We were given National Trust passes for Christmas last year and then, before we knew it, it was June and we had barely used them… oops! We were feeling quite guilty about it and dreading being asked by the giver-of-the-passes what we’d been to see…
Luckily though, thanks to my partner being a teacher and me being on maternity leave, we’ve had time this summer to put it right. We set ourselves the challenge of going to one National Trust property a week, and very nearly managed it!
And now I’m not sure why we haven’t been National Trusting it up all year! Everywhere we visited was really enjoyable, with super-friendly staff and volunteers, and served cream tea. Yes, it’s further proof that we are squarely middle aged, but hey ho!
So here are our top three National Trust visits of the summer, all of which are about an hour’s drive from Oxford. We went to a couple of others too which were also lovely, but these were the ones that really stood out.
All three places – Waddeson Manor, Motissfont Abbey and Upton House – are absolutely beautiful, with huge and well-kept country houses (all offering tours), set in vast and stunning grounds that are a delight to walk around. They’ve all got cafes/restaurants, gift shops and picnic areas, too.
But as we all know, parents aren’t allowed to enjoy any of the above if there isn’t a suitable amount to entertain the blessed bambinos! Our son really enjoyed all three of these places, and here’s why…
Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mottisfont
Upton House, near Banbury
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/upton-house-and-gardens
You can pay to visit these properties as you normally would, or you can become a National Trust member and get in free to these and hundreds more. Membership costs:
Under 5s – free
Children & teenagers age 5-18 – £10 a year
Individual adult – £69 a year
Two adults joint membership – £114 a year
Family (two adults and up to 10 children) – £120 a year
Family (one adult and up to 10 children) – £75 a year
You can pay in one go or monthly.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/
And last but not least, here’s a link to a very fun National Trust poster – 50 things to do before you’re 11¾ which we’ve got stuck up at home. It includes pretty much all the childhood must-dos like make a mud pie, rock-pooling and fossil hunting, and a few rather less appealing things like snail racing…
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/documents/50-things-activity-list.pdf
August 2018
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