Enjoying England for a year!

Old Jul 27th, 2016, 04:27 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Enjoying England for a year!

Moving to England for a year for hubby's work, with kids (7 & 9 years old) who love travelling, visiting places and exploring the countryside.. We are all very excited at the prospect of all the experiences in store for us..
However, the costs of tickets to all the major sights will start adding up..So would love any advise on any passes/memberships we could take advantage of.. or would 2for1 tkts be our best option?

would National Trust membership make sense?

Will be in London for 4 weeks and then will be located in Surrey. would like to see highlights of London at a very leisurely pace and catch a few shows during our 4 weeks there before the kids start school..

so far we have visited the science museum, Natural history museum and the Hyde park..and bought a LP guide..

Any advise would be welcome!!
nikidi is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 04:41 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
There are a gazillion great places to go in London with kids - plus many brief day trips:

In London:
Tower of London
British Museum
Museum of London
Regent Park
Kensington Gardens/boat sailing
Imperial War Museum
V&A Museum (selected sections, check the web site)


In the outskirts (try to go one way by boat) - 30 minutes or less by train:
Greenwich Maritime Museum
Windsor Castle
Hampton Court Palace

If you google kids activities here and in some guide books you will find tons of others.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 04:41 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 7,763
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
would National Trust membership make sense?

Yes, absolutely.
sparkchaser is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 04:46 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Some museums have free entrance such as the ones you have been to, Science and Natural History and the V&A.

http://www.timeout.com/london/museum...eums-in-london
Odin is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 04:56 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The 2 for 1 deal with train and/or TfL tickets is effectively free, so you'd be mad not to use it as much as possible.

National Trust membership covers only a tiny proportion of Britain's historic sites - and those sites (almost entirely historic houses till recently inhabited by toffs, and their surrounding estates) are generally of limited interest to young children. Properties accessible with English Heritage membership have almost no overlap with NT properties, cover a much wider range of varieties of historic buildings and a significant proportion of its estate is free to enter.

Familiarising yourself with the websites of these two organisations is a good way to start seeing what's available.

There are several other groups of generally historic attractions, not covered by either membership:
- Royal palaces (http://www.hrp.org.uk/ ). Generally requiring payment, though there IS a membership scheme. Brighton Pavilion, Holyrood House and Buckingham Palace are not covered
- Anglican cathedrals and a few major Anglican churches also require a fee from visitors, and don't have a common website. Other churches' cathedrals are free - as are our 9,000 medieval churches
- Oxford and Cambridge colleges ( https://www.ox.ac.uk/visitors and https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-univ...the-university ) . Charge visitor admission in some cases
- Other historic houses. The biggest historic houses (like Blenheim and Chatsworth) are private businesses. They have a trade association (http://www.hha.org.uk/ ) and a friends programme that MIGHT offer value for money
- Major regional museums. Most major regional and provincial museums and art galleries, and the national museums in Merseyside, are free to enter
- Other art galleries. The National Art Pass (www.artfund.org/ ) offers free or reduced admission to most galleries (like the Royal Academy, the Courtauld and a couple of thousand others) that aren't free to enter. Like the NT and EH, well worth using its website to see what there is: a large proportion of British galleries have excellent child-oriented outreach programmes.
flanneruk is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 05:27 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,892
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
National Trust for Scotland membership is cheaper and gives you free entry into nearly all NT properties for free - Stonehenge is a notable exception. Nt membership also give entry to NTS properties.

NT membership, and I assume NTS membership, also gives free parking at NT sites, with a sticker in your car, saving you quite a bit of money for many of their glorious areas of countryside.

