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!

some have good playgrounds but tbh I'm lucky to have excellent local parks with great playgrounds so have alternative free options.

I can see both sides of it. I do have these memories too. Walking around gardens landscaped Tudor style etc, I can remember being bored rigid and thinking "wtf is the point in this?" Overpriced gift shops, full of overpriced tat that I was desperate for but never allowed to buy anything.

On the flip side, I did love some of the places, the old castles etc. And I now have a membership and do take my kids.

I guess it's like anything with kids really, it's "something" to do, isn't it? Can't go to softplay everyday, days at home can be long and tedious, weather isn't always good enough for the beach.....so it's "something" to fill the time.

Great idea about using instead of services. Never thought of that.

Lots of grounds and woodland to run around
Clean toilets
Nice tearooms and always the option to take a picnic
More and more have good playgrounds if they have extensive grounds
Things on during the holidays, even if it is just a short trail

We are history nerds, DD was basically carried around historic buildings since she was born. She absolutely loves it and I found the staff in lots of houses very kind and always willing to answer questions and tell quirky tales of the house or its owners.

When we did UK holidays we used them for stops instead of service stations.

@safeplanet we're the same, we have plenty of great parks locally so NT membership just for that wouldn't be financially worth it. The last time I was in a NT property it was full of the same type of people - wearing serious outdoor wear, walking boots and I saw a few with those walking pole things. No idea why as the longest walk is 3 miles on the flat. These are the type that most likely don't want to go to local parks.

this. it's a weird type of self-limiting, lack of aspiration. And imposing it upon kids too. All these posters refusing to believe kids would be interested in 'old houses'. Why wouldn't they? Adults have wide ranging interests, why would children be more limited? If anything children are more engaged with the world around them and more interested in new ideas and experiences.

If people accept that adults are allowed to be interested in x topic do they imagine that they all just woke up on their 18th birthdays with a fully developed fascination with a subject they couldn't have cared less about the day before? Or is it more realistic that adult historians/mathematicians/computer programmers (and of course everyone who is as into those topics but doesn't make it their career) started becoming interested in history/maths/computing when they were young?

Obviously not all kids, because, like adults, they aren't homogeneous, but it's no weirder for kids to be interested in history than it is for them to like football/dinosaurs/pop music etc.

When I was a teenager I used to grumble with siblings about my parents stopping frequently to admire or take photos of "the views". We'd sigh oh more views and roll our eyes. As an adult I've been amazed at some of the "boring" views my parents were enthusing about (The peak district being one example) We lived in London suburbia so it wasn't that we took them for granted, or that they were too familiar to be interesting!

Sorry slightly veered off topic although there probably are some great views from NT places

I always have walking poles and boots on 🤣🤣🤣

They often have lovely activities for kids, wildlife and nature to explore, beautiful grounds that are just really calming to be around.

It's a way to get out with the family- muddy walks or picnics.

We have one but don't go in the houses, we just go for the outdoor space and play areas

@AuntieMarys always? What is the purpose of the poles on flat ground? Unless someone is unsteady on their feet? Genuine question BTW.
@QuertyGirl there have been many studies about why we gravitate to PLU (people like us) and it's not a conscious, self limiting exercise. It's often about unspoken (but can very much be spoken) codes of who an activity is for based on those who are already doing it.
In the last NT magazine there was an article about BAME membership and how it is working hard to encourage uptake. According to research, outdoor exercise isn't an equally valued activity across different ethnicities. So a British Caribbean or SE Asian family may not see the value in becoming members. Equally, they may have received the impression that this isn't for "people like us" and might be wary to go into a space where they are not represented. Or, they prioritise their free time in other activities even though they too are MC. Historically NT literature has featured all white models, although there is work to change this.
Equally, if you are a child of two parents who didn't finish school, don't work, have MH and/or addiction issues, then visiting historic houses with food that you don't eat and everyone else looks "posh" with their walking gear probably seems like a waste of time.

We love national trust!

It's £10 a month and although there's some months we don't use it, other months eg the summer we go every week so it's well worth it. Our nearest one would be £20 as a one off to get in so definitely worth having the annual pass.

Are children have always gone to NT type things from a young age so it's normal. We can't really afford big days out often eg farm parks and zoos but with NT they are all so different it's great experiences.

