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Lyme Park and Dunham Massey car parks now charge per passenger
‘Membership now well and truly cancelled’
The National Trust has angered some visitors after it switched up how it charges people to park at several of its most popular North West sites.
After switching to a per-person charge rather than a per car fee at Lyme Park and Dunham Massey, people came online to voice their frustration.
Under the previous system, people would be hit with a single charge for a car, now every passenger in the car – including kids – is added to the total meaning families and large groups will be hit hardest.
This means that a family visiting Lyme Park or Dunham Massey with two adults and two children will see an increase from £7 per car to £24, CheshireLive reports.
Julie Anne Workman / Wikimedia
National Trust members still go free, so if that same family were to visit and one person had a membership it would cost £16 – however, under the previous scheme the entire car would be free to park if someone was a member.
While visitors do get the bonus they can enter the house and gardens for free as part of the parking charges – except for those who want to walk their dogs – some people have pointed out that kids would prefer to just play outside in the previously free parks and play areas.
Tripadvisor has seen angry complaints, with Ian C saying after visiting Dunham Massey earlier in the summer: “National Trust at Dunham Massey have now changed their parking policy from free parking for members and their passengers to members only, and £8 each for non-members, even in the same car.
“Therefore a member and two none member passengers have to pay £16. This is just to enter the grounds whether you want visit the house or not. Membership now well and truly cancelled.”
Tony Grist / Wikimedia
AnnLou15 added: “Partly my fault for not researching the prices before visiting but I feel the need to warn others in case they too arrive here on impulse.
“Arrived on a Monday morning joined the queue for the car park, no signs indicating prices until you are 2 cars away from the toll booth with no way of turning round! We were the told price for 2 adults and the car ‘£16 please”'(£8 each) – gardens, grounds and house included.
“Only thing is we only wanted to park the car and walk around the grounds, apparently, this wasn’t an option! Too embarrassed….again my fault…I paid the price but it left a sour taste despite the park being beautiful.
“You can ordinarily walk around the grounds for free, the house wasn’t worth a look if I’m honest though the gardens were lovely. Therefore the price tag was not warranted in my opinion!
“I suggest Dunham Massey is more transparent about its prices earlier on in the drive down towards the car park with an option for people to change their minds and turn round if they deem it too expensive.”
Jeff Buck / Geograph
Barbara F, who visited Lyme Park, said: “National Trust seem to have brought new pricing policies at some of their car parks. Both at Lyme park and Dunham Massey the cost to park for non Trust members is £8 per adult and £4per child.
“As N.T. members not a problem unless you have non N.T. passengers, in our case 2 grandchildren. We did not want to visit the house and as the playground is closed, I think the charge is extortionate!
“Lyme Park has public footpaths running through meaning pedestrians and cyclists do not have to pay. It makes sense to leave only the driver in the car, with any non members walking in. Both here and at Dunham the pricing policy isn’t displayed until you are stuck in the traffic jam of a queue.”
Mike Peel / Wikimedia
The National Trust clarified in a statement: “As a charity, admission fees help us fund vital conservation work at our places. These fees go directly to properties, allowing us to care for these special places for many years to come.
“By moving to a per person single admission price at Dunham Massey and Lyme, we have brought these two important places in line with other local attractions.
“We think this pricing model represents good value for money for a full day out, giving visitors an opportunity to explore these vast estates, including historic houses, gardens, and parklands.
“For frequent visitors who enjoy walks in the parkland at these places, an annual membership would be a cost-effective way to enjoy unlimited visits while also supporting our work to care for Dunham Massey and Lyme.”
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M&S is doing a Christmas piña colada cocktail and it’s on shelves now
This sounds pretty delicious!
M&S shoppers are raving over a festive cocktail that is a Christmas twist on a delicious summer classic, and it’s already on shelves.
Shoppers are going mad for the new festive ‘must have’ with one bargain hunter spotting it already stocked in her local Marks’, which she posted to social media.
The savvy shopper shared a snap of the luxurious gold and red bottle with an Art Deco logo, which quickly went viral with the post racking up over 1,000 likes.
The photo also shows the M&S Christmas Colada is on sale for £5.50 a bottle.
A festive twist on the classic piña colada, it’s flavoured with ‘pineapple juice, coconut milk, and warming spices with two measures of white rum’, and is sure to go down a treat this winter season.
The Christmas bargain was shared to the Snack News & Reviews Facebook page where users rushed to social media to share their excitement for the product, calling it a ‘must have’ as they also praised the price.
