Tatton Park Cancels Apple Day After Extreme Weather and Pest Pressures Decimate Harvest

Tatton Park has announced that its annual Apple Day will not take place this October, bringing a temporary pause to a much-loved tradition that has marked the start of autumn for 24 years. The event, which celebrates the Gardens' collection of around 300 apple and pear trees, has been cancelled due to a significantly reduced harvest following an exceptionally challenging growing season.

Simon Tetlow, Head Gardener at Tatton Park, said: "For 24 years, our orchards have provided the centrepiece for a fantastic tasting day to celebrate the start of autumn, but this year a combination of prolonged drought and unprecedented pest pressures has left us without enough fruit to share with visitors. It is a disappointing decision, but one we haven't taken lightly. The challenges we've faced highlight the impact climate change is having on gardens like ours, particularly when growing sustainably without pesticides or inorganic fertilisers, where successful fruit cultivation relies on frosts, rainfall and cooler summers. We are already adapting what we grow, where we grow it and how we cultivate it to build greater resilience for the future, and we look forward to welcoming visitors back for Apple Day in 2027."

While the event will not take place this year, visitors can continue to enjoy Tatton Park's gardens throughout the autumn season, with a range of seasonal activities and events taking place across the estate. Skellies and Wellies in the Gardens returns by popular demand for its third year during October half term, 24 October - 1 November
(closed Monday).

Further details about the return of Apple Day in 2027 will be announced in due course.

Plan Your Visit: Tatton Park, Rostherne, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6QN
Attraction opening times, tickets and prices: tattonpark.org,uk