2024 Yorkshire Blackberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards

Blackberry U-Pick Orchards in Yorkshire in 2024, by county

Below are the PYO orchards and farms for blackberries and other brambles that we know of in this area. Not all areas have blackberries and other brambles orchards or farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

North Yorkshire

• The Balloon Tree Farm Shop & Cafe - blackberries, blueberries, currants (red and black), gooseberries, pumpkins, raspberries (red), rhubarb, strawberries, Local honey from within 50 miles, Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked, farm market, gift shop, bakery, picnic area
  Stamford Bridge Road Gate Helmsley, York, YO41 1NB. Phone: 01759 373023. Email: info@theballoontree.co.uk. Open: every day of the week; Farm Shop from 9 am until 5:30 pm in the Summer (5 pm close in the Winter); Cafe open from 9 am until 5 pm in the Summer (4:30 pm in the Winter); Please call or visit our website to confirm opening times. Directions: Find us on the A166 traveling east of York in the direction of Bridlington. We are on the left hand side of the main road between Gate Helmsley and Stamford Bridge. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, All credit cards, AndroidPay, ApplePay. We have been growing soft fruit for over 20 years; The season runs from beginning of June to end of August, depending on the crop; We have lots of other homegrown superfresh vegetables too. Payment: Cash, Cheque, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard. This multi award winning farmshop and cafe is a great day out for the whole family. It specialises in ‘superfresh’ homegrown fruit & vegetables and rare breed meats. ‘Superfresh’ means picked from the fields and sold within hours/minutes cutting out the food miles. Both shop and cafe offer the finest homemade food including quiches, scones, soups and seasonal dishes. The cafe sweets trolley comes highly recommended offering various award winning cakes and puddings. Landscaped cafe garden, children's play area and animal corner. PYO.
  Typical crop availability (always phone before you go to check availability).
  PYO Strawberries & Ready Picked Ready Early-Mid May & end of August
  PYO Raspberries Ready Mid-late June & end of August.
  PYO Gooseberries Ready Early-Mid June & Early July.
  PYO Currants (Red, Black & White) Ready Mid June & Mid July.
  PYO Peas Ready Mid June & end of July.
  PYO Broad Beans Ready Mid June & end of July.
  PYO Blueberries Ready Mid-Late July & Mid August.
  PYO Plums Ready Beg August & end of August.
  PYO Blackberries Ready Beg Sep - End Sep.
  PYO Pumpkins Ready for Halloween.
  Click here for our Facebook page.
  Click here for our Instagram page.
  (UPDATED: September 03, 2023) (UPDATED: April 18, 2019, JBS) (UPDATED: July 21, 2009)
• Fruity Berry Fruit Farm - currants (red and black), gooseberries, raspberries (red), strawberries,
  Barraca nr Dishforth, Thirsk, YO7 3DB. Phone: 07772 716564. Email: mbean1@hotmail.com. Open: 2015 Monday to Sunday 0pen from 10:30am Cash Only. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. All fruit available now (mid July). Payment: Cash, only. 8 hole Mini Golf just £1 per person Refreshments, Ice cream Picnic Area. (UPDATED: 16 June 2023, JBS) (UPDATED: June 02, 2017) (UPDATED: July 16, 2015) (ADDED: May 12, 2013)
• Kemps Farm - raspberries (red), strawberries, concessions / refreshment stand, porta-potties
  Glebe Farm Barton-le-Street, Malton, YO17 6PP. Phone: 07798937821. Email: info@kemps.farm. Open: Friday Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm. Open: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Strawberry picking is generally mid June to early August. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard. Click here for our Facebook page. We also sell our own jam, rapeseed oil and beef. (ADDED: July 08, 2019)
• Pearsons Soft Fruits - strawberries, Raspberries, gooseberries, black currants and red currants
  Strawberry Fields, Friars Hill, Sinnington, York, North Yorkshire YO62 6SL. Phone: 01751 433380. Email: psfruits@aol.com. Our farm shop is open throughout the year but during the summer season we have a wide range of soft fruits. All our fruits; strawberries, Raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants are grown by us here at Sinnington. We also grow and sell our own home-grown new potatoes and a selection of vegetables. Our fields are open during the season for Pick Your Own and ready picked fruit. Our pick your own season usually starts late June. Ripening of soft fruit is weather dependent so please ring to check availability or place an order to avoid disappointment. (UPDATED: July 11, 2015, JBS)
• Sherry Soft Fruit - Strawberries, Raspberries,
  Beechwood, Malton Road, York, YO3 9TD. Phone: 01904 422766. Directions: From the A64 York by-pass, take the A166 in a North-Easterly direction towards Gate Helmsley, for just over a mile. Take the Right turn to Dunnington, ( Church Balk ) and the entrance to the fruit field is immediately on your Left. Opening times: 9am to 8pm, 7 days a week in season: please check by phoning.
• Spilmans Summer Fruits - blackberries, currants (red and black), gooseberries, peas, raspberries (Autumn, yellow), strawberries, pumpkins
  Church Farm, Sessay, Thirsk, YO7 3NB. Phone: 01845 501623. Email: spilmanfarming@gmail.com. Open: Monday - Sunday from 9am to 6pm, 22nd June to 31st July, pumpkins in October. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Please contact us for updates on the different fruit seasons. Payment: Cash, Cheque. Click here for our Facebook page. Ee grow soft fruits, pumpkins and rear our own lamb and beef. We also have a farm shop, cafe and play barn. (UPDATED: 30 October 2020 JBS) (ADDED: June 22, 2012)
• Stokesley Soft Fruit - soft fruit
  Pannierman Lane, Great Ayton, Middlesbrough, Cleveland TS9 6PP. Phone: 01642 723703.
  A visitor writes on June 22, 2009: "We stopped in here today to see what was up, and talked to a nice lady who said they had bought the place last Nov (2008). She says it needs a lot of work, and the fruit fields are full of weeds, but they are hoping to have it back in order for Summer 2010. Watch This Space!"
  When they re-open, please write to me, to let me know!

