To be worried about buying national trust lifetime membership at 34

[Marue]

I've been a member for the last 5-6 years. I use it a fair amount but I'm really hesitant to buy lifetime membership. Now I know if I bought it to begin with I'd be close to breaking even in a few years time. I just feel like its asking for bad luck buying it so young. Aib ridiculous?

We have family lifetime membership which I bought when I inherited a small sum of money when I was late-thirties. Some years we use it quite a lot, others not so much.

wizzywig - no. They own various areas of countryside and landmarks/ancient monuments which tend to be more the sort of places we visit. We have a place very near us which the children like to visit to run around and let off steam and I don't have to pay £8 for parking each time.

There's a lot more to the National Trust than old houses, or even the gardens of old houses. Check it out: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ They own large tracts of woodland and coastland, for example, rent out cottages, run holiday events; I had a relative who leased a farm from them for decades. I used to be a member but wouldn't have any use for it these days.

Not just death that worry's me, at the moment I can drive round places fairly economically but what happens in ten years if oil is 5 times the price and keeps rising? I won't be able to get to these otherwise inaccessible locations

If you are worried about petrol prices increasing 5 fold in 10 years when they're actually falling now, you're worrying far, far, far too much about things. Please stop this before you end up having real things to worry about, otherwise you'll literally be driven with anxiety!

YABU.

If you buy life membership and die young then yes, the NT will benefit; but try and see it as you leaving them a donation to continue their fantastic work.

I support the NT as they purchase and preserve huge swathes of land which would otherwise end up like the monstrosity that is Land's End - thanks Peter de Savary

I believe that if you join Scotish National Trust it's cheaper too.

YABU with what you are worrying about.

However, that is a COLOSSAL amount of money, and I'd have to have a serious think about if I were ever likely to get the value out of it. Only you will be able to have much idea if you will or not.

Generally, life membership of things have turned out to be excellent vfm for me, if it helps to get the perspective of an old gimmer ?

You sound very anxious OP, are you ok?

And yes, I think you should get the lifetime membership.

I've decided not to go for it. Partly as there is still some hope I'll not be single forever and join membership is only as tiny bit more.

Also I think I will alternate with English heritage and others like the forestry trust. Sometimes it does put me off going somewhere that isn't nt (I've never been to blenham palace) so some years I will have no membership and go to indys

I was given life membership as a wedding present back in the dark ages. It hasn't caused me to keel over, and it's been fantastically good value, especially as it covers entrance for two people. Driving around to NT places isn't an issue, I tend to use it for localish properties and when I am visiting different areas of the country for other purposes, e.g. holidays, work and visiting relatives.

One of the things I like about it is that, if I visit a property like, say, Chatsworth where I have to pay a pretty humungous entry fee, I tend to feel I have to exhaust myself doing as much as possible so as to get my money's worth. However, with an NT property, particularly if it's local, I can just go in and see and do as much or as little as I want, knowing that I can come back and see the rest another time at no extra cost. Also it's good to be able to visit the same properties at different seasons. In addition to the free entrance, you do get their national and local magazines plus various concessions on NT goods.

Yes. Doesn't the life membership also allow another adult with you? Fairly sure my mum's does.

Life membership does allow you and a guest free entry. I'm not sure if they would allow you to upgrade it too.