To be put off visiting National Trust properties because they are National Trust properties

[Growlithe]

I can see that the National Trust have some great places, but it puts years on me whenever I visit one.

They always try to flog you the annual membership. When you suggest you may not get the value out of it (because believe it or not you have other things to do and places to visit of a weekend than just National Trust places) they look at you like you are stark raving mad. And people with National Trust memberships do the same. It's like a cult.

They have complicated pricing systems based on which bits of the place you want to visit. How do I know which bits I want to see, I've never been there before.

The cafes are always expensive.

Whilst you often go for days out to entertain/educate the DCs, and they often have activities/packs aimed at children, they seem to tolerate children rather than welcome them.

They must also think the children of today are some sort of alien species, judging from their '50 things to do before you are 11 3/4'. I mean, do we have to be told the DCs would enjoy making a daisy chain, climb a tree or run about in the rain? I know kids like to play computer games these days but do they think we are so so removed from doing this kind of thing with our DCS? It's condescending.

They are full of performance parents with massive great big picnic baskets (which is probably understandable given the prices in the cafes I suppose).

Although they are knowledgeable, they often just seem to sap the life out of the very things they want to show you, and could do with taking a leaf out of places like the Black Country Living Museum, which has amazingly enthusiastic staff.

So go on, National Trust members, do your worst. AIBU?

Like many others I've recently given up NT membership as dtds are now too old for the free seaside carparking that was the main value of it.

Each house/property has its own characteristics, some do seem to be stuck in a 50's timewarp, others seem to be trying to join the 21st century, with mixed results. The atmosphere of the whole organisation though feels to me like it's a bit up its own arse.

I've found English Heritage generally does a much better job of engaging the children with the history than NT.

The only reason I have membership is my bf does so we always meet in NT properties with our dcs. Also my parents so meet up there for a picnic. Agree if you've visited one you've visited them all. Late Georgian/early Victorian house, grounds and over priced tea shop +/ lawn games.

We have a membership and I view it as an annual donation to UK heritage with the free visits a bonus on top.

YANBU I fell out with them years ago when I was a student and they offered concessions to everyone, but students. 15 years is a long time to boycott an organization, but I have and no regrets.

We prefer EH too. Their properties are usually dog friendly and a lot more hands on for children. We must be a family who prefers the no furniture and probably no roof approach!

We took out membership in late may and have already had entrances worth double the joint fee. It helps that we are in south yorks but have visited Northumberland and Kent. We have been to Lindisfarne Priory (our least favourite) all the way to Dover Castle!

Some of the childrens events we have been to such as Gladiator School and a Knights Melee have been fantastic and have really engaged ds.

Though I do worry we are setting him up for geek central at age 7. The other day we were discussing where we'd go if we ever won the lottery. I said to ds maybe we could go to Florida and Disney...ds said he'd rather go to Italy and see some roman ruins!

Wish: '. Agree if you've visited one you've visited them all. Late Georgian/early Victorian house, grounds...'

Not in Sussex.
We have Bodiam Castle (Magnificent 14th century, moat and battlements),
Wakehurst Place (Outpost of Kew gardens, tallest Christmas tree in the coiuntry),
Birling Gap (Fossils and rock pools and chalk cliffs),
Standen (Arts and Crafts, lovely gardens),
Bateman's (Kipling's home, interesting events),
Nyman's with its amazing gardens and dragonfly summers,
Sheffield Park which is wonderful for all four seasons and has batwalks and stargazing sessions, and Uppark and Petworth which do fit the criteria of large mansions with fantastic art collections and grounds.
Variety for 12 months of the year.
Without leaving our home county.

LaGardia - what patronising rubbish.

Yes, the lack of student discounts, and the general attitude to students is very poor. I teach an undergraduate course on a topic which meant that a visit to Kedleston Hall seemed like a good idea. The staff could not have made my small group of students feel more unwelcome and acted as if they thought they would trash the house. The students, I should point out, were extremely well-behaved, and were well-informed about, and genuinely interested in, the house and its history. To top it off, I was told that I wasn't able to conduct any teaching in the house, and that the volunteers would be able to tell the students about the rooms. In fact, the volunteers were hopeless, and unable to point out the most obvious features of the room that were relevant to our interests. It was a complete waste of a day, and I haven't taken students back since. Needless to say, they tried to sell us all membership, but no one took them up on it.

we went to one yesterday and plan to go to one this afternoon when dc wake up from nap time. Lots of stuff for children - yesterday my 2 2yos were hunting for Teddies in the rooms of a house in dorset and loving the forest walk - todays house has pairings from national gallery with puzzle versions in the rooms for dc. Great family day out but we live near lots. Sometimes we just go there for a picnic.

