National Trust’s work, land and properties

The National Trust (NT) is Europe’s largest conservation charity whose ethos is to protect and care for places so that people and nature can thrive. The charity is responsible for the care of over 780 miles of coastline, more than 250,000 hectares of land, in excess of 500 historic houses, castles, parks and gardens, and almost a million works of art spanning the length and breadth of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (there is a separate and independent National Trust for Scotland). A National Trust membership provides access to all of these treasures.

Exploring your local area and beyond

As soon as we became members, we discovered just how many interesting places there are to explore in our local area. Many of the venues also have great natural play areas. Over the years, it has really helped with planning easy days out. As we are members these days are free as our entry and parking are both covered. Often we head to some of our favourite places such as Claremont, Polesden Lacey, Morden Hall Park or Box Hill. We regularly head further afield, and when we visit friends and family in different parts of the country we explore National Trust venues near them.

The National Trust was a godsend during lockdown. Whilst houses and cafes were shut, the NT provided free local access to parks, gardens, countryside and other outdoor sites for everyone.  

The benefits of National Trust membership

• Free entry to more than 500 historic houses, castles, parks and gardens
• Free parking at most National Trust car parks
• National Trust Handbook, which provides lots of information about all the places the NT looks after
• You receive the National Trust Magazine three times a year, which has loads of inspiration for family days out
• You’ll make your money back really quickly

The National Trust always has extra activities at Christmas, Easter, half-term and during the summer holidays. These range from outdoor family trails and nature-inspired activities to indoor arts and crafts, so there’s something for all weathers. There’s also the ongoing 50 things to do before you’re 11 3/4. Whilst these activities aren’t restricted to members, as a member you hear about what’s happening first. Similarly, the Trust holds lots of events throughout the year.

The cost of National Trust membership

I find the National Trust membership really good value. To put the following costs into perspective, Attingham Park, Cliveden and Dunham Massey – the Trust’s three most visited venues in the 2021–2022 season – cost £37.50, £42.50 and £36.25 respectively for a family ticket for a one time visit.

Family National Trust membership

A membership for a family of two adults (aged 18+) living at the same address and their children or grandchildren (17 or under) costs £146.40 a year or £12.20 a month.

A membership for one adult and their children or grandchildren is £91.20 a year or £7.60 a month.

Joint or Individual National Trust membership

Children under five are free so in this case, you only need to get a joint or single membership; a joint being £139.20 a year (£11.60 a month) and an individual £84.00 a year (£7.00 a month).

You’re not penalised for paying monthly, so this is a great option for spreading the cost.

Further membership details can be found here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/membership

Currently, if you pay for a new joint, family, individual or young person membership by annual Direct Debit online you get a £15 National Trust gift card. This can be spent in any National Trust shop or café.

There’s also the option to buy membership as a gift. This would make an excellent Christmas present for someone. You could even put it on your own Christmas list (if you’ve been good!).

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For more details about the National Trust go to: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/

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Painted stones – create, hide and find

A lovely pastime for children, it simply involves getting a stone decorating it and then hiding/placing it so others can find it. Finders can keep the stones but re-hiding is best so more people can share in the fun. Anyone finding a painted stone is encouraged to post pictures of their discoveries on Facebook.

What you need

Not a lot…

1. Stones – You need stones that are smooth and rounded. If you don’t live near the beach you can often find them on woodland walks or can buy them from garden centres.
2. Acrylic paint/paint pens/nail varnish
3. Paint brush
4. Sharpie pen (for writing message on the back)
5. PVA glue to seal/varnish

What to do

1. Give your stones a wash and pat dry
2. Prime with some watered down acrylic paint
3. Get designing with your paints or nail varnish or paint pens
4. Paint the Facebook “f” and include the hashtag #BansteadRocks
5. Seal/varnish by painting on PVA glue

Banstead Rocks

Our first two ‘Banstead Rocks’ finds

There is now an official Banstead Rocks Facebook page where people post pictures of their handiwork and their finds. It’s really captured the local area’s imagination.

“Banstead and its surrounding areas are pretty incredible, so let’s join together to spread love around SM7 & the surrounding area. Creativity has no limits! The goal is simple – Have fun creating art and then bring joy to someone else by sharing it. Use this to brighten someone’s day, send a needed message, or just to spread joy. Join us and have some fun! It is also helpful for getting the children out and about instead of glued to iPads or Games consoles!!” 

In need of inspiration?

Anything goes, but if you need some inspiration there are quite a few books out there and even one specifically targeted at children – Stone Painting for Kids: Designs to Spark Your Creativity 

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We discovered Mayfield Lavender – a family run certified organic lavender farm in the North Surrey Hills – last year (despite it being five minutes from our house!) and were bowled over by its beauty and went back a number of times. It is just 15 miles outside of London, so the farm gets a good many tourists as well as plenty of locals visiting.

