NOW CLOSED Visited a National Trust property over the summer? Come and tell us all about it - you could win £100 National Trust voucher!

[KatieBMumsnet]

National Trust selected 5 Mumsnetters to attend a National Trust Great British Day Out with their family over the summer holidays. This thread is for their feedback, but we'd also like to hear from anyone else who has attended a National Trust property recently - please tell us all about it.

Below are a couple of questions to get you started but please feel free to add any other comments you may have.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?
Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?
Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Everyone who adds their comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win £100 National Trust voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Am on phone so will have to answer questions properly next week when home from hols.

Last property we visited was dyrham park near bath. It really annoyed me. Great caff, lovely gardens, 'find the rat' trail yawn yawn. I came away from there with virtually no further knowledge of the history of the house. Laminated sheets in the house dived straight into the detail of some painting. The guide i spoke to could only tell me about one bloke who lived there, and his staircase. No general overview to help get historical bearings... But oh, lovely cafe :hmm:

It all felt completely dumbed down. Yy, there was croquet on the lawn. Yes there was a plant sale. Anything to explain why the house was built? Good lord no.

Protecting the nation's heritage by not talking about it but selling lovely scones.

Q1. We visited Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds.

Q2. We have visited the grounds before, but hadn't looked inside the house. There was a living history event the day we visited which was a lovely surprise and nice to see what life would have been like "below stairs".

Q3. No, I don't think I'd heard of it.

Q4. They loved playing in the adventure play area and also were very interested in the servants' hall where they were able to play with games such as draughts and bagatelle.

Q5. It was a great day. A living history event in the main part of the house would have also been very interesting.

Q6. Definitely the living history event.

Q7. The weather was lovely, if a little hot. There would have been plenty to do inside if it had rained.

Q8. I would definitely recommend Ickworth to other families. It has a great play area, lovely walks and the house is very interesting.

Q1 We visited Felbrigg hall, we choose it because it was close to where we are saying on holiday.
Q2 We thought the gardens were lovely, especially the walled garden. We loved the allotments and seeing what people were growing.
Q3 No we didn't take part in any '50 things to do' but we have heard of them
Q4 The children enjoyed seeing the chickens roaming in the garden and watching the fish in the pond and seeing the dragon flies. DD1 (10) thought the I spy quiz was a bit rubbish.
Q5 A quiz aimed at older children. We have seen much better quizzes at other historic buildings, where they may even learn a little history.
Q6 The amazing colours in the gardens
Q7 We had an impressive storm but fortunately had just gone inside for a coffee, I couldn't see any rainy day activities but it rained for just a very short time anyway.
Q8 Yes but probably ono if the had membership as they are quite expensive otherwise.

"Hi all, thanks for you comments so far, the National Trust really appreciates your feedback. As you may or may not know, MN has a huge reviews section, which we're always keen for more MNers to add reviews to. If you'd like to add a review of your family day out at a National Trust property, or any other days out for that matter, please click here to do so. Thanks in advance!

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Beningbrough Hall, chosen because it's a mid point between different family members to meet up.
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?

We didn't actually go in the house. There was a Wallace and Gromit special on for the Jubilee, so we'd taken picnics and sat in the gardens, saw some of the things on the big screen and went round the gardens, and the children played.
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?

Have heard of it, haven't specifically looked to do things on it.

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?

They enjoyed having the space to run around with other children and watching the film on the big screen (first time they'd seen anything like that).

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

It was incredibly busy, but the NT people were doing their best to increase parking etc, I think they were surprised how many people turned up. To be honest it was a lovely day, there was food/ice cream to buy if you'd not brought a picnic, it was all well organised.

Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?

