National Trust membership is something every family should have in their armoury for affordable days out
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Half term is here and the summer holidays is just on the horizon, so I wanted to share my one top tip for affordable days out with the family, one that has saved both my pocket and my sanity some days - it is a National Trust membership. In our house it is the gift that keeps on giving.
Getting out, particularly in the warmer months, always helps to clear the cobwebs and offers the opportunity to make memories with the children, but it often becomes a costly exercise. Entry into most places nowadays is eye-wateringly expensive and once in, you’re sure to find many more ways to be parted with your cash, which means such outings can become reserved only for a ‘special occasion’.
However, National Trust members have no such concerns and it’s much cheaper than many realise. If like me, you pay for your membership monthly, it is actually pretty affordable. Family membership including two adults and all of their children aged 17 and under costs £13.25 a month, and for single parent families, membership costs just £8.25 a month, admitting one adult with their children. Visit just one place a month and it’s more than paid for itself, visit more and you’re quids in.
Membership offers unlimited free admission to over 200 historic houses and gardens in England, Wales and Northern Ireland so you could effectively go to one every day if you felt so compelled. Packing up a picnic rather than eating out will also save you a few quid and the outdoor spaces at National Trust properties always offer a scenic place to picnic.
Over the holidays, most places also lay on some kind of added entertainment for kids including trails and fun activities. This May half term, whether you want to delve into history at a castle or historic house or discover nature at parks and gardens, there are plenty of events to encourage imaginations to run wild.
For example, you can create butterfly art at Chirk Castle in Wrexham, take in a falconry display at Trerice in Cornwall or help Squirrel Holmes solve the nature clues at Lyveden in Northamptonshire. You could even give the wheel of destiny a whirl at Hughenden Manor in Buckinghamshire to become a new character – will you be the Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli, an ice house attendant or a woodland bodger?
To search for half-term events near you, from storytelling and quests to family trails and historical costume demonstrations, visit the National Trust website where you can also join the NT gang!
What I love the most about our membership is when we’re all starting to get cabin fever this summer, and feel like we're about to climb the walls, we can just head out. And we get to choose from some of the most beautiful properties and gardens in the country - what better place to enjoy an impromptu sandwich on the lawn?