I first opted for some kind of annual National Trust Membership years ago when visiting a Scottish property - Culzean Castle. When visiting a National Trust property you are offered the opportunity to sign up to an annual membership, and will get any entry fees refunded for the day. Members of the National Trust for Scotland do qualify for free admittance to the National Trust properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the annual fee is marginally less, and if you join the National Trust for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you can in fact visit the Scottish properties such as Culzean Castle in Ayrshire that I often visited, along with the sites of those historic battles, Bannockburn and Culloden.

There are various different membership options available, depending on the family unit. I opted for a Joint Membership, which costs £68 in total for one year. Depending on when you join in the month, you actually get slightly over one year in the first year of membership. A family ticket for two adults and all their children under 18 years costs £73, so that represents great value for money. There are other options including child and young person only tickets, with the latter being especially beneficial for those under 25. One parent families get an £18 discount on the family membership.

Whether it is value for money or not will depend on how many trips you might expect to squeeze in during the year. The likelihood is that the majority of these will be in your own region, plus any other regions you might visit on holiday or to visit family. For me I am quite fortunate being based in the East Midlands as I can reach most regions quite easily, and have family in the NW of England and SW of England who I visit regularly. I have found that since I took out membership, I have been more inclined to visit attractions in my local area (Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Leicestershire). However during the winter months, many attractions do close up, or only the grounds are open, and so from the end of October until March, there may not be many places available to visit.

In my own area I have already visited Clumber Park near Worksop several times. This is a huge park with plenty of activity for everyone, and the grounds itself are open all year around so it is great for a winter walk, especially post Christmas or New Year. I have already reviewed one of my favourite attractions in the area, The Workhouse in the wonderful village of Southwell. I am going to have to wait until March next year to visit "Mr Straw's" home, a 1920s suburban home in Worksop, which has not been touched since the 1920s and was gifted to the National Trust in 1990.

The trust itself probably needs no introduction. It is of course a registered charity formed in 1895 and relies on its subscriptions, entrance fees and the goodwill of its many volunteers to care for the properties, land and coastline in its care.

There are reciprocal agreements with other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, Italy, Canada and even Bermuda which I am journeying to in just a few weeks time, so hopefully I can save myself a few entry fees even over there.

Of course, if you join now, then you will probably not get much benefit from membership until March next year, when most properties are open again, but even if there are NT parks and grounds near you that typically charge a fee, then you can start to make savings during the winter. There are also seasonal events, when the homes are opened again. I love visiting Museums particularly those of historical importance, as well as some of the beautiful countryside and coastline e.g. at Hadrian's Wall, Lindisfarne and Lundy. I think taking out membership has meant I can enjoy more of these wonderful monuments than I otherwise would, and I think most people will get good value from their membership, while at the same time contributing to such a worthy and important national charity.