It's non-stop questions from me today!

Anyway, I'm wondering if it's worth joining the NT. I've heard that a lot of car parks in the Lakes are NT run and if you're a member parking is free/cheap. We'll be staying in Hawkshead, Ambleside, for 3 nights. For one of us to join for a year it'll be about £40. We'll probably go to other NT places within the year so might be worth joining anyway.

Anyone know anything about this or have any experience with parking in the Lake District?

Cheers,
jon

We went to Centre Parcs up in the lake district at the end of March and are members of the NT.

There are a lot of NT places around there – but it will only be NT car parks at NT places that you'll get free parking at.
The NT don't control any other car parks, except their own (I think!).

If you look online, I think you can get joint membership for something like £55 for the first yr by direct debit & you can easily pay £5-£10 for car parking at each place.
If you actually think you would visit places over the course of a yr then it's definitely worth doing. The small sites are at least a few quid to get in (plus parking) and the larger sites are getting on for £10 per person, plus the addition of £2 here and there once you are in to access specific areas (like gardens etc.)

Have a look on their website for what there is up in the Lake District that belongs to the NT and decide if they are the kind of places you would like to visit.

Cheers. I'll have a look on the website.

The NT do have a lot of Lakes car parks, but so do the National Park authority and the Forestry (Grizedale etc).

You probably won't make back £40 in three days but there are plenty of other areas around the country with handy NT carparks, eg the Devon and Cornwall coasts, so it could well be a good annual investment.

Just don't forget to put the sticker in the car – that can be a tad irritating…

There are quite a few NT car parks as they are a large landowner in the lakes. Buttermere, Honister, seatollor spring to mind there are a lot more though. I originally joined for that very reason 😉

list of their webby

Lanthwaite Wood NY 149 215
Buttermere NY 172 173
Honister Pass NY 225 135
Seatoller NY 246 137
Rosthwaite NY 257 148
Bowderstone NY 254 167
Watendlath NY 276 164
Kettlewell NY 269 196
Great Wood NY 272 213
Aira Force NY 401 201
Glencoyne Bay NY 387 188
Wasdale Head NY 182 074
Old Dungeon Ghyll NY 285 062
Stickle Ghyll NY 295 064
Elterwater NY 329 047
Tarn Hows SD 326 995
Ash Landing SD 388 955
Sandscale Haws SD 199 758
Blea Tarn NY 296 044
Harrowslack SD 388 960
Red Nab SD 385 995

Joined before we went to Cornwall a few years back – easily covered the membership fee just in car parking fees alone at nearly every decent beach (I know its not quite the Lakes!)

dunno, but figure i must deserve lifetime free parking after putting up with living on their estates for 18 years!

Free advice to parents, living in the sticks may shelter your kids from drugs and alcohol behind the local spar, but also turns the 18 mile trip to the local town center into a two hour logistical epic, not great if you actualy want them to see anyone outside of school!

I'm in NT and go to Lakes a lot. Saves a fortune over council run car parks, and I know the funds are not just being frittered on some local council politically correct spendathon.

I'm told that as a charity, they can't fine/clamp you for parking.
I'm a fully paid up member though.
Worth noting none of the towns in the Lakes have NT car parks.
For anyone nearer, the £20 annual ticket covering Forestry Comm car parks is a much better deal.

I'm a member of the Scottish NT, since it was slightly cheaper than the English NT when I joined and you got reciprocal rights. I live near London though.

Plus, the Scottish NT seem to look after stuff I'm more interested in i.e. mountains than the English one (Lake District and some other places aside) so I like to think my money is being better used. Yeah, right.

worth joining anyway. Remember that they don't just own old houses and car parks, they look after huge chunks of our National Parks that we all like to ride in, not forgetting some ace beaches and big mountains.

Free parking is a bonus too.

well worth joining saves a fortune on family days out kids love running around clivedon local to us three visits gets the fee back let alone parking and visits on hols

Cheers for the replies people.
I reackon we will join as there are plenty of places we'd like to visit that are NT owned.

Yep a membership is worthwhile, it all helps to pay my wages…

i did it thru quidco for mum and dad at xmas
got about £30 cashback

http://www.quidco.com/national-trust/

After spending Easter in the Lakes, our selection of cards saved our group a fortune on parking with 4 cars.

And like Si, it helps keep me in bike bits 😉

For the cheapskates, ~40hours volunteering will get you a card, just had a lad do a weeks work experience with us and got his card so can use the surf car parks in Cornwall gratis.

Scottish NT seem to look after stuff I'm more interested in i.e. mountains than the English one (Lake District and some other places aside)

So most of Snowdonia and the Lleyn Peninsula too then?

You used to be able to park at YHA car parks with a NT pass, don't know if you still can though