It was a lovely day, plenty of things to do for children of different ages and adults.
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?

no
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes - if you're members (and you should be!) it's a great cheap way to spend the day, and you can make it as historical/educational as you want. The day described above was just fun, other times we've visited different properties there's been more looking around the house and learning. My DDs always enjoy things put on for them as well, like craft activities, dressing up, falconry etc. Cragside is a great day out for instance, lots of outside space for running around in.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?
We are members and visit Penrhyn Castle and Plas Newydd on a regular basis as they are local to us. We also visited Lanhydrock House in Newquay as we were on holiday in Padstow.
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?
We know what to expect with the first two. Love the Whistler at Plas Newydd and the gardens at both are fabulous (Penrhyn is my fave). Lanhydrock was huge and was more interesting to the children than the average stately home. You could really feel how people used to live.
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?
No haven't heard of it but my kids took part in a 'Wild In The Woods' 3 day activity session at Penrhyn Castle which was fantastic. Den building, wild cooking, games and activities. Out running around all day. Wonderful. We are also planning to attend a 'Wet & Wild' session at Plas Newydd next week (haven't booked yet)
Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?
Re: 'Wild In The Woods'. My daughter loves learning all the craft techniques. The instructors/volunteers are wonderful with them. They also love the sense of independence.
Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what? Until recently it was Toilets, but this year they have installed a "Bush Toilet"
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?
The staff
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?
At 'Wild In The Woods' the rain doesn't affect the day as the children play under the natural canopy of trees and are oblivious to it! There is also a shelter for really heavy rain!
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes definitely. I would always recommend membership. It really isn't that expensive and it means that you always have something to do locally as well as interesting places to visit when you are travelling. My only negative is that you don't allow dogs in the gardens. Surely with strict 'on lead' and 'pick up' rules plus plenty of bins, this could be accommodated?

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Cliveden, because it's local and has great facilities for families.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?

Fabulous. The Dolls House Cafe is a lovely addition and great to have tea/loos close to the play area too!

Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?

Never heard of it.

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?

Crawling/pushing her buggy around on the lovely expanses of shady grass lawns with no risk of crawling into dog mess!

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

No, it was great!

Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?

Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?

It was sunny which was lovely and made lounging around on the grass possible.

Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes!

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?
Red House in S London - it's nearby, we are interested, I had heard about it from other people, it fitted the bill for a half day outing planned at short notice.
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?
We really enjoyed it, and it was pretty much what we expected, possibly smaller than I thought, but that was lazy assumption, I had Blackwell House (also Arts and Crafts) in mind.
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?
was that the list of things like rolling down a hill? I looked at it, I think a copy came with the Guardian, I thought 'goodness, do we really need this list to tell us how to do normal fun outdoor things, not a v environmentally sound use of resources'. We wouldn't have made a special effort to do the ones we haven't ticked.
Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?
^They were reasonably interested in the house - the arts and crafts movement / Wm Morris isn't, perhaps, as dramatic and imaginative a concept for the 5 - 10 year olds we took as some of the bigger castle-type places they have enjoyed. But that's OK, they look round the house and then run round outside.

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?
The ladies in the tea room were v friendly and helpful and the cake was brilliant. We had piggy back races on the lawn. I was very interested in the house and Wm Morris
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?
At a small property like this, it would have been a less successful outing with kids had it been raining
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
yes, we have reccommended loads of NT properties as a day out. I would usually give specific advice about the nature of the place and it's suitability for the family / age of children, it's not always easy to discern which are the child-friendliest places

We have couple membership as both our children are under 5. We have visited Biddulph Grange Gardens and Angelsey Abbey this summer. Both were visited with friends and family and chosen because of space for the children to run and play together.
Both are great locations with lots if space for the children to run and be as loud as they like. We didn't specifically do any 50 things while we were there. The children loved the new treehouse at Anglesey Abbey, the bug hunt and the wildlife woods area. They enjoyed the woodland walk at the Grange and exploring all the different countries.
We were lucky with the weather as both properties are mainly outdoors and I would recommend both as great days out. Thank you.

1. Speke hall
2. It's local, we know it well and we're members. They enjoy the maze changing
3. Is there a NT list?

Thought the list i saw in the news was ridiculous and could only have been written by politicians who never get out, let alone know what children are do.

