AS the leaves begin to turn and a chill creeps into the air, the country is transforming into a playground of eerie delights.
From pumpkin patches to haunted castles, this year's Halloween attractions promise thrills and chills for all ages.
Whether you are seeking family-friendly fun or scream-your-lungs-out scares, Jacob Lewis has found the best bewitching Halloween events across the country.
FOR those watching their wallets, Pembrokeshire's Milford Water-front offers a free Halloween trail from October 28 to November 3.
To make it a full getaway, Hotel Ty Milford Waterfront is offering a "kids stay free" deal when sharing a family room, with prices from £116 per night.
Running every Friday from Halloween until March, the 90-minute journey through the town's darkened streets uncovers centuries of grim history.
Tickets £7.50 for adults and £4 for children (aged 14 and over).
See visit-burystedmunds.co.uk.
Or head to Derby for a free event that begins family-friendly but, as night falls, sees the atmosphere shift to an adults-only March Of The Vampires.
Running between October 17 and November 2, the fully immersive event features five terrifying haunts, including Werehouse 51: Toxic Mutation, and roaming street actors.
Other attrac-tions include high ropes courses and zombie archery. Tickets from £28 at primevil-scare.com.
Ghost hunters will find their perfect Halloween treat at Hever Castle in Kent.
This year, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn invites brave souls on an after-dark tour, delving into the castle's most unfortunate owners and their gruesome fates.
The experience begins with a glass of prosecco (or a non-alcoholic alter-native) at the Moat Cafe, setting the stage for a truly haunting night.
DODDINGTON Hall in Lincolnshire is the UK's best pumpkin patch, according to an in-depth ranking by Outdoor Toys.
The free-entry wonderland boasts 30 varieties of pumpkins, squashes and gourds.
See doddingtonhall.com.
In second place was Tapnell Farm on the Isle of Wight, offering a pumpkin trail and plenty of spooky photo opportunities.
Tickets, £14.50, tapnellfarm.com.
Or check out Millets Farm Centre in Oxfordshire, which secured third spot, thanks to its low £2 entry fee and annual Halloween Spook-tacular that includes pumpkin-picking, a Halloween circus and a spooky disco.
See milletsfarmcentre.com.
For a dog-friendly adventure, head to Cotswold Farm Park.
But as night falls, the patch transforms with live music and UV pumpkin displays.
The award-winning attraction features five horror mazes, more than 100 live actors and extra-jumpy scare zones.
In Blackburn, Scare Kingdom Scream Park is pushing the boundaries of fear.
Running on select nights to November 9, it boasts 80 scare actors across 130 themed spaces around five scare mazes promising pulse-pounding adventures.
Minimum age of 13 (accompanied by an adult).
With tickets starting at £27.79, this one is an intense experience that's not for the faint-hearted.
Included with regular admission, visitors can enjoy the Carnival of Spooks walk-through and daily shows.
Tickets from £27.50 at draytonmanor.co.uk.
The Halloween in the City festival returns to Manchester on October 26 and 27, when the city centre will be overrun by giant inflatable monsters, including eight-metre-long Leech.
As darkness falls, buildings across the city will glow an eerie green, while thousands of pumpkin lanterns line the streets.
See visitmanchester.com.
Warwick Castle is also joining the Halloween fun with ghostly inhabitants taking over the grounds.
Families can enjoy quizzes, discos, songs and sorcery.
FOR those who prefer their scares with a side of natural beauty, Moors Valley Country Park in Dorset is debuting a Halloween illuminated trail.
Running from October 25 to November 3, the after-dark adventure winds through the forest, revealing hidden surprises including a secret cemetery, ghostly undertakers and tree demons.
With thunderstorms, wicked witches and giant spiders along the way, it is a multi-sensory experience that blends the beauty of nature with Halloween theatrics.
Tickets from £12 at moors-valley.co.uk.
Just outside Port Talbot, Margam Country Park is launching Fright Nights - a spine-tingling experience that draws on the location's haunted history.
The trail begins in the ruins of the gardens where visitors encounter 7ft Cistercian monks before venturing into a forest rumoured to be home to the ghost of a murdered gamekeeper.
The journey continues into the 19th-century castle, considered one of the UK's most haunted places.
With two scare levels available - one for younger visitors and a more intense version for those 15 and up - it's a customisable fright fest for those with different terror thresholds.