South Yorkshire

• Birchin Lee Farm & Nurseries - Strawberries, Raspberries, Currants and Gooseberries
  Dronfield Woodhouse, Sheffield, S18 8WS. Phone: 0114 289 0225. Open: 10am to 6pm Summer, 10am to 5pm Winter. Directions: We are on the B6054 Sheffield to Holmesfield Road at Dronfield Woodhouse. Turn right 200 yards past the Tee junction to Dronfield. Both PYO and already picked. Late Summer and Winter vegetables. Spring and Autumn Bedding Plants and Bulbs.
• Eastfield Farm Soft Fruit - beetroot, blackberries, broad beans, currants (red and black), gooseberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (Spring, black), strawberries,
  Eastfield Farm Tickhil, Doncaster, DN11 9JD. Phone: 07748 430026. Fax: 01302 750838. Email: Strawberryj8@aol.com. Open: 7 days a week during our picking season, generally early/mid June to end July weather dependant . Directions: We are close to the A1. M18 and M1. five miles south of Doncaster and 20 to 30 minutes from Rotherham and Sheffield. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Cheque. (UPDATED: October 30, 2014) (UPDATED: December 17, 2009)
• Peaks Top Farm - Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, blackberries, apples, plums, honey and a B&B
  Hewitts Avenue, New Waltham, Grimsby, DN36 4RS. Phone: 01472 812941. Open: All year round; 7 days a week through the main season 10am - 5pm. Email: info@peakstopfarm.com. The soft fruit at Peaks Top Farm includes over 2 hectares of strawberries, a ‘table-top’ strawberry growing system, 5 poly-tunnels plus outdoor bush and cane fruit such as Raspberries, black and redcurrants along with 3 varieties of gooseberries. Our fruit season usually starts mid June until late July depending on the weather. Strawberries and gooseberries begin the season, with the Raspberries, red and blackcurrants towards the end of June through July. We are open We welcome all members of the public to come to the farm and ‘pick your own’ fruit. At a little extra cost we have a ready picked service for all our fruit if you don’t have the time to pick your own. Our blackberries come into fruit later in the year; generally around August. Once October arrives we move into our orchard to begin picking apples and plums. We grow 4 varieties of apples (Scrumptious, Russet and Falstaff eaters and Bramley cooking apples). The 2 varieties of plums are Victoria and Czar. Depending on yield we also aim to have rhubarb available in season. small restaurant. (UPDATED: July 11, 2015, JBS) (Suggested by a visitor, ADDED: July 15, 2009)
  A visitor writes on July 15, 2009: "very nice"

East Yorkshire

• Grange Farm Fruits - raspberries (red), strawberries,
  Alison Lane Ulrome, Near Driffield, YO25 8TR. Phone: 07761 108976. Email: mark.jackson5@btconnect.com. Open: 7 days per week from 10am to 6pm. Directions: We are located on the B1242 Skipsea to Hornsea Road. We are open June till August for delicious tasting Strawberries and Raspberries. Payment: Cash, only. We sell Homemade Jam made from our own Strawberries and Raspberries, Home grown New Potatoes along with Local Honey, Chutneys, pickles and Local rapeseed Oil. (ADDED: January 15, 2010) (UPDATED: January 16, 2010)
• Marton Manor Farm - Raspberries, strawberries
  Flamborough Road, Sewerby, Bridlington, Yorkshire, UK, YO15 1DU. Phone: 01262 672522. Email: martonmanor@btconnect.com. Directions: on B1255 between Bridlington and Flamborough . We are open June, July, August. Our hours are: every day 10am-5pm. (UPDATED: July 11, 2015, JBS)
• Scalby Grange Farm - beetroot, blackberries, broad beans, broccoli, currants (red and black), gooseberries, peas, potatoes, raspberries (red), strawberries, other vegetables,
  Scalby Lane Gilberdyke, Brough, HU15 2UJ. Phone: 07977955968. Email: wilson.pat@tiscali.co.uk. Open: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm, mid June to mid August. Directions: We are situated next door to the Yorkshire Garden Centre in between Gilberdyke and Newport. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Cheque. Homemade Jams and Pickles. (ADDED: March 14, 2011)