It was lovely to return for the new season. It was pleasantly busy (it’s never been chaotic) when we arrived just before 4pm and the beautiful smell immediately greeted us. I was happy to see that admission prices had not increased. It is £1 per adult to enter and children under 16 are free. The price also includes parking, so for £1 the four of us got in and parked.

There is a cafe and shop by the entrance, but we headed straight to a grassy, benched area amongst the lavender, which had a nicely styled, chrome van selling refreshments. I had a lavender Earl grey tea and the girls had a lavender lemonade. It was extremely peaceful, and I carried on drinking my tea and sat and watched as the girls ran off – free – through the many rows in the huge field.

I then joined them and we had a lovely weaving stroll, where we identified lots of butterflies and plenty of insects, as we headed to a red phone box for a photo opportunity.

Next we hit the shop and I bought some more lavender plants for our garden (reduced in price to a bargain £2 a pot). As I was paying, I spotted a poster…

The Rosemary beetle – Lavender’s enemy

As the poster says, the rosemary beetle feeds on lavender and then releases a toxin into the stem, which can kill the plant. We collected our jam jar and then went on a beetle hunt. The hunt was so popular with the girls (and me) that we stayed on almost an hour extra! After a slow start (and a botched initial capture), we found 19 of the pesky things. We headed back to the shop and the girls claimed their sweet treat reward.

What a lovely way to spend a mid-week, late afternoon.

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All venues such as this seem quite expensive for a family of five. However Godstone Farm compares slightly more favourably to nearby Bocketts Farm. You can also save 10% if you book online five days in advance. Godstone Farm also has a really nice, almost community, vibe and is so well-staffed you can see where your admission price goes.

• Adult (16+)   £8.40
• Child (2-16 Years)   £8.40
• Child (Under 2 Years)   £3.20
• Child (Under 1 Years)   Free

The animals at Godstone Farm

There were plenty of ‘traditional’ farmyard animals such as pigs, sheep, goats and cows alongside the ponies, horses and donkeys. We also got to see lots of lambs and kids as many had been born over night (very cute!). Along with the many daffodils on display it certainly felt like spring was springing.

You can feed most of the animals and the girls loved doing this. They actually spent plenty of time with each of the different types of animals instead of just wanting to race around. There were good explanations about all the different breeds and plenty of facts, which added to their experience.

Outside we also saw llamas, alpacas and a huge variety of birds and poultry.

Next stop was the indoor animal handling area where there were chicks, chickens, rabbits and a number of other fluffy and furry things. The girls loved that they were able to dive straight in and touch the animals and weren’t nervous in the slightest.

There was also the opportunity to hold the rabbits but the girls wanted to visit the tea room for lunch so we took a rain check. After lunch we headed straight for our tractor ride. We bought the tickets (£1 per person) an hour before and had a designated time slot.

The other stuff at Godstone Farm

We all liked the Dino Trail where we ‘saw,’ amongst others, a Mammoth, Stegosaurus, Pterosaurus and T-Rex. There were plenty of facts and information, which my eldest daughter (seven) loved and there was the opportunity to dig for bones in sand pits, which appealed to my younger twins too.

After a tour of animals that lived millions of years ago we then had a look at their closest living relatives – snakes, spiders, bearded dragons, iguanas and a scorpion.

Following this it was play time and we headed to the Adventure Playground. It is very large and they thought it was brilliant. They could cheerfully have spent several hours there alone. However, it was dropping a bit colder -being mid-February – and a coffee was calling so we lured them away with the promise of indoor play! We didn’t visit, but there’s also the Red Slide Barn, which has a wooden climbing frame and slides and wooden play vehicles. It’s a halfway house being outside but undercover.

We spent quite some time in the Play Barn. It has a separate section for the under fours, which has a smaller play frame and lots of toys, but my three were straight onto the main frame. It’s definitely big enough to keep them entertained for well over an hour, but isn’t so vast that you can’t keep an eye on them.

We left feeling like we’d had a great full day of activity. As soon as we got in the car they were asking when we could go back, so definitely a hit.

• To celebrate Mothers Day, Godstone Farm is offering all mums free entry for the day

www.godstonefarm.co.uk

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I’m no stranger to a Wetherspoons pub or Michelin-starred dining. Both have their place. However, for me the holy grail is a smart pub that serves great food in nice surroundings. Oh yes, it also needs to be relaxed and  family-friendly.

The Old Plough

On New Year’s Day we decided we were in need of a walk. My husband Matt suggested Norbury Park in Surrey and we headed out. We couldn’t find it and then the girls started moaning that they were hungry.  I spotted a pub – The Old Plough – and we swiftly did a U turn.

