Overnighting on National Trust Properties.

[Firefox]

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Many on this forum, I expect, belong to the Caravan Club and/or the C&CC, and probably do so to gain access to their various categories of campsite.

I don't see that there's any fundamental difference.

You don't see the difference

Allow me to enlighten you

I belong to the Caravan Club. It's a commercial organisation who offer services such as toilets, preparation areas, lighting, electric hookups, waste disposal, warden security, and hard standing. All of which services I am on occasion willing to pay for.

The National Trust is a charity. It gets land donated for free, it gets huge donations, lots of volunteers, and is supposed to have the philanthropic aim of presenting the land for the public to enjoy, allowing free access etc. It was founded by philanthropists no less.

Instead they operate a rip-off culture and delight in putting in height barriers and other access restrictions. They get land donated for free and try to charge people to use it. It is now run by a bunch of elitists who have no regard for the average users and the charitable status is a sham. For example the car park on the hill at Devil's Dyke which was free for a 100 years, they are now trying to charge people £2.00 a day to use.

 

[Canalsman]

I'm not saying that the NT is perfect in the way it's run.

I am not a member so I can't comment.

But I feel that being antagonistic towards the NT certainly won't make them sympathetic towards our cause ...

 

[guyd]

The local car park to us is now pay-and-display - I have no idea if theres any restrictions. Bizzarely, there is a trianlge / square right outside the car park, with NO yellow lines - so now everyone just parks blocking up the triangle area, annoying the residents.

They are also blocking off the 'road' / track to the beach - claiming issues with kids. This has been open to the public for well over 100 years - in fact - the local council used the marsh behind the beach as a dump in the 50's. I dont want to say much, on an open forum, but to give a hint, there are people who suggest the block wont be there long.... All in the name of profit.

 

[Coolasluck]

,You don't see the difference

Allow me to enlighten you

I belong to the Caravan Club. It's a commercial organisation who offer services such as toilets, preparation areas, lighting, electric hookups, waste disposal, warden security, and hard standing. All of which services I am on occasion willing to pay for.

The National Trust is a charity. It gets land donated for free, it gets huge donations, lots of volunteers, and is supposed to have the philanthropic aim of presenting the land for the public to enjoy, allowing free access etc. It was founded by philanthropists no less.

Instead they operate a rip-off culture and delight in putting in height barriers and other access restrictions. They get land donated for free and try to charge people to use it. It is now run by a bunch of elitists who have no regard for the average users and the charitable status is a sham. For example the car park on the hill at Devil's Dyke which was free for a 100 years, they are now trying to charge people £2.00 a day to use.

In the last 3 years we have been in the NT we have never had any issues with height barriers and we have visited a lot , the car parks are all free as long as u are a member,i dont have a problem with that,why not charge fo folk to park on NT land who are not members .The cost is 70 quid for the two of us and we certainly get our use out of our cards.The trust has a lot of lovely houses and gardens for you to spend the day at and we have been to a great many.Although the trust has these properties they cannot sell them off as they are ran for the populous and also are protected from land grabbing goverment to develop to build old phogies homes on..Its a charity we get a lot of pleasure from and get something in return we are happy,unlike a lot of the so called buisnesses that are dressed up as charities.

 

[ThursdaysChild]

Let us not be bamboozled by the misnomer " charity ". It is simply legal means of putting the profits back in the business without having them taxed. There is no charitable or altruisitc intent in the running of the business. After all, Eton College is a " charity ".
The National Trust is run by the great and the good, so that the common man may have the opportunity, at a charge, to gawp at the wealth and the lifestyle of the great and the good. Private stately homes do the same, but they are the ones whose owners have not yet gone bust.
Peasants will of course remain peasants, as the gap between rich and poor continues to grow. The stately homes of today are glass and aluminium rather than gilded rococco, and may well be seen as future acquisitions for the National Trust.

 

[Ste]

Just a thought, I'm new to MHing, but I've been on the canals for 20 years (Leeds/Liverpool at mo). British Waterways have simple systems in place from 24hr moorings upwards to 2 week moorings. Basically the further away from an amenity the longer you can stay. And generally you can stay at any one place (away from your registered berth) on the BW system for up to 2 weeks before moving where its not signposted otherwise. Although we do pay BW to use the canals (like car tax). Would it be so hard for someone as large as NT/NTS to implement something similar? Maybe not for upto 2 weeks, but you get the idea.

 

[mrbigglesworth]

N.T. Membership

You can join the N.T. through Quidco and get 30% back. A yearly membership for a couple comes down to about £42 by annual direct debit (which you can cancel after the first deduction). Well worth it for long tours round the U.K.

Mr B.

 

[Pollik]

The local car park to us is now pay-and-display...All in the name of profit.

As you say, money. But also people in the town hall need to find inventive ways to pursue their careers. Few years ago, in Hereford, we had a ridiculous one way installed. It was universally hated, Tescos even offered to pay the cost of putting it back the way it was. Many months later, it is reversed.

Imagine the CV of the instigator - "was instrumental in implementing an overhaul of the town centre resulting in the installation of centre-wide one way system"

The CV of the remover - ""was instrumental in removing a recently installed centre-wide one way system which slowed traffic flow and increased congestion and was strongly opposed by local businesses"

Win-win situation for two people.

 

[guyd]

Sorry - forgot to say that the car park (and roads) are all within NT land - on Exmoor, not council - but your point is valid.