Good Morning, Hertford! 🍂

Right, deep breath: half term starts in a week and a half. If you've got small people, that's nine days of "what are we doing today?" coming your way. If you haven't, that's nine days of blissfully quiet school runs. Either way, we've got you.

This week's Scoop has done the hard bit for you. There's a brand new Half-Term Hit List, three fresh pumpkin patches, a Halloween quiz for the price of a coffee and a castle you can actually go inside. Chapter 79 is turning 20 with a diamond up for grabs, Van Hage is already going full Christmas, and there's a sound bath at Hartham with your name on it.

Two quick heads-ups before you scroll. The trains from Hertford East stop running this Saturday for nine days. And it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so there’s a quick, friendly nudge in Mind, Health + Fitness.

👇 Here’s what we’ve got for you this week:

• What’s On

• Town Talk

• Kiddies Scoop: Pumpkin Patch Round-Up 2.0

• Eye Catching Deal: Half-price membership at the new PureGym

• Property Of The Week: The loft bedroom you'll never want to leave

• Weather: Golden midweek, crisp sunny Saturday

• Mind, Health & Fitness: Your October check-yourself nudge

• Extra Sprinkles: The Half-Term Hit List

What’s On

🎭 Arts + Entertainment

Floral Silk Ribbon Embroidery Sampler
📅 Tue 13 Oct | 10:00-13:00 📍 Southern Maltings, Ware
A calm, creative morning learning to stitch delicate silk ribbon flowers onto your own sampler. Perfect if you’ve been meaning to start a “real” hobby. 🎟 £35 pp - Grab a spot

Tewinbury Cookery School
📅 Thu 15, Fri 16, Thu 22 & Fri 23 Oct 📍 Tewinbury Farm
Four hands-on workshops in two weeks: Baking, Cakes & Traybakes (15th), Italian (16th), Gastro Pub Food (22nd) and bread-making with Knead to Know (23rd). Pick your flavour. 🎟 £65 pp - Choose your class

The Acoustic Sessions
📅 Fri 16 Oct | 20:00-23:00 📍 Southern Maltings, Ware
Southern Maltings’ much-loved acoustic night, all stripped-back live music in a room full of locals who actually listen. A lovely Friday wind-down. 🎟 £5 pp - Book tickets

Halloween Face Painting Workshop for Adults
📅 Sun 18 Oct | 10:00 📍 Southern Maltings, Ware
Learn the tricks to proper Halloween face paint designs before the parties start. You’ll be the hero of every trick-or-treat doorstep. Ages 16+. 🎟 £60 pp - Learn the tricks

Ruggeri Corsini Wine Dinner
📅 Wed 21 Oct | 19:00 📍 Tewinbury Farm
A midweek treat for wine lovers: a dinner built around the wines of a Piedmont family estate. Date night, sorted. 🎟 £89 pp - Reserve a seat

Ware’s the Film Festival
📅 Sun 25 Oct - Sun 1 Nov 📍 Venues across Ware
A week of films in unusual spots around town, opening with Shaun of the Dead (perfect timing). Tickets are free but first come, first served, so grab them early. The family pick for half term is in the Hit List below 🎟 FREE - Bag your tickets

🏰 Community + Family

Van Hage Christmas Preview Evening
📅 Thu 15 Oct | Evening 📍 Van Hage, Great Amwell
Yes, it’s October. No, we’re not sorry. Be among the first to see this year’s traditional reds and golds, and make an evening of it with friends. 🎟 From £5 - Get festive early

Hertford Rotary Club Annual Quiz
📅 Fri 23 Oct | 19:00-23:00 📍 Sele School, Hertford
Round up your cleverest friends for one of the town’s big quiz nights, all for a good cause. Bragging rights last a full year. 🎟 £10 pp - Get your team in

Hertford Castle Open Day: Guided Tours
📅 Sun 25 Oct | Tours every 30 mins, 12:00-15:30 📍 Hertford Castle, SG14 1HR
The Friends of Hertford Castle lead 75-minute tours from William the Conqueror to the present day, with every penny going to the Mayor’s Appeal. Max 20 per tour, so book ahead. 🎟 £5pp - Book a tour

🌱 Health + Wellbeing

Qigong for Autumn with Abbie Harvey
📅 Sat 17 Oct | 15:00-16:30 📍 The Secret Space, 105 Fore Street, Hertford
Gentle, flowing movement inspired by “Frost Descent”, the final autumn term in the Chinese calendar. A beautiful way to slow down as the evenings draw in. 🎟 £25 pp - Find your flow

