Visiting the National Trust - How many!

When I visited Flatford yesterday Sarah (the nice lady running their twitter feed - side note Twitter is a good way to interact with the Trust) said that the most properties she had heard of someone visiting was 150 something.

Now as readers of this blog know I've visited the odd one or two over the years and so I took my 2014 year book and started ticking. I've been a bit subjective in my counting I haven't included large chunks of coast and country. For example I haven't included the Jurassic Coast or large chunks of Cornwall coast but have included properties like Sherringham Park and Hatfield Forest that count as coast and country. I think if I'm going to revise this I will include coast and country that either charge an admission or have a tea room :) 

So what is my count? 162! Which is not bad. I may gave cheated a bit.... I've included Tredegar House and Diffryn Gardens but visited both BEFORE they became NT properties.

The thing is there are some really irritating omissions, I have never been to the following:
Red House - doesn't open to non guided tour to 1:30.
Ascott - opens at 2pm!!! given where it is in relation to my home address it is a really awkward visit.
West Wycombe Park - another with awkward opening times. I am going to have to bite the bullet on this one as the church is on my list!

There are quite a few others in London that I ought to visit.

I have quite a few on my hit list for this year:

Finch Foundry
Parke - it has a tea room so counts!
Lydford Gorge - it has a tea room so counts!
Stoneywell - new small property limited opening but the scones look good:)
Woolsthorpe Manor
Gunby Hall
Treasurers House
Goddards
Chedworth
West Wycombe - I really must go into the church!


The Trust doesn't make it easy as they add new properties (which is good I know) but you look through your latest book and go "Hang on I've been there loads of time and never seen that before!!". That happened two years ago to Trish and I over Woolbeding Garden. Trish lives near it and had never heard of it before.