favourite for fruit-picking - and again every autumn for its pumpkin-picking. The business, established in 1979, has

developed from just an acre of soft fruit, with a tiny shop, open for eight weeks of the year, into a thriving retail hub. It's an award-winner and that lovely shop also includes a gift

area and a 'grab and go' food range. But PYO is its big thing, with around 35 acres replanted each year with soft fruit and around two acres given over to asparagus which is sold

in the farm shop in spring. Brocksbushes grows different varieties of strawberries and you can read here about the strawberry-picking experience. Visitors have to pre-book an entry time for

£2 then can pick as much or as little as they want, with their selection to be weighed and paid for at the tills at the edge of the fields. Strawberries tend to be available from mid-June to

the end of October and other fruits to come are raspberries from early July, also to the end of October; gooseberries from mid-June to the end of July; black and redcurrants from early July

to mid-August and plums from mid-August to the end of September. Weather, however, can alter things and can affect availability so it is always best to phone ahead of a visit to check what

is ready for picking. Regular updates on availability are usually shown on Brocksbushes' website here or Facebook page here. People are also invited to sign up to a newsletter for news

of when the new season tickets will go on sale. BERWICK Oxford Farm Shop and Tea Room is at Ancroft, Berwick. Its postcode is TD15 2TA and the phone number is 01289 387 253. OXFORD FARM SHOP

A drive of around one hour and 20-30 minutes from Newcastle will take you to this farm shop and tea room which this year is set to celebrate a special anniversary. While it has yet to

announce the start of its new picking season, the first strawberry picked on its fields last year was early, on June 7, so it can't be long. Keep an eye out on its Facebook page here.

It offers raspberry-picking too and last year's season ran until August 11. The combined yield was a belter, with a post saying: "The plants can hold their leaves up high for the

fantastic crop they produced for us". And, referencing the 2025 season when it will be happening all over again, it added: "Let the party begin in celebration of 40 years

fruit-growing on the farm." The Brown family have been farming their land, which is just six miles from Berwick, since 1937. While traditionally, the majority of their 120 acres just

off the A1 have been given over to commercial wheat and barley production, PYO fruit was started in 1985 with around five acres - mostly devoted to strawberries - available for fruit-picking

for around six weeks every summer. Some of the fruit also makes its way into the tea room’s home-baked treats, including meringues and jams. It's renowned for its range - which

includes strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, plum, gooseberry, mixed berry and apricot jams as well as marmalades and chutneys. SCOTTISH BORDERS Border Berries is at Rutherford Farm, midway

between St Boswells and Kelso on the A699, Roxburghshire. Its what3words direction is worms.unframed.simmer and it advises looking out for its bright berry signs as a guide. BORDER BERRIES

Around an hour and a half's drive from Newcastle, in Kelso, is the south of Scotland's largest pick-your-own-berry farm. It has been growing strawberries since the 1960 and its

website describe its operations as "no polytunnels, just fresh air and Scottish sunshine to ripen our berries". It says it will be open for strawberry-picking from late June or

early July so look for coming updates on the outdoor fruit farm's Facebook page. It says: "You can’t hurry a berry grown in the open air but we can guarantee that the wait will

make it all the sweeter." The natural Scottish season is July and August and it adds: "Hopefully this warmer spring will make our berries happier this year." When it does

open, it will be full-on seven days a week, 10am until 7pm. The site also has a picnic area and a cafe. NORTH YORKSHIRE Fruity Berry Fruit Farm is at Baracca Farm in Dishforth Road near

Ripon, North Yorkshire. Its postcode is YO7 3DB and the phone number is 07985 693 692. FRUITY BERRY FARM The strawberry fields at this popular farm, a drive of about one hour 20 minutes from

Newcastle, are raised to make them more accessible for wheelchair users, the elderly and families with young children or pushchairs. It has yet to announce the start of its

strawberry-picking season (it also offers gooseberries, blackcurrants and raspberries) but in the past it has been mid-June, with visitors able to just turn up without any need to pre-book.

Article continues below They have been welcome to take along picnics too, to make a day of it, while the farm also has ice cream and refreshments available as well as a vending machine which

sells fruit and cream too. People are encouraged to bring their own containers for the fruit they pick to make it all more environmentally-friendly. Fruity Berry Farm runs a

pay-what-you-pick system. Keep an eye out on its Facebook page for upcoming news of the 2025 season.