Sound Bath at Hartham Leisure Centre
📅 Fri 23 Oct | 18:00 📍 Hartham Leisure Centre, Hertford
Sixty minutes to escape the noise and reset, led by Ashley. The perfect full stop on the last Friday before half term. Spaces are limited, so book through the Everyone Active app. 🎟 FREE for You+ members, £10 Move+, £20 PAYG - Book via the app

HYROX Simulation Day
📅 Sun 25 Oct 📍 Tewinbury Farm
Training for a HYROX, or just curious what the fuss is about? Test yourself on the full race format before the real thing. 🎟 Check listing for price - More info

Slow Flow, Stretch & Sound Bath
📅 Sun 25 Oct | 16:00-18:00 📍 The Picturehouse, Tewinbury Farm
Studio 281’s Georgia Testa blends Pilates and yoga-style stretching with breathwork, then a sound bath, then alcohol-free refreshments. Mats provided, bring a cosy layer. 🎟 £45pp - Book now

📣 Town Talk

Chapter 79 turns 20! Market Place jeweller Chapter 79 is celebrating 20 years in Hertford with a party in its beautifully refurbished shop on Fri 16 Oct, 17:00-20:00, at 15 Market Place, SG14 1DQ. Expect prosecco, beer, cupcakes and a lucky dip with the chance to win a diamond. Can't make the evening? Drop in any time from 11am. Free entry. Join the celebration

No trains from this Saturday. Hertford East, Ware, St Margarets and Rye House will have no services from Sat 17 to Sun 25 Oct while Greater Anglia replaces track at Rye House. Hertford North is unaffected. If you're commuting or heading off at the start of half term, plan your route now. Full story

Have your say on how Herts gets around until 2050. Hertfordshire County Council has opened consultation on its new Local Transport Plan, covering buses, trains, walking and cycling routes, road safety, EV charging and better east-west links across the county. It takes a few minutes and closes on Mon 9 Nov. Take part here | Full story

Last call for the south of town. The Castle Plus Neighbourhood Plan consultation closes at midnight on Mon 26 Oct. Have your say

Kiddies Scoop

🎃 Pumpkin Patch Round-Up 2.0 Last week's four favourites (catch up here) are all still picking until Sat 31 Oct. Here are three more worth the drive:

• Hitchin Lavender, Ickleford: Opens Sat 17 Oct with a haunted barn, a spooky sunflower maze, live actors and street food. Dogs on leads welcome. Book ahead; pumpkins are paid for at the exit.

• Hatters Farm, near Bishop's Stortford: Over 100,000 pumpkins and 75 varieties, from teeny to giant. Opens Wed 21 Oct, so perfect for half term.

• Cammas Hall Farm, Needham Green: Over 80 varieties to choose from with fun Halloween photo spots. No scare actors in the daytime, so ideal for little ones.

🔥 Eye Catching Deal

PureGym Hertford: Opening Offer 💪

📅 Opens Fri 6 Nov | Open 24/7 📍 Bircherley Green, Hertford, SG14 1BN
Hertford’s newest gym is coming in hot, and founding members get the best price going: just £16.99 a month for your first six months (usually £32.99).

That’s 24/7 access, 220+ pieces of kit, 50kg dumbbells and 50+ classes a week included. No contract, cancel any time. Want extras like guest passes and multi-gym access? The Plus plan is £25.99 a month for six months (usually £41.99).

🎟 £16.99pm for 6 months (+ £15 joining fee) - Grab the deal

🏡 Property Of The Week

Cromwell Road, Hertford, SG13

Picture this: you open your eyes on a Saturday morning, and an entire wall of glass is looking out over the allotments and the Meads. That's the loft bedroom in this three-bed semi, and in my opinion, it's the reason to book a viewing.

The whole house has been renovated top to bottom. The heart of it is a lantern-roof extended kitchen/diner that floods with light, and there's a good-sized living room, a downstairs cloakroom/utility and brand new double glazing throughout.

The first floor has two good-sized bedrooms, a study (hello, work from home) and a luxury four-piece bathroom with underfloor heating. Then comes the top-floor showstopper: that loft bedroom with its own air conditioning and luxury en-suite shower room. Out the back, there's a newly landscaped garden backing onto the allotments, and it's in favoured school catchments too. Freehold, 1,145 sq ft.

