National Trust

Here in the UK, we are fortunate enough to have a number of historic and interesting properties, many of which are managed by The National Trust. According to their website, they have 575 places in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, covering the entire country.

Places to visit range from parks and woodlands to castles and historic homes, such as Chartwell, the home of Winston Churchill.

Overlooking the lake at Chartwell, former home of Winston Churchill

Membership of The National Trust gains you access to all of these, and at £99 for a joint membership, I think this is good value, especially when you consider it also allows you free parking at most of the places they manage.

Chair next to the lake at Chartwell, former home of Winston Churchill

For those with an interest in photography, these places are a rich vein of subject material, well tended gardens, stately homes and managed open spaces all provide superb places to go for a few hours (or longer) either by yourself or with the family, and spend some time enjoying the heritage and history of the UK, whilst giving ample opportunities for creating images.

To my mind, putting yourself in the right location is more important than making sure you have every lens possible, combined with every filter ever made, just to cover every situation that ‘might’ happen. If you can create the situation, you can get the image with much less gear and effort.