Boycott The National Trust! (1 Viewer)

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I could be wrong with how much it costs. I saw £60 on a bank statement recently.

I think I only have single membership as I generally only use if for car parks in Pembrokeshire.

I would recomend Studland bay on a nice day, get the sandbanks ferry across very early where you have a choice of NT car parks for a great day in the sunshine.

 

[gibbon]

Pardon me for sounding like a culture less oik, but even though I've enjoyed the odd castle or two on our travels, I've always considered NT membership to be massively overpriced.
Explains all the very high quality & expensive visitor centres I suppose, I don't hang around long in those places in case I nod off

 

[lesr48]

Explains all the very high quality & expensive visitor centres I suppose

It also explains the very high salary of the chief executive!

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[karl c]

LOL would rather give my money to .
http://www.midlandsairambulance.com/
If they do not want people to stop of as a one of day out with out being stuck up, Members Parking only.
Then there loss.
We live near the QMC so see and hear a lot of airambulances.

 

[orridge]

Even better don't renew in the UK, join the New Zealand Equivalent
http://www.heritage.org.nz/get-involved/join-us/membership-benefits
And use it in the UK for 95 NZ dollars (£43.00) that's for family membership.

I did this couple of years ago and the rules are the same, check the above link.

Mike

Even better don't renew in the UK, join the New Zealand Equivalent
http://www.heritage.org.nz/get-involved/join-us/membership-benefits
And use it in the UK for 95 NZ dollars (£43.00) that's for family membership.

I did this couple of years ago and the rules are the same, check the above link.

Mike

You also get English Heritage access also

 

[golly]

Another bonus is their reciprocal agreement with English Heritage - so you can visit their centres for free too.


This is only for certain sites, Stone Henge and Housteads fort on Hadrian's wall are two that I know of, possibly Dunstanburgh Castle as well.

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[Bridget]

In Cornwall the National Trust owns about 55 car parks on the coast with amazing views and walks. I use them when bimbling about for their closeness to the coastal path. Most NT car parks here have dog waste bins so no more carrying about poo bags that get increasingly smelly in the locker as the day goes by!

As a side note- if visiting NT properties were not your thing but you wanted to take advantage of the free parking then wouldn't only one person need to be a member? It's still £60 but for me (not for all I'm sure) it's worth it to be able to park where I do making the most of my van and where I live.

 

[scotjimland]

This is only for certain sites, Stone Henge and Housteads fort on Hadrian's wall are two that I know of, possibly Dunstanburgh Castle as well.

I found a useful map that shows all the NT and EH sites.
The ones that have reciprocal access are shown by having Green and Red dots eg Stonehenge

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[Forestboy]

Pardon me for sounding like a culture less oik, but even though I've enjoyed the odd castle or two on our travels, I've always considered NT membership to be massively overpriced.
Explains all the very high quality & expensive visitor centres I suppose, I don't hang around long in those places in case I nod off

You and me both.
Stopped on the motorbike at Stonehenge a few years ago just for a quick look, driven past dozens of times but never stopped doesn't really interest me. Even Bill Bryson could only manage 5 minutes there.
Parked up went to cross the road to take a pic, jobsworth comes running over tells me I'm not allowed to cross the road to look H&S rules. According to him I had to pay full entrance fee and go through a tunnel under road into site. Needless to say he got his answer and I crossed the road and amazingly didn't get killed, but then I've been successfully crossing roads for over 50 years.
NT

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[funflair]

Looking at the NT web site for the Giants Causeway they say that there is a free park and ride running from Bushmills to the visitor centre every 20 minutes @cankita are you saying that you could not use this one car park.

Martin

 

[MR. FUSION]

Dunstanburgh Castle

was there last week.....stunning castle and scenery. [/QUOTE]

 

[cankita]

Looking at the NT web site for the Giants Causeway they say that there is a free park and ride running from Bushmills to the visitor centre every 20 minutes @cankita are you saying that you could not use this one car park.

Martin

The car park in Bushmills might be free but the shuttle bus isn't but that is not the point. Can you (or anyone else since the National Trust can't) explain why I can drive to the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre in a car, pay the admission price and park but I am not allowed to park to visit the centre (and pay the admission price) if I am driving a motorhome which would fit into exactly the same space I would use if driving a car?

