National Trust Reviews 

I joined NT this year and have visited many of the properties in the Midlands/Warwickshire/Worcestershire area. They all (with the exception of Charterhouse in Coventry) have the same issues. The Cafes are all exactly the same and the food offered is overpriced and not very nice. The pasties were hard, scones dry. Everything is pre made and just heated up. Sandwiches tasted stale and had sell by date weeks ahead. The list of ingredients for a plain sandwich shows just how much preservative has been pumped into them. They seem to be trying to attract more vegan people but forgetting those who aren’t. It would be much better if they could have freshly made food which caters for everyone. No point in having signs saying tell us about allergies when everything is pre made and cat be changed anyway

We visited National Trust property Shaw’s Corner for their Apple Orchard Day expecting a fun, family-friendly experience. Unfortunately, it turned out to be very overpriced and poorly managed.

The event advertised all sorts of apple fun, including apple tastings, with a suggested £2 donation for purchase of apples. But after sampling just a few apples, the person at the stall insisted we pay for each person who had tasted in our group — including our 5-year-old — and charged us £9.50 for doing so. This was never made clear upfront. After being caught off guard and paying the charge I watched others tasting freely without paying anything. This was unfair, and inconsistent. I had already paid for buying apples.

Later, after buying a Jellycat apple from a separate stall, we were stopped at the exit and told the payment hadn’t gone through due to a card terminal issue. We paid again in good faith. What bothered me most were staff were checking records and following up on missed payments — yet they had no issue with other staff members charging randomly for tastings, which after looking at the details again were included as part of the event.

The whole experience meant that £50 ended up being spent on what should have been a simple outing and I was charged £9.50 for something I should never have been charged for.
The orchard is lovely, but the experience with staff left us feeling fleeced.
Disappointed and wont be returning.

I’ve been to 35 properties in the last 2 years, and the staff are so friendly and helpful. I’ve never had a bad experience with them and they are always so nice and welcoming.

I was given a membership as a present - I have tried to contact someone to try and resolve this issue. I have tried to return the membership pack but this was refused once and undelivered the next time. It seems they just want to keep the money! Avoid like the plague. I have emailed the shop and customer services who told me my case was closed! I escalated to a complaint who said I would be contacted within 3 days - it is 5 days and counting and no reply. Doubly avoid - you have been warned!!

Very disappointed that the National Trust has stayed so far from its original founding objective. Far too much emphasis now on paying homage to ‘woke’ issues (such as DEI, anti slavery and the whole LGBTQ debacle). Their policy of allowing members to hand all their votes at the AGM over to the Chair with one tick of a box is unbelievably anti-democratic. Annual subscriptions have gone up far beyond the rate of inflation over the past few years. There are reports of some long standing volunteers being treated badly for not holding the ‘correct’ views. The only reason I’ve given the NT any stars at all is because, despite the issues outlined above, they have some beautiful properties which I love visiting. I just wish they would return to their original remit!

My 15 month old son and I went to Godolphin house (Cornwall) on Saturday morning. The estate is listed as open from "dusk till dawn". We arrived at ~09:45 and were exploring the grounds when a National Trust team member approached us. I was hoping to get some information about the grounds but instead I was told the site does not open till 10am. I jokingly asked if I would have to go back to the car park and was told I would! I was then told I could stay on the grounds as I am an NT member. A very strange interaction and poor customer service.

Nightmare organisation, set up a joint membership for the direct debit to bounce as it seems there is no way of knowing the date the payment should go out as no information was recieved to clarify this. On calling to try and re activate the membership I'm told I can't choose a payment date and I should re instate it today on the 26th in order for it to come out on the same time each month. Exactly what I did originally and they still take the money when they like, so unless I want to call every month to reset it up its a guessing game. As for environmentally unfriendly, each time I have to sort out the membership they waste paper bysending me a whole new pack and new cards,cards that you can add to Google wallet but can't actually scan the qr at the ticket machines.....very disappointed in the wastage of not only time but of resources, surprising as its meant to promote nature!

