What’s on in October

Rustling leaves and the warm rays of autumn sun make the South of Scotland a superb destination to visit in October. Pick a pumpkin and make spooky decorations while children traipse through ghoulish trails – Halloween is very much a theme for many of the activities this month! Take in the River Tweed Trail or hear Shakespeare echo at the Multiverse. Celebrate the migratory geese that flock to the region for winter during an annual 10-day culture, art & nature festival. Inside, there are marvellous visiting art exhibits not to be missed. Check out our Events page for all of October’s activities, meanwhile here is your guide to our pick of What’s On in October across the South of Scotland!

Pumpkin Patches

Head to one of the many pumpkin patches that are cropping up across the South of Scotland. New for this year is a pumpkin patch at Stouslie Farm near Hawick, while Bowhill House near Selkirk is launching a new event featuring a Pumpkin Patch, ghoulish trail through the grounds, a variety of Halloween crafts and a cinema screening of a Halloween favourite plus much more. Hallowe’en at Ernespie Farm near Castle Douglas is one of their favourite times of year and they will have carving stations set up, fun games for you to play and plenty of spooktacular photo opportunities! Pumpkin Picking at Ernespie Farm is the perfect way to spend an autumn day with the whole family. Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate is hosting its Halloween trail through the gardens with spooky pursuits along the way. Load up your wheelbarrow with your specially selected pumpkin and check out the Halloween crafts and activities in Larchwood Cabin. The Adventure Playground and castle gardens are included in the ticket prices so you can fully enjoy an autumnal day on the estate!

Spooky Fun

In addition to the pumpkin patches there are also some spooky happenings throughout October at Witch Corner at Abbotsford. Throughout October the spirits of the forest are awoken for a limited time and Halloween trail adventurers can meet them and solve their seasonal riddles to collect an edible prize. Halloween fun is on for the whole month at Jacksons at Jedburgh with tractor rides, pumpkin carving and a Halloween Trail. Traquair House is hosting a Halloween Fun Day with magic shows, a spooky passage experience, plenty of creepy crawlies, games and workshops to get everyone into the seasonal spirit. For a Halloween trail with a twist head to RSPB Mersehead near Dumfries where they are offering a Halloween and Weird Geese trail as part of the Wild Goose Festival (see below for more info). There is a Halloween trail to be explored at Jedburgh Castle Jail with a prize if you survive! Older children and adults wanting a really spooky experience should head to Closeburn Castle where Haunted Rooms will give you a full on haunting time!

Foodie Delights

Head to the first ever Borderlands Whisky Festival in Lockerbie as it celebrates artistry, history, and diverse flavours of this timeless spirit with sessions and masterclasses and over 30 distilleries from Scotland and England. If you are headed to Traquair House, then time your visit for Apple Day, celebrating their harvest – you can pick from their trees and use their mobile press to make your own apple juice to take away – bring a container though! And finally there will be a Cheese and Wine afternoon at the Globe Inn with a carefully curated selection to tantalise your tastebuds – take notes so you will know exactly which cheeses to seek out afterwards!

Experience Stories

Head off with Stewart Wilson, the Tweed Valley Blogger, for his River Tweed Trail tour early in the month and explore the story of the River Tweed, from source to sea. As you head along the paths, he’ll point out the many historical and natural wonders on this magnificent section of the River Tweed. Appropriate footwear and clothing must be worn and a head torch is recommended to help guide you through a tunnel section!

Join Mostly Ghostly tours on Halloween Eve for their Broughton House by Candlelight tour in Kirkcudbright , for a collection of dark and sinister tales of Kirkcudbright and old Galloway while exploring the home of Glasgow Boy and cornerstone of the Kirkcudbright art scene E.A Hornel.

Step into the eerie world of Gilnockie Tower, where the shadows of Teviotdale’s Steel Bonnets linger like whispers from a bygone era. Within the ancient stone walls, join them for a day steeped in the chilling lore of the Border Reivers.

Or join Bear Pursuit Theatre as it presents its brand new theatre experience, Much Ado at the Multiverse. You’ll be guided through the gorgeous setting of the art installation Crawick Multiverse, and treated to a selection of scenes from the Shakespearean canon. This walking show is aimed at those over 12 and perfect for lovers of Shakespeare, old and new.

Wild Goose Festival

Once again the 10-day Wild Goose Festival gets underway from 18th – 27th October, with a fabulous mix of art, culture, and nature all woven together through a series of activities from interactive storytelling, conversations to inspiring performances and creative workshops for all the family. Start your day off with the Goose Breakfast at the Boathouse in Glencaple and learn about the geese of the Solway Firth with experts from WWT Caerlaverock and NatureScot. Or join local author Stephen Rutt for a creative writing workshop in Wigtown where the saltmarsh attracts thousands of wintering pink footed geese, barnacle geese, ducks and waders. In spring and summer a host of special plants cover the merse, and the sound of skylarks fill the air. This beautiful and rare habitat provides plenty of inspiration for the creative writer. And if you prefer listening to the stories of others, join Mostly Ghostly for their Stories of Cholera, Calamity and Hope tour – in actuality a celebration of the beautifully restored Dumfries Fountain, with the tour exploring the impact of two major Cholera epidemics of Dumfries and the hope that fresh water brought.

Indoor Exhibitions

While much of the Halloween activities focus on outdoor experiences there are a variety of exhibitions on show at the museums across the South of Scotland offering a super day out. At Hawick Museum, catch the Royal Scottish Academy touring exhibition Modernism and Nation, celebrating the birth of Scottish artist Sir William George Gillies RSA. The exhibit features paintings, drawings, photographs and objects from across his career. Gillies is recognised as one of the most influential Scottish artists of the twentieth century and is said to have shaped modern Scottish painting and inspired generations of artists.

You can also join author Andrew McPherson in situ at the exhibition for an insightful talk about his publication, William Gillies: Modernism and Nation in British Art, which represents 20 years of research into Gillies’ life and work. Running alongside the exhibition at Hawick is Stow-resident artist Gary Anderson’s Borderlines. This exhibition in oils, gouache and charcoal gave Anderson a chance to explore the landscape and Border towns which Gillies so much admired and with which he himself has an affinity.

At the Borders Textiles House catch Paula Rowan’s show The Wild Side – paintings inspired by all things fluffy and fabulous!