A great gift to bring along to Christmas dinner parties, shoppers say it is perfect for something to sip on throughout the season’s festivities.
One person wrote: “Defo getting this wee number for Christmas Day!” Another said: “Wow, two measures. I’ll have three bottles. What is everyone else drinking?”
While a third put: “Ooohhh yes. I can feel a few pre-Xmas party drinks at mine coming on.” And a fourth typed: “M&S pulling it out the bag again with their Christmas drinks!!”
Other users wondered whether M&S’ popular drinks ‘Let it Sloe’ and ‘Slow Fizz’ are back in stock again for the upcoming Christmas season.
It comes after one shopper urged people to head to their nearest M&S immediately as she was able to bag around £100 worth of shopping for just £16.
Victoria Evangeline posted a video on her TikTok saying: “M&S prices are a joke. They are ridiculous at the moment, you’ve got to see this.”
She went on to say M&S are getting rid of all their summer stock to make way for its Christmas range and that’s why some of its prices are so low – so best get down there asap!
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Mysterious pink pigeon baffles locals after it’s spotted in Greater Manchester
The fuchsia feathered friend has been seen on the streets of Prestwich
A pink pigeon has been spotted in a town centre in Bury leaving residents speculating as to how it got its colour.
The fuchsia feathered creature has been seen around Prestwich, standing out from the rest of the grey pigeons, while eating food being given to it by locals.
Greater Manchester Police in Bury North tweeted that their officers on foot patrol around the centre also ‘came across a rare pink pigeon in the town centre’.
But people have been wondering how the bird came to be the hot pink hue, with many believing it may be via artificial means.
One resident asked in a post on Twitter: “Has anyone else seen this pink pigeon in Bury and does anyone know why it is pink?!”
In response, one commenter said: “I saw it on Monday. Apparently they release them at weddings.” Another put: “Yeah I saw it last week on the rock.”
A third person wrote: “Believe it was used in a gender reveal hence the hot pink. Seen several times.” And a fourth added: “When I worked in Miles Platting there were bright blue ones that had become dyed by the nearby paint factory.”
A spokesperson for the RSPCA told the Manchester Evening News: “We can’t be sure whether these birds have been deliberately covered in a pink substance, or whether they have fallen in something.
“If someone has intentionally painted the pigeon’s feathers this is very worrying as it could cause health problems, impair their ability to fly and make them more vulnerable to predators.
“Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their coat or feathers which could result in them swallowing it.”
Earlier this year, a pigeon was dyed pink for a gender reveal party in New York City before being discovered by animal rescuers.
Due to complications from the harmful and toxic chemicals in the dye, the bird – a white king pigeon – unfortunately died a week later.
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Northern Lights set to be visible across Greater Manchester and parts of UK
Look up at the sky tonight, you might just see them
Met Office forecasters suggest the Northern Lights could be visible across Greater Manchester and parts of the UK tonight, and potentially again on Saturday.
The visually stunning phenomenon, known as the aurora borealis, could be visible to the naked eye along the northern horizon.
And stargazers across the North of England and Northern Ireland are in with a chance of being able to witness this spectacular display.
A minor enhancement to the aurora oval – which determines the range of polar lights – means the swirling colourful display of green, pink and purple hues may also be visible further south.
The Northern Lights are usually only visible over countries such as Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland, but can sometimes be seen from the UK.
Reports of sightings of the dazzling display have been coming in since Wednesday, from areas including Greater Manchester, Northumberland, the Lake District and even as far south as Cornwall.
They are set to be visible across skies tonight until Saturday.
The Met Office reports fast solar winds are expected and the Northern Lights could appear ‘most notably’ on Friday evening.
“With the associated increased geomagnetic activity the auroral oval is likely to extend south to become visible to the naked eye along the northern horizon from Scotland (where skies are clear) and perhaps briefly Northern Ireland and Northern England,” it continued.
On Saturday, skygazers in Scotland and Northern England could have another chance to glimpse the auroras thanks to another burst of plasma on the sun.
The Met Office added: “An expected Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on September 16th will bring further enhancement, with the auroral oval likely to extend south across northern Scotland, and be visible to the naked eye across northern horizons of Northern Ireland and perhaps Northern England.
“Any auroral enhancements expected to ease from September 17th.”
The lights are best seen in darkness, away from any light pollution, so those in the countryside and away from city lights have the best chance of seeing them.
According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, different gases determine what colours light up in the sky.
Nitrogen and oxygen are the primary gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Oxygen causes the green in the aurora, while purple, blue or pink hues are caused by nitrogen.
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