🔗 Take a look inside

🌦 Hertford Weather: 13 - 19 Oct 2026

Today: morning drizzle (62%) clears to a mild 19°C. Brolly for the school run, sunnies by pickup.

Wed & Thu: the stars of the week. Dry, partly cloudy and a lovely 19-20°C.

Fri: light morning rain (66%) and a cooler 14°C, drying out in time for Chapter 79’s party.

Weekend: crisp and bright at 14°C. Saturday’s mostly sunny, Sunday mostly dry, so wrap up for the markets.

Best days: Wednesday and Thursday for warmth, Saturday for sunshine (bring a jumper)

✨ Mind, Health + Fitness

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so consider this your friendly reminder:

• Check yourself regularly. Touch, look and check, right up to your collarbone and armpits.

• See your GP about anything new: a lump, dimpling, nipple changes or a change in shape.

• Don’t skip your screening. The NHS invites women aged 50-71 every 3 years. If you’re over 71, you can book yourself in.

• Called back? Don’t panic. Most people who are called back don’t have cancer.

• Family history? Tell your GP, as you may be able to get extra screening.

🎀 Wear It Pink is on Fri 23 Oct, so it’s the perfect excuse for a pink bake sale. Find out more

💌 Know someone who keeps putting off her screening? Forward her this.

Worried about a change? Contact your GP or call Breast Cancer Now’s nurses on 0808 800 6000.

👉 Recipe of the week: Gnocchi Lasagne

🧁 Extra Sprinkles

📌 The Half-Term Hit List

Your whole half term planned on one screen. Book the "fills up fast" ones this week, and keep the free ones in your back pocket for rainy days.

Book these now (they fill up):

Samhain Celebrations at Celtic Harmony Camp
📅 Mon 26 - Sat 31 Oct 📍 Celtic Harmony Camp, Brickendon, SG13 8NY
A haunted forest, cave adventures, pumpkin crafts and a fire procession for the Celtic New Year. Limited spaces. 🎟 Secure your day

Swimming Crash Course at Hartham
📅 Mon 26 - Fri 30 Oct | 08:00, 08:30, 09:00 & 09:30 slots 📍 Hartham Leisure Centre
Five mornings of lessons to help kids move up a stage, all done by 10am. Open to new swimmers too. 🎟 £33.75 - Book a place

The Magic of Autumn at Knebworth
📅 Sat 24 - Fri 30 Oct | 10:30-16:00 📍 Knebworth House Gardens
A magical autumn trail for ages 2-8, with crafts and a chocolate prize. Admission includes the Dinosaur Trail. 🎟 £2 trail + admission - Book tickets

Children’s Halloween Party at Leafy Oak Tea Room
📅 Fri 30 Oct | 17:00-19:00 📍 Leafy Oak Tea Room, Hertford Road, Great Amwell
Games, bubbles, balloon modelling and glitter tattoos, with a party bag included. Someone else hosts the Halloween party this year! 🎟 £9.50 - Book here

Free & easy:

Ware’s the Film Festival: Hoppers
📅 Mon 26 Oct | 14:00 📍 Fletcher’s Lea, Ware
An animal-mad girl hops her mind into a robot beaver to save a woodland. Funny, sweet and free. Bring your own snacks. 🎟 FREE (ticketed) - Grab tickets

LEGO Workshop
📅 Thu 29 Oct | 12:00-16:00 📍 Fletcher’s Lea, Ware Priory
Master Builders bring the bricks, your kids bring the imagination. Drop in, no booking needed. Your rainy-day rescue. 🎟 FREE - More here

👻 Halloween for big kids & grown-ups

Halloween Quiz at The Greyhound
📅 Wed 28 Oct | 19:00-21:00 📍 The Greyhound, Bengeo
Two quid, a spooky quiz and a cash prize. Family friendly too, so the kids can finally prove they know more than you. Book a table by DM, call or email. 🎟 £2 entry - Call 01992 804469 or email

Ghost walks 🕯️ Most of Hertford's Haunted Hertford walks have sold out, but Sat 31 Oct still had spaces at the time of writing, along with Ware's 6pm Halloween Ghost Walk (£10, ages 12+). Be quick. Haunted Hertford | Ware Ghost Walk

Over 70? Hertford Rotary is throwing a free Vintage Halloween Party on Fri 30 Oct for Hertford residents over 70. One to forward to a grandparent or neighbour. Details here

And don't forget last week's deal: Woody's Spooky Disco on Thu 22 Oct. Catch up here

You’re now fully up to date, Hertford.

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