Trust in a National Annual Season Ticket (National Trust)

Member Name: luckyarchers

Product:	National Trust
Date:	03/03/09 (1027 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The National Trust is committed to saving as much of our heritage "FOREVER, FOR EVERYONE"

Disadvantages: Looking after lots of national treasures is expensive.

*** The National Trust Overview ***

The National Trust is a registered charity that looks after national treasures both man-made and natural. They work to preserve and protect coastline, countryside and buildings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The National Trust for Scotland does a similar job north of the border. (The two organisations allow members of either free admission.)

They get no Government support, but rely on income from membership fees, donations, legacies and their commercial enterprises.

As I haven't got enough fingers and toes to count these personally, I got the statistics regarding what is in the care of the National Trust from their website.

707 miles of coastline
611,300 acres of countryside
5,150 pre-historic sites
215 houses and gardens
149 museums
57 villages
6 World Heritage Sites
2 Gold Mines
25 Medieval Barns
40 Castles
400 Factories and Mines
51 Dovecotes
206 Mills
43 Pubs
12 Lighthouses
76 Nature Reserves

The National Trust want to look after these FOR EVER, FOR EVERYONE.

There are local groups for those who want to get more involved than just visiting. 52,000 volunteers gave 2.3 million hours of their time to help them in 2007-08, including duties involving opening properties to the public and practical maintenance.


*** Recent News ***

A recent initiative is to provide 1,000 new allotment plots for people to grow their own fruit and vegetables. This facility already existed but the demand is huge. This means they need more volunteers who have growing skills who would be willing to pass them on to new enthusiasts.

Many of the Trust's allotments use environmentally friendly modern techniques. Though when visiting a vegetable plot at Calke Abbey, that grows produce using the same techniques that were used hundreds of years ago, it amused me to see one type of potato named Golden Wonder. Showing that the brand of crisps with the same name came long after the original Golden Wonder potato.


*** My Experience of Annual Membership ***

Spring is in the air, and I'm looking forward to using the Christmas present that our daughter has bought for us again. It's the joint one that hubby and I usually get from her, but I don't think we will ever get bored with it. It's the Joint National Trust Annual Season Ticket.

To make it into something the buyer can present to the recipient, it comes with literature and an extra gift included in the price, when bought on the run up to Christmas. This year it came with a compact pair of binoculars. The Christmas before it was a picnic rug.

At other times of the year there are different incentives. If the incentive is an extra few months of membership, bear in mind that most Trust buildings only open between Easter and October.

Even if you aren't lucky enough to get this as a gift, it is still great value for money, especially if, like us, you appreciate visiting the Trust's historical buildings and gardens, as well as their nature reserves. Even when the nature reserves are free to pedestrians, there can be a hefty car park fee, which is included in the price of the season tickets.

Some areas of the country contain more of the properties with high entrance fees than others. You can look on the Trust's website to see how many of the properties you might be interested in are near you, or the area you may be holidaying in.

As we live in the south east of England, there are many properties in Kent and Sussex that we can visit on a day trip.

Here are properties we have visited near us in one year's membership. The price I give is for a single adult admission.

4 properties close to Sevenoaks in Kent
Knole House and Deer Park £9
Chartwell House and Garden £10.60
Ightham Mote £9.40
Emmetts Gardens 5.80

Also in Kent
Scotney Castle £8.50
Sissinghurst Castle Garden £8.80

And just over the border in East Sussex
Batemans £7.10
Bodiam Castle £5.20

A little bit further for us in West Sussex
Wakehurst Place Gardens £10
Sheffield Park Gardens £7
Nymans Gardens £7.70

PLUS we use it a lot on our countryside holidays in various other locations. We only go away for a maximum of a week at a time, so we fit in several different parts of the country into our year's outings.

It is easy to spot areas with large concentrations of National Trust properties on the NEW INTER-ACTIVE MAP on their website. Click the Places to Visit tab on the homepage and then Try Our New Map on the left hand menu.

Do check opening times, as some properties in the same area can't open on the same day (especially the smaller ones), due to volunteers taking it in turn to staff them.

We go on self-catering holidays, so apart from the standard cost of the cottage and petrol, we have very little extra expenses when making full use of this ticket. We don't go in for nightlife, as we would rather be out and about in daylight hours exploring the joys that our countryside has to offer.

If these sorts of outings aren't for you, think about whether someone you buy a present for would appreciate this.

I may find time to review some more of the many places we have visited for you, or I may not have time due to enjoying these lovely outings.

From the above Kent/Sussex outings my favourites are Knole House out of the atmospheric historic buildings, and Sissinghurst for beautiful formal gardens. Beware though, Sissinghurst is one of the Trust's most overcrowded properties at peak times, so I couldn't recommend going on Sundays or Bank Holidays. In contrast, there is plenty of room to roam in the large Knole deer park, if there is a waiting time to get into the large building.

Local knowledge can be a great advantage, so phone the properties at times they are open, before visiting, if you think you may need advice. (I am happy to answer questions about properties I know about.)


*** 2009 Annual Season Ticket Prices ***

Individual £46
Joint (2 adults at same address) £77
Family (2 adults & their children or grandchildren) £82
One Adult Family £62
Young Person £21
Pensioner £32

You usually get approx 20% off these prices if you buy by Direct Debit.
See the National Trust website for full details of prices, and how to buy on-line.

There are also Life Membership deals, which could be great value for money for young people who are able to take advantage of them.


*** Recommendation ***

For hubby and me, National Trust season tickets are a cost effective way of visiting our country's natural history treasures, as well as its historical buildings and gardens. We wouldn't be able to afford the individual admission prices to all the places we usually visit in a year.

I thank all those involved in the National Trust's work of preserving and protecting buildings, countryside and coastline for the great pleasure we have had exploring their properties.

I highly recommended The National Trust to all who care about our country's history, natural beauty, and preserving our heritage for future generations.

Summary: The varied conservation work of The National Trust and my happy experiences of membership.