1. They enjoy the grounds and walks, taking our drawing / painting stuff and drawing the black and white house. The maze is the most recent development, they watched it being planted, visited the week it opened, and have to go in every time we visit.
2. Better weather and given that the house was on "tours only" on this particular day, something else on offer to do in the wet apart from the cafe.
3. they found out yet another interesting fact about one of the outbuildings' history. and debated it incessantly for the rest of the afternoon.
4. See q5
5. Yes, yes and yes. We often take friends to local properties, always visit whatever's in the area when we go on holiday, and find it excellent value. (family membership)

HARDWICK HALL

I just realised yesterday that it wasn't in fact Chatsworth....it was Hardwick Hall!

I see that a couple of you have pointed it out already
In my defence, they are not a million miles away from each other and I have been to Chatsworth before...but yes, it was Hardwick Hall that I described in my post Fri 17-Aug-12 16:17:40, honest guv.

I am a National Trust member too...I just can't remember the names.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?
We went to Hardwick Hall because it's local to us and we were able to cycle there
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?
We were lucky in that we were there on a "costumed day" and it made history seem real for dd. We've been many times over the years and there always seems to be improvements made and new experiences.
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it? No we didn't take part but I had read about it on the NT website.
Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy? Dd enjoyed the house, ds the grounds and they both enjoyed the picnic
Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what? Better weather!
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it? Dd seeing the things she had learned about in school coming to life.
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones? We were lucky it was mostly dry but not terribly warm.
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes definitely but would say take a picnic as food there is generally expensive.

1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Benningborough hall. We chose it becasue it is close to holiday cottage we were staying at Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises? Lovely place. Advertised dressing up activity had changed which disappoonted the children Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it? Did n't see any advertised choldren have been ticking things off the list Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy? They loved it. They love the open spaces and the fact that they can run across the grass. They did not like that the activities advertised weren't available. Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what? As with all National Trust Properties the cafe is horribly overpriced which is a shame. Although had good seating arrangements Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it? Nope. It was nice though. Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones? Weather was nice. Not rainy so no need for rainy day activities. Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not? Would definitely recommend. Most families I know are members and the membership offers great value.

We've been National Trust members for about 4 years now and find that it's great value. Our favourite place is Courts Garden in Holt. We've done lots of activities there - making a felt necklace pouch, a grass snake, a paper lantern and a felt hair bobble this year (we skipped the making fire event - not sure I want to encourage DD to set things on fire at not quite 4 years old). We've also met some beekeepers. The gardens are beautifully maintained and the staff are always very friendly. The only thing we don't like is that the cafe only takes cash so we haven't been in there yet.

Generally we like places that have some children's activities (such as counting dogs in Tyntesfield, or spotting hedgehogs in Horton Court) although we haven't done the "50 things" yet and places that have space to run around outdoors.

At the start of this year we got a National Trust Passport. We've got 9 stamps already (Chedworth, Great Chalfield, Horton Court, Courts Garden, Lacock, Dyrham Park, Colby Woodland Garden and Tyntesfield) and it's really encouraged us to try different places.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property? Calke Abbey, not too far away and went there with friends who hadn't been before.
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises? Very well set up for families (good information, baby changing, FANTASTIC play park). It was refreshing that the Trust have taken a different view on this property and are 'preserving' rather than 'conserving' it. In other words it looks just like it did when the Trust took over ownership.
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it? We didn't specifically take part in this but have heard of it and watched some other children doing den building in the garden of imagination. We love the idea and are ticking things off on our list which we found in the magazine.
Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy? They LOVED the teddy bear treasure hunt which was themed on 'we're going on a bear hunt'. My children are 7, 5 and just 2 and even the 2 year old got stuck in looking for the bear. The property was perfect to host such a treasure hunt with a grotto and ice-house etc! They didn't particularly enjoy going home!
Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what? I told a man at the snack bar in the garden of imagination that they should market this facility much better. Had it been on the website I would not have bothered to take a picnic.
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it? The treasure hunt, my eldest making a clay token in the garden of imagination with a very nice events person and also the CHILDREN'S tour of the house was super. Despite my 2 year old being pretty tantrumy at this point, my older two got a lot out of this. The lady who did the tour wasn't very dynamic with the children but it seemed to work anyway because the children 'were in charge'!. What also made it memorable was the CD we were given at the entrance to the park which we played in the car on the 1 and 1/2 mile drive through the estate. This gave the children a brilliant intro to the property. We listened to it on the way home too which reinforced what we'd discovered in the tour of the house.
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones? The weather was okay. It rained towards the end but we had coats and it was time to go home anyway (we'd been there all day).
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not? I would definitely recommend a NT property to a friend but it is expensive unless you make the most of annual membership.

