WITH Halloween trails around the region opening up in time for half term, The Northern Echo's Ashley Barnard takes her family to Raby Castle, Deer Park and Plotters' Forest.

Halloween was not something that was largely celebrated in my household as a child – and in the 90s my parents didn't make much of an effort in costume making beyond shoving me in a black bin bag.

Trick or treating was something I also wasn't allowed to do as a child or teen, and to be fair when I was young it was mostly larger teens demanding sweets in return for kindly not bombing your house with eggs or toilet roll.

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But today, it's a much more family-friendly holiday. And it does seem like a holiday for much of the month of October, with lots of attractions hosting Halloween trails for little ones; Instagram-perfect pumpkin patches across the region; and supermarkets filled with costumes, decorations and accessories to rival Christmas.

While we can sneer at much of this as yet more consumerism, there's also the argument that, actually, it's really fun.

Even as a toddler, my little boy Leo, now six, has enjoyed choosing something either cute or scary to dress up as, and we've been visiting many local Halloween trails since he was very young.

This month, we were invited to Raby Castle, and it didn't disappoint.

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We've visited before, and were impressed with the quality of the play structure at Raby's Plotters' Forest. Last time we were there, Leo was unable to climb to the top unaided, so he was pleased to be able to tackle it on his own this year.

On arrival, we were handed a map and activity trail, which included several things to look out for. This is great because it helps kids to take their time, and Leo was determined to find all of the clues we needed to make the hidden phrase. Yes, he was driven by the incentive of a prize at the end (thankfully he loves a sticker), but we all had loads of fun in the process.

The Halloween decorations are really well done here. As with the structure of Plotters' Forest in general, the entire area felt as though it had been decorated with care, and Leo was delighted with the spooky scenes.

As part of our ticket, we also had access to the castle and deer park. We went into the castle first, as we hadn't done that before. Leo is at the age where he loves the idea of a castle, but only really wants to climb around on the ruins pretending to be a knight or a Viking.

Thankfully, Raby Castle had another Halloween-themed trail for inside, and once we were exploring the rooms searching for various facts and hidden secrets, he was enthralled.

The deer park was our final trail, and this search was among dozens of spectacular deer roaming the grounds. We thoroughly blew out any remaining cobwebs with a lap of the castle and ponds, and were ready for hot drinks and cakes in the cosy Yurt Cafe at the end.

An excellent day out for children and grown-ups.

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The trails are open 10am to 4pm until November 5. An after-dark illuminated trail in Plotters' Forest (play equipment closed) is open from 4.30pm to 6.30pm from October 28 to 31.

Prices for the after dark trail are £6 for children and £4 for adults. All daytime trails are included in the general admissions ticket price.

Prices for the Deer Park & Plotters’ Forest cost: £9 for adults, £8.50 for children (age 4-15) and £30 for a family ticket (two adults and three children). Under 4s are free. A concession is £8.

Visit: https://www.raby.co.uk/halloween/