While we're at it perhaps someone could explain why I can park my motorhome at the National Trust's Mount Stewart property (which has a much smaller car park than the Giant's Causeway) free of charge but I can't park at the Giant's Causeway even if I am willing to pay?

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[Poohbear]

Wouldn't touch NT with a bargepole ever since I found out that they actively support (financially) the "sport" of fox hunting, you know the one where a load of toffs in ridiculous outfits prance around the countryside on their horses killing beautiful animals and pretending that they are doing a good job of controlling the numbers of foxes

 

[mikekaren2]

The car park in Bushmills might be free but the shuttle bus isn't but that is not the point. Can you (or anyone else since the National Trust can't) explain why I can drive to the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre in a car, pay the admission price and park but I am not allowed to park to visit the centre (and pay the admission price) if I am driving a motorhome which would fit into exactly the same space I would use if driving a car?

While we're at it perhaps someone could explain why I can park my motorhome at the National Trust's Mount Stewart property (which has a much smaller car park than the Giant's Causeway) free of charge but I can't park at the Giant's Causeway even if I am willing to pay?

Why not email the NT and ask them for an explanation & point them the direction of this discussion.

 

[cankita]

Why not email the NT and ask them for an explanation & point them the direction of this discussion.

Already have done and haven't had a reply. Maybe someone at the NT is sitting there thinking "Well that's pretty stupid, how are we going to explain that?". The guy at the Causeway had no explanation apart from 'it's the rules'.

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[Emmit]

For the benefit of Funsters can I say that not all NT properties are as sanctimoneous about entering their (our) grounds to get a cuppa or a bite to eat.

Our local NT property is Cotehele House on the banks of the Tamar.
Loads of parking for Funsters in the House car park and if you ask at Reception to be let in for the Cafe/Restaurant. we've never been refused.

You can also drive down to the Wharf on the river where there is a cafe as well and that's open to everyone, again with a decent sized CP.
Regards

 

[Glandwr]

Just to say for members of English Heritage. EH have an arrangement with CADW (Wales). You can have a 50% reduction on entry fee for the first year. Then free entry subsequently.

As to the NT it is a huge organisation that has an important brief. You can quarrel with how it does it. But thank god I say that there are 10s of thousands of unpaid volunteers that regularly give up their free time so that we can experience and preserve such places.

If you think it is expensive try one of the privately run equivalents

Dick

 

[funflair]

Can you (or anyone else since the National Trust can't) explain why I can drive to the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre in a car, pay the admission price and park but I am not allowed to park to visit the centre (and pay the admission price) if I am driving a motorhome which would fit into exactly the same space I would use if driving a car?

I imagine the answer to that is quite simple that yours isn't the only motorhome in the world and ours and many more would need at least two spaces, so it's one rule fits all. The NT website says free shuttle bus from Bushmills to visitor centre but charge for visitor centre to the stones if you want to bus that bit which seems pretty fair to me.

Martin

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[wasp]

I don`t think you missed much mate the Giant`s Causeway is only a few funny shaped rocks stickin up out the ground on the water front I was underwhelmed when I visited there

 

[Khizzie]

Stop

Just came back from touring Ireland and one of the places we wanted to visit was the Giant's Causeway which is 'owned' by the National Trust. For those who don't know you can walk to the Giant's Causeway free of charge IF you can find somewhere to park within walking distance. There used to be a reasonably priced car park but now the NT have built a totally unnecessary visitor centre at a cost of £8 million and if you want to park there you have to pay the full admission price of £9 per adult even if you don't want to go into the visitor centre! If you just want to buy a cup of coffee in their cafe you still have to pay the full admission price!

There is a parking alternative a few hundred yards down the road at The Bushmills Railway where you can park for the day for £6 and that is what we intended to do. We arrived just after 9am but found that the railway car park was closed so, rather reluctantly, we felt we had no choice but to be ripped off for 27 quids worth of parking. We drove into the huge car park which was totally empty save for one car and a motorhome. The duty jobsworth comes up and asks "Are you members?". "No" I reply to which he responds "Well we don't allow motorhomes to park here unless you are National Trust members". He went on to explain that if you have a motorhome and are not NT members then you have to drive 3 miles back to Bushmills and take the free courtesy bus to the visitor centre. You then get £2 off the admission price to somewhere you didn't want to visit in the first place!