Rented a cottage in the Cotswolds and on arrival found the WiFi router blinking red. No Internet access and this drove the media centre. So nothing accessible on that front.
2 hours speaking to BT. NO JOY.
Emails and calls to the NT. No fix.
What we did get was a statement from the t and c to say WiFi might be intermitent. This was not intermitent it was non existent.
Promises from all never materialised.
It ruined our holiday and caused issues in our group, some international with only WiFi to keep in touch with family.
I will be asking for compensation. Watch this space.
Cannot recommend when there are other, more reliable and more accountable and responsive organisations out there.
Follow up: Contacted by the NT (took 7 - 10 days) to be told there was nothing wrong with the internet, though there was a brief mention about leads not being connected correctly. (And the BT technician told m the router was broken.) As a token, but not due to our issue - because they claimd there was none - we got a small credit ... AND A VOUCHER for a cream tea!!
Terrific response that does not take any responsibility for the issue we had. There was NO INTERNET, full stop. We are not idiots about these things. The router box was flashing red.
I cannot recommend the NT properties as they hid behind their terms and conditions and interpreted them to their advantage.
Try English Heritage cottages which we have enjoyed far more.

I recently visited a national trust property in Norfolk with my dog, I paid for parking and was given a map with the dog walks on it. I was totally disgusted to find several barbed wire fences in an area where dogs were allowed off lead. There were no warning signs which I always understood was a legal requirement. I realise having these fences is not illegal however it is unpleasant and property owners have a duty of care to visitors which I don't think National Trust is taking seriously……I will avoid their properties in future

Absolutely adore the NT. Slightly horrified to see so many negative reviews - hard to know if its politically motivated or genuine experience? We've had the pleasure of being members since 25 years old - more than a decade now.

We've always found every day out at the NT to be enjoyable. Facilities are always great, loads for the kids, cafe's have a great choice.

Yes, it's a little expensive, but I imagine maintaining dozens of grade 1 & 2 listed buildings and grounds must be too.

Couldn't recommend enough. So important for our country to hold onto this heritage and history.

Beware you CANNOT cancel your membership even when paying by monthly DD. This IS NOT clear when signing up and needs to be MUCH clearer. I’m now stuck with a membership over winter I won’t use.

I stayed at Arlington Row in the Cotswolds. The only heating was storage heaters that I had to turn on when I arrived for them to start working the next day, so it was pretty cold to start with. Also, the heater in the small second bedroom didn’t work at all even though I tried to turn it on at the switch. I had to contact the National Trust phone number because the TV didn’t work either and the instructions for that was a small booklet with lots and lots of pages that were quite difficult to understand. And didn’t work either. The shower was also quite poor, no power at all. There was private parking down the road in a small field for the cottage occupants but if you’ve got anything larger than a small SUV, it will be really difficult to park in there because directly opposite the field there is a small brick hut, so it’s difficult to swing into and out of the place. The directions to get to the cottage also difficult to navigate as the road we are advised to go down had a “dead end” sign and also someone had put up a “road closed” sign so again very difficult to find with that unhelpful information! The cottage was lovely though and the next day when the heaters had worked it was very nice and warm and the log fire was a help. The trout farm in the village had great reviews but you can’t eat inside, it’s all outside and last weekend was quite cold and very wet so there was nothing cozy about it at all and it was just run by a few teenagers in front of house and the food wasn’t that brilliant either. The gift shop was smaller again than it looks on their website and I couldn’t believe you had to pay to go to the loo there also. Loads of tourists all through the day up and down the road, obviously day trippers because they had disappeared by about 7 pm but they ruined the atmosphere. There was a shop in the village that I think used to be the local post office and a pint of milk was £3.50 ridiculous price and a small bottle of shower gel was £35, I couldn’t believe my eyes, needless to say, I drove to the next village and paid £1 for a pint of milk at a co-op. I know I was a tourist too but at least I had paid for a cottage.

Visited Wallington NT with my family. Did not have the best experience, which is very disappointing, considering we’re long standing members. We have raised our concerns three times and still no resolution and feel as if they are looking to brush the complaint aside. Now taking it further to director general.

Dryham park
Visit today,
Parking good, bus to main entrance much appreciated, gardens were wonderful , well attended.House a little dark, interesting.
Cafe, not enough choice all pastry or bread, except soup which ran out as soon as they opened up to serve it, all national trust properties have a lot of processed food very little fresh or healthy food available, will take my own on the future as overpriced and not enjoyable and processed not healthy enough.Need to improve.

