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Two people hiding in a hut doing winter bird watching at Plas Newydd House and Garden, Anglesey
Winter bird watching at Plas Newydd House and Garden, Anglesey | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Discover and learn

Would you like to dig a bit deeper into history, find gardening tips or even make a bug hotel? Discover more about the places you love and pick up some new skills. 

History

Learn about people and places from the past and discover remarkable works of art, architecture and gardens.

Daffodils dappled in sunlight next to a red brick wall
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The history of daffodils 

Discover the history behind the daffodil, including how it came to be one of the UK's favourite flowers, where it came from and how to classify its many varieties.

A charcoal drawing of a lady in her mid-30s, with curled hair and a benevolent look on her face
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Great women gardeners 

Learn about pioneering women gardeners from Edith, Lady Londonderry’s rare plants and symbolism, to Kitty Lloyd Jones, one of the first women to train as a professional horticulturalist.

A round two-storey building set with a conical roof is set into a wall, made of the same greyish stone. There's a stairway within the wall to the left of the building and behind it is a pink flowering cherry tree. It's a bright, sunny spring day and the sky is blue.
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What is a Dovecote? 

Dovecotes were built by wealthy and aristocratic families from the Norman period onwards and doves were kept for both food, feathers and as status symbols.

NARCISSUS 'THE INCOMPARABLE DAFFODIL' by Georg Ehret, 1753. Botanical illustration situated in Gallery IV (the Botanical Gallery) at Dudmaston, Shropshire.
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Spring scenes in our collections 

Spring's promise of new beginnings has been an inspiration to artists and designers for centuries. Discover spring through some of its most evocative depictions in the collections and objects we care for.

Nature

Read our guides to help you get closer to nature. Learn how to identify birdsong and spot bats, water voles and ancient trees, or have a go at forest bathing, rock pooling and many more activities.

Sheep enjoying the shade of an oak tree in the parkland at Wentworth Castle Gardens, Yorkshire
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A guide to identifying British trees 

Learn how to identify trees from their leaves, bark and shape, how to tell similar species apart and how they change as they get older.

A visitor photographing blossom at Beningbrough Hall, North Yorkshire
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Our top tips for nature photography 

If you're keen to capture the beauty of nature at the places in our care, read our tips on taking better photos, from how best to frame your subject to perfectly capturing movement.

Wildflower meadow including oxeye daisies at Holnicote Estate, Somerset
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Wild flowers in Britain 

Explore the stories behind some famous British wild flowers and how wildflower meadows support important species, from butterflies to bees.

Close view of fossils at the disused Loftus Alum Works, North Yorkshire
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Common fossils to find at the coast 

Do you know your ammonites from your devil’s toenails? Discover how to identify some of the fossils commonly found around the UK coast and where you might see them.

Food

Discover the benefits of eating seasonally and try some National Trust recipes for yourself.

A collection desserts on a table, including lemon and white chocolate scones and fresh lemons

Recipes 

Browse a selection of National Trust recipe ideas, from classics such as cheese scones and family-friendly treats to vegetarian and vegan dishes and seasonal delights.

A white bowl that's been filled up with the coronation chickpea filling
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Coronation chickpea filling 

This creamy, lightly spiced and fruity chickpea filling is a great way to add some extra flavour to your next light of dinner. Pair it with flatbreads, load it into your baked potatoes or pop it in a sandwich for a vegan twist on the classic coronation filling.

Gardeners working in the Walled Garden at LLanerchaeron in Ceredigion, Wales.
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Guide to seasonal food 

Grow your own fruit and vegetables and help the environment by reducing food miles. Find out what to harvest, plant and buy each month with our handy guide to seasonal food.

Gardening tips

Learn from our gardeners and make the most of your garden, plot or window box.

Two garden volunteers at work in the walled garden at Wimpole, removing weeds and pruning among other tasks. Red tulips can be seen in bloom in the garden border.
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Gardening tips for spring 

Make the most of your garden or growing space this spring with tips and advice from our gardeners. Find out about pruning shrubs, preparing flower borders, planting early vegetables and choosing the best blossom trees.

Gardeners adding compost to the beds at Nymans, West Sussex
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How to make your own compost 

Follow these simple steps to make your own nutrient-packed compost at home. Learn about the qualities of good compost and find out top tips, including how to turn your heap and build your compost beds.

Green cuttings sprouting in natural plastic-free pots and peat-free compost
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Guide to peat-free gardening 

We've committed to going peat free as an organisation, and all the plants we grow, buy and sell are potted in peat-free compost. Hear from our team of gardening experts and discover top tips for peat-free gardening in your green space.

Gardener planting seeds for the traditional Christmas garland in the greenhouse at Cotehele, Cornwall
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Growing tips for allotments 

Discover top tips on getting the most from your allotment or patch, and find out why growing your own fruit and vegetables is good for you in more ways than one.

Crafts

Follow one of our many how-to guides and become an expert in something new in no time.

Making seed bombs at Houghton Mill and Waterclose Meadows, Cambridgeshire
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How to make wildflower seed balls 

Discover how to make your own wildflower seed balls to add some colour to the garden with this step-by-step guide.

Making a pinecone bird feeder
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How to make a bird feeder 

If you’d like to see more birds in your outdoor space, learn how you can make a simple bird feeder with just a few items and ingredients.

Adding the finishing touches to the bee box
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How to build a bee box 

Bee populations have been dwindling in recent years, and building homes is just one way of encouraging them to stick around. Follow these steps to build your own nesting box to attract bees to your garden.

Virtual visit

Enjoy a virtual exhibition, watch a behind-the-scenes video or listen to one of our podcasts.

Recording the Wild Isles podcast 'Beginner's guide to camping' on Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour
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National Trust Podcast: series eight 

Immerse yourself in the past or explore the natural world from your armchair in series eight of the National Trust Podcast.

An ornate, richly decorated bedroom, with a four-poster hung with red damask, mahogany furniture and classical portraits on the walls
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Online exhibitions 

Delve into our online exhibitions, where you can see artworks and explore the history of the places and collections in our care from the comfort of your own home.

Wildflower meadow at Holnicote Estate, Somerset

Holnicote, Somerset 

Take an interactive 360° virtual tour of the diverse landscapes and habitats on the Holnicote Estate. Explore beaver enclosures, ancient oak woodland, saltmarshes and more in this immersive audio experience, and learn about the vital work for nature in west Somerset.

Film and TV

Featuring in costume dramas, fantasy worlds and fairy tales, discover the films and TV shows that have been made at National Trust places.

A large camera on the shoulder of a person during the filming of Wolf Hall at Montacute House, Somerset
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Top film locations at the National Trust 

Many of the places in our care have been locations for films and TV dramas. Hear from two of our filming and location managers as they discuss the most popular filming locations and share their best stories from behind the scenes.

Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott being filmed cooking in an outdoor kitchen at Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire
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Ainsley's National Trust Cook Off 

Find out about ITV's new series, Ainsley's National Trust Cook Off, where celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott hosts a friendly cooking competition at some of the kitchen gardens in our care.

Collections and house manager at Polesden Lacey cleaning a red Faberge egg
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Hidden Treasures of the National Trust 

Follow our conservators, curators and volunteers at work and get closer to the objects they care for in series one and two of Hidden Treasures of the National Trust.

TV presenter Matt Baker during the filming of Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker
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Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker 

We've been searching for a tenant farmer to manage a vacant farm in Northumberland. You can follow along by tuning in to Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker – a new TV show on Channel 4. The series features seven shortlisted applicants applying for a 10-year tenancy on the Wallington estate.

Walkers sat by a waterfall on the Afon Tarell river in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales

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