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National Trust Group
The purpose of this group is to make use of your National Trust membership to visit local National Trust properties and then those further afield. This is a group you can dip in and out of as you wish if the date of the visit is suitable and the property selected is of interest to you.
If you have National Trust membership this is a very good way of visiting properties in the company of other members. We have found that venues usually look favourably on groups and lay on a little something extra. In the case of Canons a private tour. Non National Trust members are also welcome but will need to pay for entry to each property.
To keep costs down we travel in our own cars so we are particularly interested in hearing from members who would be willing to take other members.
If you want to join this group or just want to know more please click here National Trust Visits Group Convenor . You will be placed on the circulation list for upcoming events.
Upcoming Visits
Our first visit this year is to Ascott House and Gardens on Wednesday 25th March.
Ascott House & Gardens, Wing, Nr. Leighton Buzzard, Bucks, LU7 0PS
I have booked 20 tickets for this visit. We travel in our own cars as usual taking non drivers with us. Travel time is about 50 minutes. Entry to House and gardens for NT members is free. Non members pay £17.55
There is a cafe (of course). The house is open and the gardens are considered well worth visiting. My contact at the House hopes that the daffodils will be in full bloom. The cafe opens at 11.30am and I have booked house entry tickets for 1pm.
Please let me know if you are interested in this visit.
Group Convenor: Andrew Goodchild. To contact Andrew click here National Trust Visits Group Convenor .
Visit Reports
2026
Ascott House and Gardens 25th March 2026
Our first outing in 2026 was to Ascott House and gardens. 18 members braved the inclement weather and enjoyed the gardens and a visit to the House. This NT property is well worth visiting. The gardens were splendid and full of daffodils. The house contains some excellent pairings by artists including Gainsborough, Stubbs and Turner. More visits to NT properties will take place later this year.
2025
Upton House on the 5th December 2025.
Thirteen members of the National Trust Group went to Upton House on the 5th December. We started in the cafe as usual and then explored the house once owned by Lord and Lady Bearstead. In addition to the fine paintings the group enjoyed the Christmas displays based on Aesop's Fables.
Charlecote Park on Tuesday 9th September
On Tuesday 9th September 14 members of the National Trust Group went to Charlecote Park. The weather was excellent and the group enjoyed tea and coffee in the restaurant before visiting the house. We explored interesting out buildings and then the surrounding park with a large number of deer.
Basildon Park near Reading on Friday 4th July
Fifteen members of the National Trust Group visited Basildon Park near Reading on Friday 4th July. The weather was kind to us if a little hot. The house and grounds are splendid. We found that there was a great cafe. The house is often used by film companies and there was a display highlighting the use of the house in a number of well known productions.
Well worth a visit.
Claydon House, near Buckingham, on Friday 25th April 2025
Eleven members of the National Trust group visited Claydon House, near Buckingham, on Friday 25th April. After a visit to the excellent cafe we enjoyed a guided tour of the ground floor of the house followed by a self guided tour of the top floor. Members also visited the adjacent Church.
2024
Canons Ashby, Friday 29th November
On Friday 29th November 2024 members of the National Trust group went to Canons Ashby for their excellent Christmas display. This was based on work by John Dryden who was connected to the house and family. The photo shows some members outside the house after enjoying the visit.
Greys Court
On Friday 13th September 10 members of the NT group visited Greys Court near Henley on Thames. The group enjoyed an excellent guided tour of the gardens led by a very knowledgeable guide followed by a visit to the house. This is a fascinating property and well worth the visit.
Charlecote House
On Friday 10thMay 2024 members of the U3A Brackley National Trust Group visited Charlecote Park, Near Wellesbourne, Warwickshire. For once the weather was glorious and just right to visit this NT property. We started with a visit to the cafe and then wandered around the magnificent gardens owned by the Lucy family followed by a visit to the house.
2023
On Friday 1st December 23 members of the National Trust Group visited Chastleton, a Jacobean country house, situated near Moreton the Marsh. The house was decorated for a Christmas party held by the previous occupiers in the 1960ies complete with paper chains.
The property was built by a prosperous wool merchant and was owned by an increasingly impoverish family until 1991. The house has remained essentially unchanged for nearly 400 years.