I would thoroughly recommend Calke Abbey as a place to go with children. Brilliant grounds and gardens and I feel like we haven't touched the surface there with parts to explore.

Just marking place as off to Ham House tomorrow...

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Newark Park - not been there before and only 40 minutes from home

Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?

Didn't know what to expect. It was smaller than I expected but lots of rooms. The biggest surprise was the view across the valley from the back of the property. It quite took my breath away.

Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?

It wasn't mentioned. Have heard of it and we've done a lot of the things on the list

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?

It was a Teddy Bears Picnic themed day, so in addition to the usual children's trail around the house there was a drawing competition and an additional Bear's trail outside. DD (5) enjoyed all of it.

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

Yes - the weather!!

Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?

The staff are all very lovely with DD and take time to talk to her. As do the other visitors, come to think of it.

Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?

Yes! When we arrived it was sunny. While we were drawing (luckily inside a gazebo) it started to rain, then the rain got really heavvy and we had thunder and lightning. The rain kept up for ages, and of course once it had finally stopped all the gardens were wet, so we had our picnic in the car :(

Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would, but they are expensive if you don't have annual membership, plus they tend to be more gardens than indoors.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Stowe

Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?

Amazing - I had no idea it was there. It was HUGE with all sorts of hidden gems within - the grotto, pretty bridges, the bell at the gateway. DP loved how quiet it was.

Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?

I haven't heard of it (& I'm a NT member)

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?

Exploring. DS loved it all.

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

Longer opening hours & the landtrain running longer (it was later in the day when we arrived & the train stopped running before the place closed. It s quite a long walk from the entrance to the main part of the property & I have mobility problems that make walking difficult at times)

Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?

Just seeing Stowe & how different it is to other NT properties (usually stately homes with gardens or protected areas of the countryside) i.e. , Kingston Lacey,Mottisfont, Studland, Old Harry Rocks, Corfe Castle etc

Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?

It was beautifully sunny.

Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, but it only works well for us because we have a lot of NT properties locally & have NT membership as a gift. If not, we wouldn't visit often at all because of the cost.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Ham House. My mum had been to the "Garden of Reason" exhibition there and said it was really good. Also, crucially for us, it's easily accessible by train.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?

Loved it! I expected DS (nearly 5) to enjoy the outdoor space but I was pleasantly surprised how much he enjoyed looking round the house. The very friendly and well informed staff gave us a treasure hunt sticker map and we all had a lot of fun finding the various things and putting the stickers on. We also enjoyed chatting to the guides in some of the rooms who pointed out things that might interest a small child.

Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?

No, we do have the booklet but didn't do any of the things today. The grounds are a bit too well tended for things like climbing on a fallen tree!

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?

The sticker hunt and also looking at the art installations in the garden. DS also said he liked "fiddling" - handling the items in the house that he was allowed to.

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

I can't think of anything.
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?

Nothing in particular, it was just a really good day out.

Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?

No, it was a lovely sunny day. I did notice the craft activities in the basement but we didn't do them today as the weather was so good.

Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, definitely. It was a great day out. I like visiting National Trust properties as I find the houses to be very interesting but there's always a good balance so I don't feel like I'm dragging DS round something that he's not enjoying. He always loves the outdoor things, and today really enjoyed looking in the house too. There was some nice touches, like the treasure hunt, and toys left in the garden that made it very welcoming to small children, while not making it too family-friendly and putting off childless vistitors (I hope!)
I'm also really pleased that the National Trust offers a reduced rate of membership for single parent families. This is definitely something I would consider doing.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?
We visited Cliveden twice, due to the events that were happening.
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?
It was absolutely beautiful, I hadn't been before and I was very impressed with the grounds and the play areas.
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?
Yes, one event was den building.

