National Trust

Visiting the UK? Living in the UK and need a day out?

The National Trust is a registered charity and independent of government. It has 3.6 million members and relies on 55,000 volunteers. That's not bad from a total UK population of around 62 million.

Throughout the UK the National Trust protects and preserves over 350 historic building, gardens and ancient monuments. They supervise and maintain woodland, beaches, parks, islands, nature reserves, wilderness areas – protecting the environment, structures and maintaining public access for everybody.

There is usually a small entry charge for the buildings – to help with the very high costs of restoration and general maintenance – but I have never been to a National Trust site where I thought the charge was excessive.

Some of the most beautiful and most historic sites in Britain are under their care and protection. If you are planning a day out, a visit to Britain, or just interested, take a look at the website (http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk). Even better, sign up and become a member – it's a worthy organisation and then you get access to all their sites for free.