We don't tend to go in the houses as alot of them arent wheelchair accessible but our DC enjoy exploring the grounds.

We also use as a stopoff instead of services on long journeys.

'What is the purpose of the poles on flat ground? Unless someone is unsteady on their feet? Genuine question BTW.'

I've been known to use them a la Nordic walking poles. Until DD refuses to be seen with me.......

@SpringIsSpringing23 what do you like to do instead?

I loved it when I was a kid. Still do. My mother brought me up with her real love for history. We were pretty poor at the time, so I don't think it's a class thing. It's a very individual thing.

Also on the note of people "self limiting". I read about a Muslim hiking group who featured on BBC Country file and were subjected to hundreds of racist comments after being on the programme. There must be a lot of MC people (I'm assuming Country file has quite a MC demograph) who feel that the countryside us only for "people like us", ie. White. Some people have no choice but to "self limit" for their safety.

I'm defo not mc and we love a day out at a NT place. They're usually well geared up for kids nowadays with plenty to do, lots of fresh air. Most have some sort of adventure playground these days and plenty of activities to entertain the kids. I also personally love looking at the house and learning about the history etc. I'm about as common as can be too. Defo not a MC thing.

It depends which properties are close to you. The one nearest use has lots of nice woodland, a fantastic playground and mud kitchen and paddling area.

I saw a few with those walking pole things. No idea why as the longest walk is 3 miles on the flat.

-You don’t know where else they’d been or were going to visit that day
-Poles provide stability if you have bad knees, hips or back
-Help if you’re carrying a backpack
-Exercise arms and other muscles as well as legs

I use one pole for stability, and sometimes I do (for example) a longer hill walk in the morning and a stroll in the grounds of an NT property in the afternoon. So now you have some idea why.

Working class as in working lower paid jobs and working class as in hanging out of windows shouting at each other and smoking weed on the school run are totally different things.

But 9/10, when I talk about the sort of people I live around on here I either get told I am a snob or that I am making it up
That sounds like something one of my grandparents would say when they commented on watching the working class area they spent 80+ years in go downhill (their words).
They also found there's a certain type of working class person who think that it's up yourself or posh to value education and want to do nice trips out locally. Twas ever thus, but it does seem to be more noticeable now than when I was a child.

Working class doesn't mean what it once did. The people who were working class a century ago are people who today would call themselves middle class.

A two-up two down terrace used to be housing for a single-wage earner and (usually his) family. Nowadays its been converted into two flats, each with two professionals sharing the mortgage. 4 accountants or lawyers or architects sharing the same living space a cab driver could afford a century ago.

The real reason NT is popular with the middle class is that it keeps the lower classes out. (Lower being used specifically to contrast with Working described above). A council provided park round our way is usually littered with used condoms, needles, broken bottles, dog shit, graffiti and who knows what fluids all over the place. The NT gardens a mile out of town are well kept, clean, have a duck pond, cafe, easy parking, and - most importantly - nobody who'd prefer to invest the £7 a month on vaping products or alcohol.

I'm working class and have one. I pay £6 a month for a single membership and my DS3 gets in free. The main reason I got one was he loves being outside and I feel safer visiting a NT place than our local woodland areas. Most I visit have a play area/woodland park/den building which my son just loves. We've been round one mansion at Christmas and tbf it was boring but they're not the reason I have a membership.

My childless best friend also has one so it's a nice place for us to meet up as she got one to encourage her walking to keep fit.

Given that other thread about huge groups of very young people causing havoc in parks/streets and shops who wouldn't rather pay £7 a month to have acres and acres of safe parkland 🤷‍♀️

The worst thing that could happen is your going to hear people yelling obscure children's names like Horatio or Balonz (only kidding but really you never hear of any fights and the rozzers getting called in NT places)

The playgrounds and outdoor spaces are amazing and there's always something suitable for children to eat in the cafe, and plentiful highchairs. What's not to like?

I mainly wear hiking boots if I am anywhere outside paved walks. Dodgy ankle and bad knee mean walking in even trainers for longer stretches will make me suffer for a day or two afterwards.
We are near Chartwell, Winston Churchill's house, while it has lovely manicured gardens, the estate is vast and can be really muddy. There are also tons of miles of hiking outside, people often stop in Chartwell for the toilets and tea room.