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?
Children enjoyed everything, den building, the Twits open air theatre, play area. I actually didn't think the den building was well organised there was no-one directing and not enough branches and twigs. It wasn't good value for money.
Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?
Yes, the back gate to the park was locked on our second visit, which meant trekking back through the main gate to get back to the car. A 20 minute trek with the three children, rather than a 3 minute one.
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?
Weather both times was also amazing.
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?
No.
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?
We have been to Belton House, Woolsthorpe Manor and Clumber Park this summer, but for this I will review Woolsthorpe Manor.
Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?
I was surprised at how small it was, I don't know why but I had expected a much larger property
Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?
We have heard of the "50 things to do" but we didn't do any of them here. We camp a lot and DD2 is in Beavers so they do lots of the activities anyway
Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?
DD2 really enjoyed the science discovery centre, but some of the adults visiting seemed to have left their manners at home.
Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?
We had a nice time there, it only took us about 2.5 hours including having a packed lunch which for a family entrance fee of £15 was not good value for money, if we weren't members I might have turned around at the gate.
Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?
The detective quiz was really good and there was a mousehunt in the Manor house too. The science centre experiments were brilliant and the linking that they did with Isaac Newton's discoveries was good too. DD2 loved the microscope linked to the computer and spent ages looking at her skin and tongue.
Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?
There were lots of activities to do undercover but it was a sunny day when we visited.
Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?
We have encouraged other friends to take out NT membership because it more than pays for itself with a few trips to Belton House.

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property?

Tatton Park

Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises?

HUge, lovely grounds - you can really get lost in there.

Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it?

No - my children are perhaps a little too young for lots of the items.

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy?

They enjoyed the playground, and mini beast hunting in the grounds.

Q5. Can you think of anything that could have improved your day out? If so, what?

A better cafe. We've been before to this property, and find the cafe poor quality and expensive, compared to e.g. the national rail museum cafe or the one at the Lake District Visitor Centre. If it was better we'd happily use it.

Q6. Was there anything that made your day particularly special or memorable? If so, what was it?

Seeing a stag out in the grounds.

Q7. Did the weather affect your day? If it rained, did you take part in any special rainy day activities? If so which ones?

It rained, but we stayed outside regardless.

Q8. If it came up in conversation, would you recommend a National Trust property as a day out to friends or family? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, but it's not a cheap day, particularly as parking charges are extra.

1. Sizergh Castle - we've been meaning to visit for a couple of years while holidaying in the area. It was a rainy day so didn't give the gardens much of a look.
2. Really interesting, yes it was pretty much as expected.
3. Not come across this before.
4. Dd only 18m so loved going up and down stairs. Not happy about sticking to the roped areas but thats toddlera for you
5. Clearer signs to explain the timed entry before you queue, but its not a big gripe.

6.The castle had been flooded just a couple of days before, but staff had obviously done an amazing rescue job. Some furniture was still ot of place but without the photos you woulfn't guess how bad it was. Also really liked the samples you could handle showing wear and tear caused just by touching.

1. We went on a rainy day so didn't make the most of the gardens.

8 Absolutely, weighing up membership for next year

Q1. Which National Trust property did you visit? Why did you choose this property? Corfe Castle, live within an hour's drive.

Q2. What was your overall impression of the property? Was it what you expected? Were there any surprises? Have been before so no surprises, but archery was good.

Q3. Did you take part in any of the National Trust's "50 Things to do"? If so, what did you think of it? If you didn't take part, had you heard of it? No, hadn't heard of it.

Q4. What did your child(ren) enjoy most about the day? Was there anything they didn't enjoy? DS is 12, I thought he might be bored, but he had a great day.

We went to Wicken Fen, because it's just a few miles from our house and I had great memories from going as a child. We really enjoyed it, it's great fun to go to and we really enjoyed walking on the board walks and looks for dragonfly's, newts and all kind of things as a family. We also really liked the dragonfly center!
I would definitely love to go back and join in more of their holiday activities or go on the first Saturday of the month and see the windmill in operation, or go pond dipping when my boys are a little bit older. There was lots to do and my children really enjoyed being out in the open air looking for bugs and creatures.
A really fun and great experience! Would definitely recommend it!