The DEMISE OF THE NT.Being a Member For Over 30 yrs. to Read On here of Their Downfall in The Eyes of its Members & Visitors , We are NOT Surprised !
In 1895 Octavia Hill Began Her Vision & Common Belief that Nature, Beauty & History are for Everyone.
Joined By Robert Hunter& Hardwicke Rawnsley They Set Up the NT so that Nature & Historic Places Would be Protected for Future Generations.
Of Course To Move With the Times Conversation & The Changing Climate Should Be The TRUSTS Remit.
But NT where in The original Charter Does It State That Your Job is To Become Political, To Support LGBT— XYZ Rights .
You State You Give Your Staff & Volunteers the Right to Choose To Wear Badges , Lanyards SUPPORTING Their Courses . What Other Company Allows That Practice? This is Simply Outrageous, It’s Not The NT Business to Know Of A Persons Sexuality Or To Allow Employees To PROMOTE Their Causes , They Are Their To Promote The NT.
Why Should Any Visitor Be Exposed To All Of Your Permitted Gross Advertising. Why Should A Visitor Be Made Aware Of A Persons Sexual Identity, Again Outrageous !
THIS IS NOT Your Job NT ! You Promoting Such Practices, Your Employees Flaunting Goodness Knows What Badges, Could Be Deeply Offensive To Many Visitors, Especially Deliberately Advertising Their Sexuality. what Visitor Wants to Know Your “A HER/ HIM or A HIM/ HER “ which You Are Allowing .
Your Disgraceful Behaviour On “ Drag Hunting” Never Ever thinking Of The Wildlife , Thankfully We Members Stopped That ! You Have Become To Powerful In Your Own Personal Opinions of Your Management, Completely Straying Away From The Original Values Of the TRUST Created By Octavia Hill .
Further More , The Gross Misconduct Of Certain Senior Staff Members, In Particular the SW Areas of The Country , To Their Volunteers & Junior Staff is Unprecedented. A Future Reports Will Be Sent To The TRUST . No Wonder NT You Have Lost So Many Dedicated, Loyal Hard Working Volunteers , Who Have Simply Been Abused, Disrespected Their “ Health & Safety Ignored , With No Clear Communication and “ Safeguarding” what so Ever . Senior Management “ Scapegoating, Gaslighting “ To Cover Up Their Gross Negligence and Protecting Each Other , Which In Many Cases Sackable Offences .

Having cancelled membership in June then received info for AGM in August NOW I have received the magazine in September. What is wrong with the administration at the National Trust? Waste, waste, waste. Glad I did not renew!

National Trust shops are overpriced and elitist. After paying for entry, families are pushed past shelves of £6 chutneys and £20 scarves but find hardly any affordable sweets, snacks or pocket-money treats for children — it leaves younger families feeling excluded and under pressure. I don't see why they can't cater for council house kids as carefully as the artisan choc bar classes.
PS I'm posting on Trustpilot because there appears to be no more direct route to the attention of NT management.
THe fact that they don't respond to criticism speaks for itself. Like I said - elitist.

My elderly father (in his 90s) accidentally paid for membership for my late mother. The National Trust refused to refund it. At first they told me they don’t give refunds because they are a charity, but I know of other charities who treat people with more compassion and do refund in these circumstances.
This is disgusting treatment of an elderly man who made an honest mistake. Be very careful before signing up for a membership — if anything goes wrong, don’t expect understanding or fair treatment. Pay per visit instead of getting trapped in a subscription. Unless you are going 5 times a year it is not worth it!

Experienced rude aggressive woman in hotline. Absolutely no reason. Was polite and just wanted to pay for my family membership. Their managers who in charge for hotline do nothing. I believe we must boycott companies who treat their members as sht.

Complaint to the National Trust / Login to my life member account not possible /
I have been a life member of the National Trust for many years and suddenly I can no longer log into my account! This was confirmed to me when I called the hotline! I could no longer log into my account because of my foreign postcode, but I couldn't re-register either! My data was still available, they were working on the problem and would inform me by e-mail when it had been resolved! They were unable to give me a date. Apart from this untenable situation, I find it extremely unfriendly not to have been informed of this situation by e-mail!
I assume that I will still be able to exercise my right to vote at "The National Trust: The 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM)" on 8th November 2025.

Dear Steve,
thanks a lot for your answer and recommendations. I sent my complaint to the Resolution Team mentioned in your answer on 1st September, alas have not heard anything from them until today!

Most of all, I have not yet got a confirmation of my assumption that I will still be able to exercise my right to vote at "The National Trust: The 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM)" on 8th November 2025.
Thanks for your answer anyway!
Best regards
Bernie
15th September 202: I have been contacted meanwhile by a Supporter Relations Officer with an elaborate and professional recommendation of how to register my account a new, which worked absolutely fine! I am therefore a happy National Trust member again! Thanks a lot and
Best regards from Bernie