I was keen to try out my new Scarpa walking boots today, so we headed for the nearby Wicken Fen nature reserve this morning where we found many like-minded souls with no interest in the Christmas sales.

Our Boxing Day walk was a mere stroll compared to what I am used to as we were restricted for time because my husband was keen to get to the early afternoon Cambridge United Boxing Day football match.

The boardwalk – made from recycled plastic and suitable for buggies and wheelchairs – led us to hides, and the beauty of the big Fen skies and centuries of untouched landscape never fails to amaze me. The walk can be completed in 45 minutes and it was great to see so many families there today, many of them three generations all enjoying their natural countryside. I heard one well informed dad point out some droppings from an eagle to his daughter, so I learnt something new today too!

I cannot think of any better value than a National Trust membership card, with online fees for a single person costing £37.88 – that is less than£1 a week for unlimited access to 707 miles of coastline, 611,300 acres of countryside, 5,150 pre-historic sites, 215 houses and gardens, 149 museums, 57 villages 6 World Heritage Sites, 2 gold mines, 25 medieval barns, 40 castles, 400 factories and mines, 51 dovecotes, 206 mills, 43 pubs, 12 lighthouses and 76 nature reserves. The cost is just over £66 online for two adults and children or grandchildren.

I cannot imagine ever not wanting to visit a National Trust site, there is always so much to learn about our heritage, and the extraordinary people behind it, and the Trust makes it happen in a way which is informative and fun for all ages.

Wicken Fen boardwalk