Bar menu at The Old Plough

The Old Plough has a real charm but isn’t twee. It was packed and no tables were available in the restaurant until 3pm. We were invited to wait at the bar in case a table became available in the bar area where we’d be able to have the full restaurant menu. We never made it to a table and instead took root at the bar and ordered bar snacks.

The bar area was very cosy and featured armchairs and a fire. However, we were more than happy perched on bar stools (with the girls looking worryingly at ease). We went for cocktail sausages with a mustard and honey glaze, nachos and calamari. All three of these can be hit and miss in a pub and have a tendency to be rather heavy and greasy. However, the sausages were really great quality with a perfectly balanced glaze, the calamari had lovely light, crisp batter and the nachos weren’t claggy with cheese; they were actually light with the accompanying salsas really fresh. We were very impressed and decided that we’d have to sample the full menu very soon. We headed off for our walk but never did find Norbury Park.

The Old Plough’s restaurant menu

Children’s food and starters

Fast forward a week and with my visiting mother- and father-in-law, we returned; this time with a reservation. We recognised a few people there from last time so knew that it must be popular with locals (usually a good sign). We were immediately escorted to our table. The restaurant wasn’t very busy at that time, but within the hour was packed out.

The service was attentive but not overbearing and the menu was quite varied and extensive without trying to do everything. We ordered beef burgers in buns with home cut chips for two of our daughters and sausages, chips and peas for the other. The waitress immediately asked if we wanted the children’s food to come out with the adult starters.

Sausages and burgers can vary tremendously on quality. These were top-notch and although I didn’t try the chips I was told they were delicious and crispy. The portions were very large yet reasonably priced. I was the only one drinking and had a glass of Prosecco to start. Matt and I had starters of bang bang peanut satay chicken with crunchy oriental vegetable salad (£7.50) and crispy fried sesame king prawns with wasabi and lime mayonnaise (£7.50). Both were very tasty. Again the batter for the prawns was crispy and light. The salad with the prawns was also oriental in style, very fresh and crunchy.

Mains

My mother-in-law, mindful that we were having a big curry in the evening, went for a lighter bite of steak, mustard mayonnaise, roasted onions, tomato and rocket served on ciabatta (£7.95). This came served with a choice of soup, salad or home cut chips. They omitted the onions at her request without problem. I’m sure she’d be the first to admit that she can be quite fussy, but it went down very well, with the only criticism being that it was too large a portion to finish!

My father-in-law, due to illness, doesn’t have a huge appetite and is rather limited on what he fancies eating. He plumped for a children’s portion of fish and chips. He really enjoyed it and it was great to see him eating well. The batter was very nice and crisp and the chips had already had the seal of approval.

Children’s portion of fish and chips (with peas)

Matt and I, not so mindful about eating big again for dinner went for one of the specials: Beef, mushroom and blue cheese pastry pie accompanied with mash, honey-glazed carrots and red cabbage (£13.95). The pie was delicious and the mash was wonderfully smooth and creamy. I’m rather a vegetable dodger and cooked carrots are far from a favourite of mine. However, they weren’t soft, soggy and flavourless, instead having a nice bite to them and a lovely sweetness (but not too sweet) courtesy of the glaze. They served plenty of wines by the glass. They also had a list of specials, off which I ordered a very nice and decently-priced Nero d’Avola.

My steak, mushroom and blue cheese pie

Dessert and afters

I was rather full so bypassed dessert, but my in-laws shared a pistachio cheesecake with greek yoghurt, honey and raspberries (£5.95). The feedback was that it was very tasty, but slightly over-baked. They also had coffees, which they said were very good. Whilst I did a toilet run with the kids, Matt ordered me a Brandy Alexander!?! Although part of the after dinner cocktail menu, it went down amazingly well at lunch. Heavy on the brandy – delicious!

We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit and I’m looking forward to returning in the warmer months so we can experience some al fresco dining (and perhaps combine with a visit to nearby Wisley Gardens) but in the meantime would like to go back to try out the evening menu.

A few more details:

• High chairs
• Baby change
• Friendly dogs welcome in the bar and garden (on a lead)
• Childrens’ menu
• Newspapers
• WiFi
• Car park
• Close to Cobham and Stoke d’Abernon station (Waterloo line)

Whilst well-behaved children are very welcome at The Old Plough, they are only allowed in the restaurant until 8pm and in the pub area until 7pm. Also, those expecting packs of colouring books and crayons on arrival for the kids will be disappointed. I personally like that differentiation.

You might also be interested in: Date Night at Dans le Noir?

