What's the appeal of National Trust on MN?

[SpringIsSpringing23]

Often people suggest taking kids to a National Trust for a day out. I've been to NT properties. What do children get out of looking around old properties?? Is it a middle class thing? I'm low income working class and nobody I know would suggest national trust for a day out somewhere. Not the cost, just the idea of taking a child around old properties is madness to me.

Genuinely want to know!

From reading this thread it seems to me that the NT are doing a pretty good job of keeping people happy. There's a great mixture of "we go to have a space the kids can run around/have a picnic without being bothered by dogs" and "we go as there's loads of space for the dog to explore" ... it's great to see them managing these two different types of families so well! (I say this as a dog owner who loves them as a place to take my dog!)

This is us too. One of our closest ones has the most amazing woodlands play/explorer area.

We have a family membership so we also use them to break up long journeys. Stop for lunch and to give DD a run around. Much better than a service station!

What kid doesn't love a castle? Even the ruined ones!

Climbing up the towers to see what's at the top, exploring the narrow passageways and pretending to shoot bows and arrows through the slits, pretending to the King ordering the peasants around, looking at the massive kitchen, then running wild exploring the grounds. And that's before all the activities which they generally lay on in the holiday and at weekends. Stirling Castle (and I know that's Historic Scotland and not NTS) have a whole corridor of little rooms with stuff for kids - dressing up, guess the smell, puzzles.

History is awesome.

I would say I’m middle class but my folks were born working class & took me & my brother to loads of places as kids, including NT. I still love stately homes & castles. I didn’t know how reasonable the membership is. I live in Cornwall & there are some beautiful NT places.

As a parent, some of the happiest days of my life were spent with the children at the NT. All that dressing up and play parks and walks with sticks, marvellous
If we were away for family occasions, always went to a new NT on the way home.
Used to pick them up from primary school at three and head to the local NT for ice cream and a walk before it closed, and they do great things in the holidays.
We are irredeemably middle class and proud of it.. but you can get a whole year of adventures for a very reasonable sum of money, especially if you have a big estate local.. and the money is also supporting some wonderful places that are open to everyone,
I love the National Trust.

Oh and my favourite NT property is Cragside in Northumberland. Not quite as grand as some of the houses but still an amazing building and acres and acres of grounds to explore.

Sometimes things being (or seeming) middle class isn't to do with cost.
There was another thread recently about parkrun being middle class - and that's free.
For a lot of NT places I've been to, it would be a necessity to have a car, and the cafes and shops are usually fairly expensive (but of course they're not compulsory - you can take a picnic and visiting the shop is optional)

We rarely go in the buildings, it's all about vast expanses of parkland to run around in. They have also become much more dog friendly in recent years which make them a good place for a family dog walk. Some of them have good woodland playgrounds. They are also a good place to meet up with groups, so we meet parents or inlaws or friends. There are guaranteed to be loos and you can get a coffee if you want one.

I've always taken issue with the NT's advertising slogan 'for everyone for ever' - it's not for everyone, it's for the middle class! People who drive etc.

I suppose the appeal for me is that membership is ok-priced if you use them a lot & have plenty near you, it's a free day out once you've paid once, easy meeting places to see friends. Lots parking, play parks, nice food. You know what you're getting etc.

A friend uses them instead of service stations on long drives

We do this too. We have a regular stop on our bi monthly trip from SE to NE.
An hour's walk then a cup of tea and a slice of cake in the cafe. Peruse the second hand book shop and off we go. Marvellous:)

Used to be great for small kids, they'd get to run around big gardens, marvel at massive houses and then have a cake in the overpriced cafe. Recently took the teens and one sat for three hours sketching a house (does art for gcse, loves a bit of downtime with pencils) - would be hard to do that in a public park I guess?
However I've realised I can't cancel as membership is a year and we've been twice I think, since the other teen told me they despised national trust and would never go again. Harsh words, probably overdosed on it and would rather sit in said public park with mates and vodka 😂

Honestly, some of the replies on here are as working class as your average Tory MP.

