National Trust Membership Savings

theloft

You can get the free 3 months deal with the National Trust for Scotland as well, but only if you download the Direct Debit form and post it to them, you cannot do it on line as they still require a signature !!

bargain_babe

wasnt sure which to join, national heritage or national trust. But as we want to go to Osborne house in Isle of wight - thinking of plumping for national heritage thanks to tesco club vouchers! only one problem - it appears you have to be a member for a year before getting into the properties free - its apparently half price to get in for the 1st year. Does anyone know about this??
Anyway thanks OP as its made me think about what to join, in advance of my hols rather than leave it too late!

jamgirl

not sure where you got that info from but once you have joined english heritage you get into properties free.

carolwat

whats the difference between national trust and english heritage?

Jaws_2

They are separate organisations, and I believe EH is partly state funded. EH tends to look after ruined buildings such as castles, rather than NT's intact houses and landscapes. I have been a member of EH in the past, which gave half price entry to Cadw sites as well (useful for me as I live in the Marches). BUT if you join Cadw instead, you get free entry to Cadw AND EH AND Scottish Heritage, and they are cheaper.

theloft

Jaws wrote:

They are separate organisations, and I believe EH is partly state funded. EH tends to look after ruined buildings such as castles, rather than NT's intact houses and landscapes. I have been a member of EH in the past, which gave half price entry to Cadw sites as well (useful for me as I live in the Marches). BUT if you join Cadw instead, you get free entry to Cadw AND EH AND Scottish Heritage, and they are cheaper.

Not quite correct - National Trust Scotland prices are the same or very similar. And as you show, CADW doesn't give you admission to NT properties!!

bargain_babe

jamgirl wrote:

not sure where you got that info from but once you have joined english heritage you get into properties free.

it was on the english heritage website, where you apply to join. but when you look at the properties it says that members are free. I have written to them to ask about it as its not really clear. I will post when I have heard back from them.

jamgirl

ahhh i see.....half price admission to scotland, wales and isle of man.
everything else is free

i've only been to english properties so have been free so far
also joined using clubcard vouchers

also meant to say.....i'm a memeber of english heritage and national trust and visit far more national trust properties than english heritage. if i had to choose between them it would be national trust for me.

if you only want one membership then have a good look at both sites and see how many properties you are likely to visit

bargain_babe

Thanks Jamgirl for pointing that out - I must have read it so quick I thought it meant all properties!!! I am gonna look a bit of a twit when they write back to me LOL.

Anyway sorry for taking the thread off track. I agree there seems more choice with National Trust but as its Isle of Wight we are off too, I think it will work out for us this year with NH instead as we will use it definately. I will save my clubcard vouchers this year and join NT too next year. Thanks again for your help.

cheapie_claire

We have been "Scottish National Trust" members for years and years now, despite living nowhere near Scotland. They are always cheaper than the National Trust, and you do get to park in english NT car parks for free, just show your membership ticket as you go in. We have done that all over England with no trouble at all. When visiting English properties we look them up on the website for details as we don't get sent anything about English properties. I don't think there's any harm in looking for the best deal when paying for membership of a charity, afterall you're supporting them which is more than a lot of people do. Surely it doesn't matter where your money goes, as long as you are supporting someone, plus whichever property you visit, whether it's at home or further afield, will benefit from your custom as most people spend money in the shop or restaurant there.