Snowshill In May 14 members had an enjoyable day at Snowshill. This was the home of Charles Wade who was an eccentric collector and filled his house with a large number of interesting objects. He left his house and collection to the National Trust. The room guides were excellent and very knowledgeable. The visit started and ended with a visit to the excellent café and of course a visit to the gift shop. The view from the entrance to the house was over spectacular Cotswold countryside. For a change the group enjoyed excellent weather. The photo shows a number of members enjoying the gardens after visiting the house.
2022
In December a small number of members braved the cold and again visited Waddesdon Manor for the Christmas market and lights. The house was open again and decorated for Christmas. Members enjoyed the illuminated house at dusk set to appropriate music.
Coughton Court
Coughton Court
Eighteen members of the National Trust Group went to Coughton Court on Friday 9th September 2022. This is an excellent property with Catholic connections. Members were treated to a presentation concerning the Gunpowder Plot including the connection with the house and the family whose descendants still reside.
Baddesley Clinton
Seventeen Baddesley Clinton - March 2022 members of the National Trust Group enjoyed a visit to Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire on Friday 25th March. This was the first time that the group had visited this property. Baddesley Clinton is a moated Manor House with a very pleasant lake and grounds. The weather was warm and the group started with drinks outside the restaurant. Some of the members can been seen in the photo.
The house visit was interesting and the room guides were very helpful and informative. After our visit some members enjoyed a late lunch at the Hatton Arms pub on way back to Brackley.
Further visits to other national Trust properties will be organised for later this year. To receive an email about future events please click on the blue bird.
2021
Seventeen members of the National Trust Group went to Waddesdon Manor on the 26th November for the Christmas lights and market. Before the visit we all enjoyed lunch at the Nightingale pub in Bicester. Further visits will be organised for 2022
Earlier this year we visited Canons Ashby and Upton House. On both occasions we visited a local pub for a meal after the visit and this was appreciated by many members.
2020
Our visit to Chastleton on Thursday 26th March had to be cancelled because of Covid. This house is unusual in that it has been left in the condition it was acquired so we will be able to see how the occupants really lived. It is intended that this visit will take place in 2022.
Cliveden
26 members of the National Trust Group visited Cliveden on the 5th March. Although the weather was not kind to us we had an enjoyable day. The photo shows some members of the group in front of the house trying to keep dry. The icing on the cake was a visit to the house which is now an exclusive hotel. As usual the guides were excellent and provided an interesting history of the house and its occupants. The grounds were just coming into flower and we should visit this venue again later in the year hopefully when it is not raining.
Hughenden
On Wednesday 5th February 27 members of the NT group went to Hughenden Manor. This was an excellent day out to visit an interesting venue. We started with coffee and shortbread biscuits while being entertained with a very good talk from a volunteer guide. He explained about the house once being the home of Queen Victoria's favourite prime minister - Benjamin Disraeli and how the house was used during WW2.
2019
Waddesden
Members of the NT group visited Waddesdon Manor in December for the Christmas lights and market. This was a full day visit and both the market and lights were excellent. A further visit took place in early January for the light show. Waddesdon in January was a little quieter and this gave us a greater opportunity to enjoy the venue and the lights. On both occasions members enjoyed a visit to the house which was decorated for Christmas. This group has proved very successful and there are now more than 50 members.
Upton
Twenty members of the National Trust Group had a very enjoyable visit to Upton House in Warwickshire on Friday 25th October. Even the rain held off for most of the day. The room guides were excellent and helped make our visit. As usual we enjoyed refreshments in the café. The photo shows some of the members appreciating some of the excellent art works at Upton.
Canons Ashby 1
The National Trust Group paid a second visit to Canons Ashby on the 24th September. We again benefited from excellent volunteer guides both around the grounds and in the Church. As the tour of the grounds began it started to rain. Staff quickly came out of the house with additional colourful umbrellas as can be seen in the photo. We then visited the house which we nearly had to ourselves. The room guides were also excellent. One of our number was invited to play the piano and we enjoyed an accomplished impromptu performance. The guide then entertained us with her own recital. Many of us finished of in the day in the café.
Canons Ashby 2
Ten members of the group visited Cannons Ashby on the 9th September and had an enjoyable guided tour of the grounds before visiting the house.