West Yorkshire

• Horsforth Pick Your Own - pumpkins, raspberries (red), strawberries, concessions / refreshment stand, porta-potties
  West End Lane Horsforth, Leeds, LS18 5ES. Phone: 07798937821. Email: pyostrawberry@gmail.com. Open: During the strawberry and raspberry picking season Monday to Sunday 10am to 7pm. Open: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: Please see web site for more details www.kemps.farm. Click here for a map and directions. Strawberry season is generally mid June to late July early August Raspberry season is generally mid July to mid August Pumpkin season is generally mid October to 31st October. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard. Click here for our Facebook page. We also sell our own jam, rapeseed oil and beef Tractor and trailer rides are available at weekends. (ADDED: July 08, 2019)

Brambleberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

If you are getting ready to pick some brambles, either at a farm or along the roadside, you might want some useful information first! Brambles are both wild and domestic blackberries as well as similar sprawling berries, which typically includes the various hybrids like Loganberries, Tayberries, Boysenberries, and raspberries. Brambles typically peak during July, but it can range from early June through October, especially since new everbearing varieties like the American PrimeArk blackberries have been commercialized.

Varieties of Brambleberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Hybrids

There almost countless variants of brambles. See this page for detailed descriptions of many bramble varieties found at British farms and orchards.

 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
2. Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
    
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for Blackberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
   If you use your own containers, remember that heaping Blackberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the plastic storage containers.
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Bramble berries

1. There are two types of brambles to know about: thorny and thornless! Obviously, the thornless are easier to pick, but some people claim the thorny varieties are sweeter. With the thorny plants, you want to reach into the plant in the gaps, so you don't need to touch anything but the berry you're after, avoiding the thorns.
2. A ripe blackberry is deep black with a plump, full feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug. If the berry is red or purple, it's not ripe yet.
3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Unlike strawberries, blackberries are usually pretty tough, I dump mine into the bucket. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
4. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick brambles or blackberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Pick only the berries that are fully black, or a purple. Of course, there are a few varieties that are yellow orange or red when ripe, too. Typically, the should feel firm and plump and readily separate from the plant with a gentle tug. .
2.  Reach in between the stems to grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the plant and you will find loads of berries that other people missed!
3. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Blackberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them. Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash off the others, drain them and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) Blackberries are less perishable than blueberries or strawberries, but refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking. Temperatures between 34 F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze the blackberries (while they are in the fridge)!
4. Even under ideal conditions blackberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase

Blackberry Recipes, Freezing and Jam directions

1. How to make Blackberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free Blackberry jam directions - very easy!
2. How to make Blackberry jelly
3. How to freeze berries
4. Blackberry syrup, make and can it!
5. Seedless blackberry pie!
6. Blackberry Festivals: Where, When and More to Find an Blackberry Festival Near You this year:

Blackberry Facts and Tips

• Black Raspberries, also known as "black caps" are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• The USDA says 1 cup (228 ml) of blackberries has about 62 calories.
• 1 cup of blackberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• Select plump, firm, fully blackberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Ohio State University's Article Regarding Their Prevention of Cancer
• Oregon Berry Black Raspberry Brochure
• Blackberry tea was said to be a cure for dysentery during the Civil War. During outbreaks of dysentery, temporary truces were declared to allow both Union and Confederate soldiers to "go blackberrying" to forgage for blackberries to ward off the disease.
• Blackberries were enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, who believed them to be a cure for diseases of the mouth and throat, as well as a preventative against many ailments, including gout.
• The blackberry leaf was also used as an early hair dye, having been recommended by Culpeper, the English herbalist, to be boiled in a lye solution in order to "maketh the hair black".
• Guide to blackberry varieties
• Researchers have known for quite some time that berries contain antioxidants which help to fight cancer causing free radicals. A study at the University of Ohio has found that blackberries are the most potent cancer fighting berries of them all, by nearly 40 percent!
• U-pick Blackberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh berries.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as Blackberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible. Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
• Want to go to a blackberry festival? See this page for a list!