National Trust reports bumper apple and pumpkin crops at its sites

Near-ideal conditions have led to high yields at some of the country's best loved orchards and walled gardens

The nights may be drawing in and the days becoming chillier, but there is cheering news from some of the UK's best loved orchards and walled gardens: a bumper crop of apples and pumpkins.

Fruit and squashes have ripened weeks earlier than normal in many places and yields are higher thanks to near-ideal conditions, including 2024's wet weather followed by a warm and dry spring and plenty of summer sun this year.