The NT is not only stuffy stately homes. They have large areas of countryside, watermills, the entire village of Lacock, industrial heritage sites and increasingly smaller, working class homes too.
Their website (imho) stinks, but it will give you an idea of what they have, and costs so you can decide whether membership is worth it. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ and for Scotland www.nts.org.uk/Home/
hetismij2 is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 05:37 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 25,422
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
you will find that some museums are free but the carpark charges are through the roof, so monitor both.
bilboburgler is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 06:18 AM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks everyone..that's some great info!
i will look into NTS and National trust membership.

commuting for the next month using the Oyster on the tube.. and wondering how I can take advantage of the 2for1 for the London sights as we are located in Canary wharf and will not be using the National Rail..(but I do have tkts from last week)

So am I right in thinking that the best bet for theater tkts is from the TKTS counter at Leicester square and getting tkts for the same day?..which will be easier now than later when we are located out of London.
London bridge & London eye and Lion King are high on the kids list at the moment.

Would also love a recommendation for the best book for country walks..saw a couple at the Waterstones and wasn't sure which one to pick..(by BBC/National trust/Country Walking magazine etc.)
nikidi is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 06:33 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,548
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>as we are located in Canary wharf and will not be using the National Rail..(but I do have tkts from last week)
janisj is online now  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 07:30 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,911
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I've never done a comparison of the many different guides to country walks from London, but there are also plenty online. The Time Out guides look pretty good to me (they're all designed with getting there and back by train from central London), but I'm not sure if they're a bit too demanding of 7 and 9 year olds!

Try:
http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/
PatrickLondon is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 07:50 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 722
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Look at the family ticket price vs two adult tickets at the places you want to go. Often there isn't a big difference so the 2for1 isn't a big savings especially if you need to pay extra for the paper rail ticket or travel card.
lolfn is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 07:50 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,548
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
There is the big (like coffee table sized) '1001 Walks in Britain' by the AA.
janisj is online now  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 07:55 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The best walking books are those that will fit into an anorak pocket and can be read in the rain.

Failing which, the perfect walking book must be able to be legible when squashed, open at the relevant page, into a clear plastic pouch you can hang round someone's neck (obtainable at all outdoor shops). This means you'll get through a couple in a year, and it MUST be a paperback, or a collection of cards.

In our climate, there's no such thing as weather unsuitable for walking. There's also very little likelihood of a walk taking place entirely in weather that makes it easy to read unprotected books.
flanneruk is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 08:39 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 25,422
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
The family deal is often good, I normally adopt a couple in the queue with Mrs B so we can make a foursome to get those prices
bilboburgler is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 08:58 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,418
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
look out for the Pathfinder walking books, which are very good

http://www.pathfinderwalks.co.uk/our-books/

the AA do some as well http://shop.theaa.com/store/walking

agree with Flanner - the best are pocket sized and practical so you need to see them in the flesh - online guides rarely suffice
sofarsogood is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 09:11 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 720
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wasn't there an American organisation which was reasonably cheap but had reciprocal membership of the likes of NT & EH?

Watch out for family tickets, they can be substantially cheaper than 2-4-1 or any other offers.

You might also want to consider looking at the Art Fund which gives discounts on many exhibitions and reduced or free entry to museums & properties.

Do watch out for Heritage Open Days in September

https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/
http://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/
http://www.timeout.com/london/things...our-highlights (the real website for London appears to have been hacked)

Might be a good idea to get store cards, some of the offers you can get through them can be good (most aren't)

Don't forget much of the Continent is a short flight from the UK.
dotheboyshall is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 11:05 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,548
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>Wasn't there an American organisation . . .from the UK though. It is based in New York.
janisj is online now  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 11:09 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 12,126
Received 26 Likes on 4 Posts
"Wasn't there an American organisation which was reasonably cheap but had reciprocal membership of the likes of NT & EH?"

Yes, Royal Oak Foundation is the American partner of the National Trust. I was about to suggest comparing the family membership rates when I noticed the OP seems to already be in London. The question might be can they join and receive membership materials at a UK address. Same benefits and printed materials, free entry and a free parking sticker. Check here:

http://www.royal-oak.org/
MmePerdu is online now  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 11:30 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 7,763
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
These travel cards get you all the same travel as an Oyster.


So does using your contactless debit card.
sparkchaser is offline  
Old Jul 27th, 2016, 11:59 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,548
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>So does using your contactless debit card.
janisj is online now  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -