Halloween attractions open across England and Wales for halfterm

A lantern-lit walking trail, scare mazes and a surge of pumpkin patches are among seasonal attractions opening across England and Wales as communities prepare for Halloween and the October halfterm. One of the region's most visible new offerings is Halloweenville, a family-oriented autumn trail that opened this month at Partridge Lakes in Culcheth, Warrington, drawing groups, couples and families from nearby Liverpool and beyond.

Visitors follow a route around the lake and through wooded areas decorated with themed scenes and coloured lighting. This year's theme takes guests "under the water" to the depths of Gold Lake, where costumed actors portray skeleton pirates and ghostly sea creatures. The trail is designed to be family friendly and to emphasise atmosphere rather than intense jump scares. Younger guests can take part in a gold-coin treasure hunt, collecting tokens from actors and set pieces such as cauldrons and a pirate ship. At the trail entrance a leisure tent hosts live entertainment, food and drink vendors, and fire pits, while a "Halloweenville party" at the route's end offers additional space for refreshments and music. Organisers expected several hundred visitors...