Fun For The Good | Blog #1

Is the National Trust really a good place to take the kids?

My family-friendly take on Europe’s biggest conservation charity

Last month, my husband and I took our young family along to the National Trust’s Basildon Park site, located just 10 miles from Reading train station.

This is our second year as annual members of the Trust, and we try to visit a new site at least once a month to get the best value from our membership.

One thing I always wondered before taking my children on National Trust trips was: “Is this really going to be suitable for kids?”

Let’s use Basildon Park as an example – its main selling point is that it’s an 18th-century Palladian-style mansion, with 400 acres of historic parkland and gardens.

Not exactly a thrilling sell for primary school children, is it?

But I’ll tell you a secret: there’s an invisible magic within a National Trust site. I don’t know what it is but it casts its spell every time we visit, no matter where we go.

As soon as the children’s feet touch the beautifully maintained grounds, they just fly, running as fast as they can and as far as they can, enjoying all the freedoms of the vast expanse of open land and air in front of them.

And, after the initial rush of exhilaration has worn off, the site often has child-friendly activities to keep them engaged.

So, as a seasoned visitor, here are my top 7 tips for having a fun and fluster-free visit to the National Trust:

Tip 1: Not all sites are made equal

The National Trust has more than 500 places to visit but they don’t all have facilities like toilets or somewhere to eat.

So always check out their website www.nationaltrust.org.uk before you go, as it has detailed information on each place. Under each place’s “Things to see and do”, there’s usually an article on family-friendly activities (if they exist).

And always ask the volunteers when you’re there – we’ve always found them friendly and knowledgeable.

Tip 2: Visit during the school holidays

Many sites have child-friendly activities running throughout the holidays (again, check the website for details).

When we went to Basildon Park during half-term, they had a bird box trail leading up to the house. Each box (adorned with a letter to write down to claim a prize at the end) had information on a particular bird, and when you opened the box, it played the bird’s song. This went down very well with the children.

The down-side? There was a £2 fee, so you could rack up quite a bill if you have more than one explorer.

Outside of the holidays, some places do have free trail maps but not always. This is something I would encourage the National Trust to invest in more, as it just gives a great focus for the visit.

Tip 3: Utilise the cafe or picnic areas
When you need a bit of a break from exploring, or the weather isn’t great (imagine that), we’ve found it useful to use the cafe as a way to break up the trip.

Now, I wouldn’t say the cafe is the best for those on a budget – at Basildon Park, my egg sandwich cost me over £4 (it was very nice…) and a cream team was over £7. But they have kids’ meals and lunchboxes and do always have a great selection of cakes, which are often different at each site.

If you’re not up for spending those sorts of prices, or just prefer your own grub, you can eat at benches and tables around the site.

Tip 4: Utilise the grounds and woodland play areas

As I said earlier, the big magic of the National Trust is the space, and the majority of each site is car-free. So make sure your children are wearing appropriate footwear and don’t expect it to stay pristine!

Some sites allow scooters and things, but not all, so do check.

There can also be play areas – some can be as simple as some wooden stumps to leap across, others have proper play parks.

They are often made from wood, though, so you do need to be very careful if it’s been raining.

A tip for the one at Basildon Park – make sure you bring a tennis ball. Perhaps we missed it, but we were disappointed to find a great drain pipe run to follow all the way down the hill but nothing to roll down it.

Tip 5: Visit the secondhand bookshops

These aren’t at every site but they’re always a hit when we go, and can be a real treasure trove.

We tend to buy children’s books, which often start at just £1, and the oldest book we’ve found so far was a Purnell Colour Classics Black Beauty Book from 1975. It even has a handwritten note on the first page from the original owner’s grandparents.

Tip 6: Time it right for the kitchen gardens

Some sites have kitchen gardens, which are brilliant to visit when fruits and vegetables are in season. It’s lovely to see the wonder on the children’s faces when they get first-hand experience of where their food comes from.

And finally…

Tip 7: If you’ve got runners, don’t go into the house (for now)

The biggest stress of a National Trust visit with kids? Honestly, it’s the house.

There’s obviously a lot of old and very valuable items in them, and as kind as the volunteers are, we do spend a lot of time reminding the children not to touch things.

We’re at the stage where we feel confident enough that nothing bad is going to happen, but if you’ve got little children who like to explore, it might not be the best place to take them to. They can just admire the house from the outside.

For older children, there’s sometimes a free trail to fill in, but we’ve found these can be tricky to do, as sometimes there’s just so many things to look at, it’s hard to spot what you’re looking for.

So, to conclude, I was wrong to worry the National Trust wouldn’t work for children – but I’ve definitely found following the tips above make for a more relaxing and successful trip.

My last thing to say is: do consider getting a membership.

I know it may seem crazy (and no, I’m not on commission!) but if you have any inkling that you might want to go again, you may find it’s worth investing in.

Just look at these numbers for a trip to Basildon Park:

An annual family membership (which covers 2 adults living at the same address and their children or grandchildren aged 17 or under) costs £14.05 a month (or £168.80 a year).

But if you paid on the door at Basildon Park (prices vary by site) for two adults and two children (under-5s are free), you would pay £57 (and that’s without gift aid, which would have made the total £62.80)!

Basically, for one trip, you’re paying over a third of the price of a ticket that gives you unlimited trips. Makes your eyes water a bit, doesn’t it?

For more information on the National Trust, you can visit their website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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