The National Trust, Britain's largest conservation charity, offers 2- to 10-day working holidays in more than 70 spots throughout Great Britain. These working holidays give you a chance to learn new skills such as dry-stone walling, repairing footpaths, planting trees, cutting hay, gardening and more.
You pay a basic fee for food and accommodation, which can vary from roughing it in tents, to a farmhouse, cottage or, perhaps, a 17th-century village hall. For your fee you'll also receive a year's free entry to stately homes in Britain.
It won't all be work - this is a holiday. Hill walking, canoeing, mountain biking, rock climbing and sightseeing are just a few of the planned activities for volunteers.
If you're 16 to 18, you can participate in special holidays for your age group. You might investigate the sites of lost monuments using archaeological techniques of survey and excavation - great on-the-job training.
Looking for something less strenuous? Oak Holidays are for over 35s, and Oak Plus is for the over 50s. The National Trust also plays host to open-air events such as rural festivals, horse trials and concerts. Volunteers are eager to help, so these Event Holidays are some of the first to sell out.
There's gardening on a grand scale, holidays for biology students, amateur naturalists and wildflower enthusiasts. In fact, there's something for just about anyone interested in the outdoors and preserving the environment.
The National Trust holidays are so popular that early booking - January and February - is the only way to ensure you get what you want. People who have participated in the working holiday scheme talk of the new friends they make, the satisfaction of knowing they're helping conservation efforts, the lasting memories and the sense of accomplishment they achieve.
To order a holiday brochure:
Phone: +44-208-315-1111
Fax: +44-208-466-6824
Address:
National Trust
P.O. Box 39
Bromley, Kent BR1 3XL
England
Email: xeaajt@smtp.ntrust.org.uk
For further information on the National Trust visit:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk or their conservation and environment web site.
©1999 Barbara Ballard. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including reproduction in electronic media, without the expressed written permission of the author is prohibited.
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