To ask if National Trust Membership is worthwhile?

[ILoveBray]

Shamelessly posting for traffic, sorry......

Money is tight at the moment and I am looking for ways to take my children out without spending too much.

I received an offer recently for National Trust Membership for £116 for the whole family for one year.

I am wondering if it is worth the initial layout. We are in North/Mid Essex if it makes a difference.

Thanks!

Odd post. It’s all supporting British heritage surely? ‘Your own heritage’ 🙄

They're two different charities aren't they? So buying Scottish membership will only fund properties in Scotland.

The difference for a family membership is £1.50 a month. For the fraction more I'd rather support the properties we actually use.

Scottish National Trust looks after properties in Scotland.

National Trust looks after properties in England and Wales.

Does that help?

I dont know what is in your area but if there is a park or gardens then yes. We are near several NT places and the one we visit most has gardens and woodland.

We went on a group holiday with some other families a couple of years ago and we all went to visit the local NT castle. I was hoping to get a couple of my friends kids in for free on our card. When I asked how many of my "nephews and nieces" I could bring in on my card they said as there were two adult members present - SEVENTEEN. So they all got in for free and I dined off that for months.

Oh yes that helps immensely. No clue in the name at all whatsoever. And it matters how? It’s all our heritage and all that. NTS Parton is Prince Charles so he isn’t exactly bothered.

Yes yes yes it’s so worth it. Lots of beautiful places to discover with or without kids in tow. English Heritage is also amazing if you love castles. We’ve been members of both for years and our teenagers begrudging admit they’ve enjoyed days out at both. Join. Now.

OK, glad to have been able to help :)

I'm guessing you are English.
It seems to be mainly English people and people from abroad that think British and English are synonyms. I've been introduced as English before now. One person, when I said no, I'm Scottish, didn't even understand that there was a difference. Most peculiar.

Anyway, if people want to spend their money on Scottish heritage and leave English and Welsh heritage poorer as a result, I won't complain too loudly.

Scottish actually. So I shouldn’t use my card to visit NT locations then? And I have spent a lifetime correcting ‘what part of England are you from?’ and ‘from Scotland?you speak English very well’.

No, you should visit NT locations as much as you like.

Why would that be an issue?

I never said it was an issue but others seem to imply that it was since they were 2 different organisations.

I only think people should think about where they want their money to go, rather than just going for the cheaper option.

If they still want to become a member of SNT, great. But if they will be visiting mostly English or Welsh sites, they might prefer to spend a bit more and have their money support the places they visit most.

I think it depends if you support fox hunting and crow killing?

But if you visit you spend your money there and then - the cafes, the gift shops, even the local businesses and hotels etc.

If you do join, do try and join at a property as then the donation will go directly to that property. So if there is a place you love or has a special meaning to you try and join there as then you are supporting that property directly.

(Will take my NT hat off now). As people have said above it can be a great saving but only if you use it.

NT is worth it (not sure about the kid aspect specifically though)

English heritage is not worth it at all. (Unless you do it for the charity aspect and don't want to visit the sites :D )

Lord, I think you are missing the fact that I am not telling people how to spend their money. I am merely suggesting they consider where their money will go before they make the decision whether or not to go for the lower cost option.

I'm not sure why you think that's such a bad thing. If everyone was to go for the cheaper option, where would that leave the nt?

And I am saying that you probably spend as much each time you visit a property if you eat there or visit the shop - that’s probably how they make the bulk of their money.

Maybe. I had a look at their accounts, looks like the memberships are marginally higher, but it's not entirely clear. Both memberships and other sales are significant parts of the income, that is undeniable.

I think EH is worth it if you live near one of their “premier” sites. Both Battle Abbey and Dover castle are within a reasonable drive from me, and they’re excellent places for repeat visits. They have lots going on seasonally, events for children and decent cafes. If all your local EH sites are of the piles of rubble with informative plaques and a vending machine for coffee in the tiny shop come visitors centre variety then really unless you want to support the charity membership isn’t worth the money.

My biggest gripe is they don’t give a members’ discount in the shops and cafes

They can't afford to. A property that attracts 100,000 visitors a year may only gain entrance revenue on 5000 of those visitors because the vast majority are members. The part of the property that makes money is catering. On 100, 000 visitors a propery would be looking for a £4 per head spend to stay in the red. It sounds like a negligible amount but it's quite tricky to achieve.

Definitely! As long as there are places near you, obviously. We take our children regularly to places (especially at Easter when there are lots of trails), and sometimes my husband and I visit some of the stately homes, which they’re not so keen on, while they’re at school. Lots of yummy cake in tg tea rooms too!

I simply don’t believe they can’t afford to, at the prices they charge in their cafes the profit margins must be vast. If you’re a member they’ve got your money up front for a year and it’s not as if they’ve got massive staffing costs. At one property I know you have to pay the entrance fee just to use their cafe so that’s £8 before you even order.

I have NT and dh has English Heritage. These are the kind of places we visit anyway so it suits us. Ironically not much in the way of either near us apart from one massive NT place: Lyme Park. We avoid the house but go and park for free before enjoying the massive adventure playground and grounds generally for walks. We holiday a lot in the UK and generally get great use out of one or the other or both.

Does the same apply in reverse, ie are English National Trust members able to visit Scottish National Trust properties for free?