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https://prioryfarm.co.uk/discovery-land/ 

We went to a soft play venue yesterday, which cost £37 for five of us. So it was very nice to go somewhere with a modest entry price of £2.50 per person. This gave us entry to the Discovery Walk with nature trail sheet. An ample bag of food to feed the greedy fish we’d meet along the way cost just £1.

Priory Farm

We went on the picture-based trail, which was suitable for our five-year-olds, but there’s also a fact-gathering trail for kids up to 12-years-old. It took us a little under two hours to complete. I had a double buggy with me for my two-year-olds (who also had a fantastic time) and had no problems pushing it around the walk. However, it was completely redundant as they ran around everywhere and never once got in it!

The children loved answering the questions about the nature and wildlife around them and there were plenty of obstacles; things to climb, jump on and off and explore. It was all quite simple but the children unanimously loved it and were completely engaged throughout.

The sunflower maze was a huge hit and actually quite a challenge.

The fish went into a frenzy (as did the kids) when we rang the bell and they knew food was coming.

We visited the picturesque plum orchard.

The children beat the mums at tug of war (how did that happen?).

Before the mums versus children battle

We saw a ‘scary’ dragon in a cave and a very big spider!

Then it was off for a picnic. We’d taken our own food (which made it an even more purse-friendly experience), but Wendy’s cabin sells a selection of food, drinks and ice cream.

After eating, the kids let off even more steam on the pirate play ship, which is situated right next to the picnic area.

We didn’t visit the farm shop or the nursery, bakery and other businesses based on the estate,  but we’d spent a good three hours there learning and playing and it was time to go. More to explore next time…

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Entertaining the kids

I’ve written before about ways I entertain the kids without formal activities such as ballet classes, swimming lessons and football practices. I mentioned that amongst other things, National Trust gardens and properties featured heavily in our yearly itinerary. We’ve been to a lot of National Trust places in Surrey and London and wanted to visit somewhere new. On the advice of fellow National Trust member @DanFaulksCNN, we headed off for Wakehurst Place (the country estate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) in West Sussex.

Belton House in Lincolnshire

We were not disappointed. It was a really varied landscape with lots of nice walks (easily accessible with a buggy). Amongst other things it had a water garden, a walled garden and house to explore. There were plenty of opportunities for nature spotting, pooh stick playing and hide and seek. It was all good wholesome fun and kept the children (and adults) well entertained. We then went for a spot of lunch at the on site restaurant and also sampled some of the delights at the artisan bakers there. We felt like we’d only scratched the surface at Wakehurst Place, but nap times beckoned and we’d had a lovely time.

National Trust membership

My husband Matt and I became members of the National Trust when Sofia was a few months old. At the time I thought the £97 joint membership (children under five are free) was quite a large initial outlay. However, it very quickly became apparent what a great investment it is. Our membership gives us free access to over 300 historic houses, gardens and countryside and coastline spaces and means we have the all-important free parking every time. Over a very short period – and during the winter months – it quickly paid for itself.

Winkworth Arboretum in Surrey

In comparison, for the five of us to all go on a one-off visit to our local farm/soft play venue it costs just over £40 in winter and £60 in summer.  I’d never thought of myself as an NT-type person, but I absolutely love it and more importantly so do the children. This year alone, we must have visited in excess of 20 times, and just as frequently in the autumn and winter as in the spring and summer.

Our National Trust visits

I can only speak for the places we’ve visited, but they all have good facilities and are really geared up for children with plenty of activities. My younger ones are happy to have big spaces to run around in, but are already taking an interest in the things that they see outside. They can also take part in many of the arts and craft activities that are set up at many venues.

Picnicing at Claremont in Surrey.

Sofia, being older, is far more engaged. She loves looking around the houses and doing some of the activities such as dressing up and eye spy. She has also been doing their  50 things to do before you’re 11 3/4.

When we stay with friends and family in different parts of the country we often go and visit NT properties and gardens in the area. It’s a really good option for a family of five as local attractions can be expensive.

I’ve also found that an increasing number of my friends with children are also members. That means that even midweek I can throw us into the car and head out for a meet up with a friend and have a coffee and a walk.

Wakehurst Place by night

Take a picnic

If you are trying to keep costs down, I would advise you to take a picnic weather-permitting as the cafes and restaurants are pretty pricy. Matt and I had a modest hot meal and the girls had a standard lunchbox each and it came to £41. Granted, I did have a crafty miniature bottle of Merlot (it is still Christmas), but even so, I thought that this was very expensive. Wakehurst Place isn’t an exception. I find all NT eateries are pricey.

Doing the eye spy sheet at Ham House in Surrey.

At the Hinemihi Marae (Maori meeting house) at Clandon Park in Surrey. We’d just watched a display of Maori dancing.

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