’We’re working class but we do love a cream tea on the way to our annual visit to the Lakes’

We are members but don’t use it much. I probably will a bit more in the summer but there isn’t a lot for toddlers at the ones I’ve been to.

OP: are you saying that working class children are not / could not be interested in history?

I always loved it as a kid. Certainly wasn’t unusual then or now. There’s lots for kids to do and see. We always take out a National trust or English Heritage membership when we go on holiday.

OP: are you saying that working class children are not / could not be interested in history?
Not just that, but the OP has been to NT places so must know about the grounds and the trails and the children's events.

Presumably they don't think working class children can enjoy running around outside either or children's events.

Impressive buildings filled with lots of fancy stuff held a lot of appeal to me as a child, as did castle ramparts and twisting stone staircases. They only get boring if you go with the kind of adults who have to stop and look at everything.

Presumably they don't think working class children can enjoy running around outside either or children's events.

Or that possibly, the class distinction comes from other factors.

As with many things, it isn’t to do with cost.

I dont think of it as a "Class thing" All DC love Castles.There are also many walks,stretches of Coastline (Studland / lyme Regis) Brownsea Island ,Corfe Castle to name but a few here in Dorset ! We went to Hidcote for a day .Beautiful and children seemed to enjoy running around, and looking at the Flowers . Unless all WC children are wiping their nose on their sleeve, and on 1st name terms with Fagin ! YABU. I would define all children as equal to each other .

I love our membership and we've had it for years (have English Heritage too). Even if we don't go for a couple of months I don't mind paying for it as I think of it as a charity donation.
We went to Cragside last week. Tell me a kid who wouldn't like it there!

Came into its own on a rainy day in York when we went to Treasurers House to shelter and found they offered free tours. Then 6yr old was enthralled and asks if they do tours wherever we go now. We love the cafes as well and our local NT which is 5 miles away does evenings with street food, live music and games for kids.

This is true for me too.

I'm on PAYG, parking only. Basically it's what, £70 for NT membership now? I'd need to go somewhere suitable 13-16x/year to get value from that, meaning the free parking. Won't happen. There's a huge amount of pretty free-parking countryside & public footpaths to choose from instead.

(edit: some PP are saying £7 or £10.50 a month, so £84 or £120/yr, vs. £5/parking typical... I'm even more removed from 17+ visits/yr).

We never visited the old buildings. You have to pay for garden visits, so also unseen. I think I tried inside buildings once and... never again. I could see how boring it was to DC. We Only visit the cafe about once every 10 visits. These places are full of older adults ime, btw, families with small children are the minority.

I am thinking of parking in Ticknall & walking (with teens, we want at least 6 miles) over to Caulke Abbey estate next week. We won't go in that building, either.

I guess the outdoor playgrounds and activities are fun , were they part of NT when you were a child or were you not allowed to do these things ?

Or that possibly, the class distinction comes from other factors.

As with many things, it isn’t to do with cost.
It's also possible that some people have some chips on their shoulders though as well and rest in the that isn't for the likes of us mentality.

I had a working class childhood, much like my parents before me. We still went to museums, National Trust, nice gardens, because like my grandparents before them, my parents and grandparents valued those experiences for children. We didn't go to the gift shop, didn't eat lunch in the cafes, took a picnic and had a good time. I remember my grandparents sharing stories about local places they visited.

The local WMC would run coach trips for families in the holidays for similar days out too I've got many fond memories of those days too.

DC will have a more middle class life than I had growing up, but those sorts of experiences are still valued by me and DH. We didn't suddenly start valuing them because we now have higher paying jobs.

The NT has more to offer than big country house interiors as explained by many MNs above. My only grouse is that there aren't that many properties where we live but we do use the NT on UK holidays.

it's for the middle class! People who drive etc

So most people, really. I believe the working class isn’t prohibited from driving. As a non-driving single parent years ago, I found it possible to visit NT properties by using public transport, albeit a limited selection of places. I understand that public transport is less extensive now, but it was pretty dire in the 80s too.