WHAT??? What possible rationale is there for such a stupid policy? They have a huge car park there with single bays in which most motorhomes would fit easily, so what does being a NT member do? Does it suddenly shrink the size of your motorhome? Or somehow make it invisible?

I can't for the life of me understand the reasoning behind such a crass policy. If 50 NT members all turn up in motorhomes they can all park there for free but if one non-member wants to park a motorhome for a few hours in an otherwise empty car park - and pay £27 for the privilege - they can't!

We never got to see the Giant's Causeway (it was a crap day anyway so not a great loss) and the National Trust lost out on £27 so who wins there? If the National Trust think this kind of policy will encourage membership then they are sadly wrong. I doubt if I'll ever visit another National Trust property let alone join up.

Stop Whinging ,just join the national trust ,and get your money back with just a couple of visits,also the money helps preserve some wonderful places.

 

[Forestboy]

I don`t think you missed much mate the Giant`s Causeway is only a few funny shaped rocks stickin up out the ground on the water front I was underwhelmed when I visited there

Bit like Stonehenge then but that doesn't even have water.

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[jollyrodger]

I had a chuckle, going passed Stonehenge a year or two back, the local farmer should be a Funster (if not already)
He had stacked a load of those big round bales of hay in his field opposite as a complete copy of the `henge, with a big sign attached saying
WELCOME TO STRAWHENGE
Well it was good at the time.

 

[Ian]

We are NT members & this year took advantage of the Senior membership at £72 for us both instead of the standard £99. I believe you have to be over 60 and also members for any 5 years over the past 10years to get the discount. It has to be on line applied for by contacting the head office and not in any of the houses. They have reciprical agreements with all of the following countries which you could use if on holiday in any of the locations:

• Scotland
• Australia
• Bermuda
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Canada
• Cayman Islands
• Guernsey
• Isle of Man
• Italy
• Jersey
• Malta
• New Zealand
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We to traveled round both North & South Ireland and also visited the Causeway. even as members we were asked to drive down to an alternative car park which was free to us. The free bus was very frequent & did not cause us any pain other than not being able to nip back to the van for a quick cup of tea/sandwich etc. It would still have been possible to use the free bus to do so.
We agree that some of the properties are very expensive but likewise some are fantastic & a good price. If we were not members we would not be tempted to go in them but we use it on the basis that the more times we use it the cheaper it is per property. for example we just visited Plymouth/Dartmoor for a week & visited 10 properties, the cost per person would have been around £66 in one week but it cost us nothing (other than membership. It does not matter if you pop in for just a few minutes or spend all day. No worries about cost. so overall it can work out quite cheap.

 

[Easyliving]

The NT took another year's worth of membership fee from my bank account this week, £72.50 I think it was for joint membership.

We have been to quite a few properties in the van and so far the people on duty have been very helpful and directed us to the coach parking area if there is one.

We had nearly 2 weeks in Devon last month and visited several NT properties - Killerton, Saltram and Castle Drogo and parked in the coach parking spaces each time.

Actually, at Castle Drogo they seem to have woken up to the fact that many people might arrive in their motorhomes...... (oh, and they are spending £11 million restoring the place so they have to get the cash from somewhere).

While I'm looking for photos, this is us (far left) parked up at NT Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire...

Paul

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[gus-lopez]

But thank god I say that there are 10s of thousands of unpaid volunteers that regularly give up their free time so that we can experience and preserve such places.

Dick

Yes , similar to how charity shops run on the goodwill of the unpaid volunteers , whilst the head cook & bottle -washer takes a normally obscene salary.

 

[trevtherev]

This 12 months for the price 9 is a bit of a con. Most of the properties are not open in the winter so you cannot visit. The English Heritage is much better value, a reduction is given to pensioners and you can pay with Tesco club points getting four times there value. Its a shame they do not get together and do a joint membership.
This year we joined the HHA (historic house assoc.) the caravan club was doing a 25% discount offer, we got our monies worth in a week earlier this year with a weeks break in Yorkshire, Its good value.

 

[irnbru]

Just glad I went to the Giants Causeway when it was free. It wasnt as spectacular as I thought it was made out to be.

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[WOOOODENTOP]

Buy a membership and support our heritage without them and English heritage we would have a country of rubble