I despise the National Trust and their attitudes. I have plenty of experience of their work and the way they acquired one particular property and ripped the heart of it. They made it look like what they thought people would want it to look like rather than what it actually was. And the way some properties treat their staff is abysmal.

YANBU our nearest is Lacock Abbey, grounds are great for walking around BUT while I appreciate the staff were volunteers, they were mostly guarding the exhibits from any child wandering too closely, didn't attempt to talk to anyone below their eye level and made the entire experience so uncomfortable that I doubt i'll bother again.

I love the NT, I have a life membership and it's great for hols, although there aren't too many near where currently live

The DC aren't that bothered about the properties tbh, they'd rather be outside than trawling round old houses. I'll never forget one of the DC 'accidentally' setting off some snaps he'd just bought in the NT shop, whilst still in the shop - thought several wobbly old lades were going to have a heart attack!

We always stay in NT holiday cottages too.

I despise the Scottish National Trust.
They own a huge tract of a beautiful part of the Highlands up here, and they don't give a shit about the people here who want to make a living, a friend who has just applied to build a house on her croft has been turned down.
I shan't say any more as I will be outed but it is par for the course up here.

We have been happy NT members for years. It helps we are near lots of lovely NT gardens, which we visit very often. We had one unpleasant experience at Standen but have generally found the volunteers OK. We also use the NT map for identifying stop-offs on long journeys. BabyBearleigh is now 14 and is so used to walks in NT gardens he still quite enjoys them, and likes walking in general.

I think the management of the Trust in general take their charity "looking after the money" responsibities too seriously though. A number of people jave mentioned this upthread. We talked to a car park warden in Cornwall last year who said he was to be made redundant but could reapply for his job, at a lower salary.

Growlithe, does your school organise subsidised, child centred trips to any NT properties near you?

at BoffinMum,

My parents took me to National Trust stuff and sneaked me into 5* hotels to use the loo, despite being pathetically poor, I've grown up confident in these environments. DH had never experienced that until I tutored him in the ways of righteousness by shagging in dark corners of some of our Grade 1 architectural gems.

Party in them, enjoy them, make your kids confident in alien landscapes and always write in the guide book. 'A beautiful place, so we made love'. It amuses the staff no end.

Surfs I'll write that next time.

Caster8 DD1 is due to go on 2 school trips to NT properties over the next couple of years. I went on the same trips when I was in school. One is to the place we went to yesterday and I can remember the tour being very geared towards children. I went there with my DCs thinking we'd get similar. Do they only do this stuff for school trips?

The trouble is if you make the NT too young child focused as the science museum has become. you run the risk of alienating the other age and lifestyle groups of visitors. And lets face it as other posters have said it is the older people spending money in cafes not the families.
The solution would probably to designate some properties in each area as child friendly and totally go for it

The tweeness of it all is heave-inducing.

Not sure Growlithe. Possibly yes. I dont know enough of other areas to say, one way or another. And I dont think you live in the same area as me.

Mr Buttercat - you forgot about Buckland Abbey

If you look at the adverts in the NT magazine they are not aimed at families. The NT knows which age group has the money and most of the volunteers are retired people too. Whatever they might say about trying to interest children the NT is aimed at the over 50s.

I don't want it to be child focused though, just more relaxed. I hate being talked at by the guides and I would like to have a conversation with my children without a volunteer following us about and interrupting.

I would also like a left-wing approach, some history from below that isn't about happy servants doing as they are told. All the guides go on about 'the family' and their wonderful achievements, this is not what we do in history these days (I'm a historian). We went to the Treasurer's House in York last week and there were quotes on the wall by the man who owned the house, he was an absolute shit to his servants and this was presented as some kind of charming eccentricity. He made them wrap each piece of coal in paper so it didn't make a noise. What a shit.

We have just had a great day out at Cliveden...rowed on the Thames with our three DC, went to the kids storybook play area, ran around the gardens, had an ice cream. We enjoyed it but if we didn't we wouldn't go...as someone else said NT does attract certain types of people...just like us.

Wow, OP! You have a huge NT house-sized bag of chips on your shoulder.

They are what you make of them. Grab a picnic and have a lovely day out with your kids. You shouldn't even notice the 'performance parenting' if you're engrossed in having a wonderful time with your own family.