I’m glad that, a number of years ago when our regular income was much higher, we made the choice to invest in life memberships to various organisations. One of those was the National Trust. To be honest, I can’t remembered what we paid and I haven’t kept detailed records to work out whether we’ve yet saved money on just renewing annual membership (possibly) or paying per visit (almost certainly) but, unless we both drop dead in the near future, it will probably turn out to be a canny move.

As well as the long-term saving, it also gives us an option for a free stop on long journeys that is a step above the average service station, given that all we typically need is somewhere to park and somewhere to use a loo. Today’s journey back from Devon saw us visiting Tyntesfield, just south of Bristol. Since the roads were busier than normal, it proved a very welcome break. It is our second visit and we still haven’t got round to exploring inside the house but, on a sunny early afternoon, it was delightful to have our picnic lunch and explore round a little of the grounds (and, yes, use the facilities).

Or, if you aren’t a member of such august organisations as the National Trust, the other option to consider is garden centres. Typically, they will have decent toilets, scope for a bit of idle browsing and even the opportunity to pick up flowers or other gifts if you are on the way to visit someone.