Is it still blackberry picking season?

[Rainallnight]

Can anyone who’s closer to brambles than me tell me if it’s worth taking the kids out blackberry picking this weekend?

We’re in London and would have to drive to Essex or Kent so looking for some intell before we go!

Here in South Wales they've well and truly finished. I picked loads a few weeks ago. Everything has been early this year.

Only up to Michaelmas otherwise the devil will piss on your blackberries.

Absolutely not in South East. You've missed it by about 8 weeks!

Round here most of the ones that are left are looking very shrivelled and unappealing.

Gone here in Wales

Well and truly finished here in the East midlands too.

Hampshire here, you can find the occasional non-shrivelled blackberry but they tend to taste fermented so I'd say you have missed it.

Our garden ones were all
picked June-July. Had loads

Now plant is well and truely finished for the year

The conkers are falling, are they of an age to enjoy harvesting those instead then stringing them up for conker wars?

Conkers, acorns, sloes, hips and elderberries are having a bumper year here in the NE, so a woodland ramble could still be a nice afternoon activity if you don't have the pouring rain we are being treated to.

Even up here in Wet Yorkshire they've shrivelled on the vine now.

Not many about now and you have until Michaelmas to pick 'em else the Devil will spit on 'em

Way too late I'm afraid!! They started earlier this year. How about apple picking or sloes?

Ours have pretty much finished apart from on the very sheltered overgrown little paths!

You’re too late - best time was 2-3 weeks ago.

Proper finished here. Those left are only suitable for the birds.

It was a bad year for berries this year. Too much sunshine, not enough water.

Finished weeks ago here (SE), they peaked in late July / early August. Bumper year for them, never seen so many.

We used to say that after Michaelmas they belonged to the witches. All finished here (south east), but I made jam. The rest are in the freezer and will either become blackberry gin or more jam.

I picked almost a bucket full in Gloucestershire early this week.

I picked a tub full earlier this week (Essex/Suffolk border). They were tiny and 80% seeds. The crumble I made tasted nice but we were picking seeds out of our teeth for the rest of the day!

Right, that’s almost unanimous! Thanks everyone.

I’m positive I have childhood memories of picking with my dad, in the rain, after back-to-school. Is this climate change??

I’m in the midlands and most were gone by the end of August

Ours are finished. Last ones last week

They were early this year, July in Devon.