Is a National Trust annual membership worth it?

Is a National Trust annual membership worth it? We have had a family membership for the National Trust now for over nine years. Initially, I signed us up as members of the National Trust on a whim when we first had Charlie. I used it extensively during my maternity leave and wondered if I would continue once I was back at work. Many of my friends gave up theirs on the return to the corporate environment. However, I kept ours and stayed a member of the national trust paying on direct debit. And even nine years later it is still by far the most used annual pass we have ever had. So put simply is a National Trust annual membership worth it? Undoubtedly yes.

Is a National Trust annual membership worth it?

Instead of listing all the additional reasons why you should buy one. I thought I would start with a list of all the places we have visited in 2021 with free entry. And the price those visits would have cost us should we have not had free access. We live in Sussex and so there are a number of National Trust properties and historic houses that are close by. This helps. We also like to be outside a lot. Having two boys they need to be outside to run off that extra energy. We also aim for  1000 outdoors hours a year. In the Summer it is easy. In the Winter, less so. National Trust trails become a lifesaver with all their outdoor activities and family adventure.

In 2021 we were locked down for a number of months which meant that although outside spaces were open. Many of the National Trust inside spaces and historic sites were closed from the beginning of the year through to May. This undoubtedly affected the number of properties we visited. However, due to the pandemic, we did a holiday in the UK over the Summer. This meant there was more opportunity than usual to use our membership to visit historic places and NT properties.

How many times did we used our National Trust membership in 2021?

I am relying on my photo reel to confirm but according to that, we used our membership cards a minimum of 20 times! For free admission. Some of these will be new places for us. Others are local haunts. Our family membership with two adults costs £126 a year. Membership fees for individual membership cost £72 a year. The joint membership fee is £120 and junior membership £10 a year for a young person. We pay our membership annually but it is also possible to make monthly payments. Although the boys are free on our membership. It is also possible to buy gift memberships and I am seriously thinking about signing up for a life membership.

If we had visited the list of places below and paid the admission fees it would have come to £425.75 this is without gift aid which would have added a further 10%. Meaning we saved so much money – £299.75 compared to the full price last year which makes it very good value.

The National Trust sites and historic buildings we visited

• January – Petworth Park £3 in car parking. In a normal year, we would have gone to the house which would have cost £30 for a family.
• Febuary – We visited Nymans and the entrance fee is £36.80 for a family. 
• March – We did not visit any National Trust properties in March
• April – We visited Wakehurst which is free for National Trust members although we did have to pay £10 for parking. A family ticket to Wakehurst costs £14.95 for an adult and £7.50 for a child. We also went to Standen where a family ticket costs £35. We also went to Baggy Point where the carpark costs £1 an hour (assume 2 hours)
• May – I visited Nymans alone with Harry the price for both of us would have been £22.50. We also visited Bolltack Tin Mine when we visited Cornwall, although the site is free to the public it meant we saved some money on the car park which is £1 an hour (assume 2 hours).
• June – I visited the Lupin Field which is free for all. We also went to Westbury Court Garden which costs £20 for a family. And during my day off I went to Chartwell alone which costs £14 for an adult. Although I do intend on returning with the family in 2022.
• July – In July we travelled to Scotland and I was pleased to find I could use our membership at Culzean Castle, a family ticket cost £16. We were also able to use our National Trust membership to pay for parking at Glenfinnan Viaduct which cost £3.50.
• August – We received a £10.50 discount on a family ticket on the Coniston Water Steam Gondola. Our Harry Potter trip to Lavenham meant we could have saved £21.25 on the Guildhall should we have been on time! When we visited the isle of wight we saved £4 on parking at Compton Bay.
• September – The boys back at school we visited Wakehurst again saving another £44.90.
• October – We visited Waddeson Manor where tickets are £13.20 for an adult and £6.60 for a child for grounds only. We actually could view the house as well but at the time of writing the prices were not available on the website.
• November – On the run-up to the festive period we went to Polesdon Lacey and their Ignite Trail. The ticket prices were the same for National Trust and non-National Trust members but we did not have to buy a car park ticket which cost £7. Some events such as these have additional costs.
• December – We ended the year visiting our favourite places again to take part in the Christmas trails and see the lights. Standen where a family ticket costs £35 and Nymans £36.80 for a family. 

READ MORE – 10 National Trust places to visit in Surrey

READ MORE – 10 National Trust places to visit in Sussex 

Other benefits of National Trust membership

There are a massive 500 special places with cultural heritage within the trust to which as a member you have unlimited access to with no entry fee. As a member, I do tend to hunt out various properties when we travel in the UK. It is easier for us to stop at the National Trust property than at a service station on long journeys. Many locations have cafes and amenities and it gives the kids the chance to run free in the fresh air. 

The national trust handbooks we get as a member gives us a full list of all the properties which I keep in the car. So it is to hand when we are out and about, useful if there is no phone signal. There is also the National Trust magazine which give seasonal suggestions of a great place to visit. I really think that it encourages us to visit beautiful places and stately homes for the first time.

One of the benefits of membership is that many of the beaches that we love to visit have car parks owned by the National Trust. Meaning that we get free parking over miles of coastline. Using a valid National Trust membership card scan it on the ticket machine at the National Trust car parks. It only saves a few pounds at a time but is useful nonetheless. Previously you use to get a car sticker but they seem to be phasing this out when it comes to free car parks.

Also, there are discounts on retailers and you can also access some English Heritage sites such as Stone Henge for free. And it is also valid in Northern Ireland and for Scottish National Trust NT property.

Over the years we have visited a lot of different sites. The quarterly magazine which is seasonal always gives us new ideas about places to visit. It also gives us details of any special events they are running such as the light walks or historic preservation projects. As members, you get discounts on many of these. 

READ MORE – What is a National Trust passport?

Is a National Trust annual membership worth it – our conclusions 

The National Trust also does important work to restore historic places, maintain ancient woodland and preserve natural habitats, for future generations. For us, the member benefits really are worth it. If I was to run a similar exercise for 2020 even with the pandemic we would have saved money. As a family based on the places we visited above you would only need to visit four National Trust properties to break even. 

Of course, there are some better-value properties where the admission prices are higher. Such as Kingston Lacey in Dorset which costs £45 for a family. Or Batemans in East Sussex which costs £38.50 for a family. Which would obviously have a bigger impact on getting your money’s worth. If you were worried about not being able to recoup the costs.

Have you visited a National Trust property recently? Do you have a National Trust family membership or a lifetime membership? Please lt me know your favourite NT places in the comments below.

We ar also English Heritage members:

READ MORE – is English Heritage membership worth it?

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