I live very close to Finchampstead Ridges and have considered flying my mini 4k several times. Being NT land I considered hand launching. The question is “Is this still considered to be launching on NT land?” Do I have to be off of their land entirely to launch?
This.
That’s what I was afraid of.
Thanks for the quick response.
It is as cut and dried as Andy said @Iandunc 
But before you over think it, it’s worth considering what time of day you’ll be flying – along with the odds of a NT employee stumbling across you actually flying all at the same time.
If you time things right those odds could be close to zero.
Enjoy your flights
I have just had a very friendly face to face and email back and forth with the National Trust head Office and local National Trust Property Site Mangers. They are trying to protect heritage and the natural world with their actions and rules. Not every National Trust employee or even management are up to speed with the Drone and Model Aircraft Code Cap2320. The trouble is some skim through it and read about staying away from people and buildings, dwellings and such and assume that they have the whole picture.
Page 16 of The CAA Drone and Model Aircraft Code Jan 2026 informs about sub 250gram drones flying over people, whether involved persons or uninvolved. Page 18 sets out where sub 250Gram drones can fly.
National Trust are not Ogres they are trying to protect their properties.
And as some wise person said ‘Just because you can do something maybe sometimes you shouldn’t’
Knowingly flying (taking off and landing) from a National Trust Property, or waiting until there are not many people about before doing so will give drones and drone operators bad press.
My advice would be if you want to over fly a National trust property fly from a public place and keep to a reasonable height 80-100 feet (above tree line) away from nesting birds and above a height that you are unlikely to spook livestock. At around 100 feet no one is likely to even hear a mini drone, so it not likely to spoil anyone’s enjoyment of the site. Low flying and privacy issues also come into play as a lot of the buildings on their sites are occupied by tenants. Fly safe, fly considerate.
That wasn’t very wise…
… as an even wiser person said, “Far better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”
I doubt it. Certainly no worse press than the NT have. Fly to the CAA’s guidance and you’ll be fine.
Not really theirs though are they ?
And clearly NTS (Scotland) couldn’t care less about any of their properties, as evidenced by their much more welcoming attitude towards drones…
I would have thought that some of the pictures and videos circulating round social media would be like free advertising drawing in more customers and potential future patrons, playing the ogre makes people like me cancel our membership.
How much is National Trust annual membership these days Paul @Xeb34 ?
I have flown on quite a few NT sites, I always fly straight up and if possible up to the 120m 400ft maximum, no one can hear a mini drone up there, if 120m is to windy up there 60m 200ft is also less likely to gain attention. I usually position myself away from main walking routes and never fly over NT buildings that are occupied or in good condition. I have flown over ruins of castles after or before opening hours.
Avoid nesting season, to avoid scaring birds, avoid cattle etc, but again if near wild animals height above ground is your friend
Avoid really busy times.
Ive never had an issue flying with consideration to others and got some nice 360 pics photos and video
Enjoy Flying
I pay £14.05 a month for family membership. Don’t get a lot for your money these days so going to drop it and join English Heritage, cheaper and have a much better attitude to their sites.
£160 a year now there’s only two of us
Depends, Rich. We have a joint membership for seniors (over 60) but you have to have been a member for 3 yrs to get that.
Individual membership
Adult membership
26+ years.
£96 a year or 12 monthly payments, £8 a month
They do life membership too.
Joint life: £2,890
Joint senior life (one person age 60 or over): £2,175
All here:
How many years is that before you’re ‘in credit’ 
Too many! About 13 yrs!!
Jen,
What is not very wise about a friendly face to face with another person.
I feel I had a friendlier more positive discussion with NT managers.
Also, seems to me your even wiser person wasn’t so wise, break the rules and say sorry makes everything alright then, I wonder if that works with any other illegal activity?
And, knowingly taking off or/and landing on National Trust Property, is not going to give drone operators bad press then?
Joe and Josephine Public generally dislike drones and those that fly them enough without them having their day possibly spoiled by what is actually an illegal flight from National Trust’s land, considering that someone might have paid £18 to £25 for a family day ticket to a property.
As stated over-flight is legal, flight from is not, common decency should tell you to seek the landowner or custodians permission to take off and land from that land. I wonder if people would mind if I came into their back garden and flew a drone without permission, this it might be called trespass.
I think that I understand some of the complaints about some drone flights.
I think I will not bother the Grey Arrows anymore, as I seem way off the mark, maybe my gimbal needs calibrating.
I will wish The Grey Arrows bonne nuit.
I think I’d dispute that assertion, Bungee. I’ve found, in the two years I’ve been flying, that Joe & Josephine public are actually quite interested in drones, and my experience of them so far has been that they want to ask questions and find out more about them, and I am happy to engage in conversarions and andwer some of the quetions (letting the drone hover while I do so so I know where it is). They are always keen to be shown images of themselves, especially the anklebiters (wave to Mr.Drone…). Perhaps I am lucky or perhaps it’s because I try my best to fly safely, legally, and considerately, but I have yet to encounter Karen & Ken, or, indeed, any negative reaction to my hobby.
The NT, Welsh Water, English Heritage, CADW (the Welsh version), and the Forestry Commission all prevent TOAL from their land, and while you or I may not like their decisions, they are fully entitled to make it and enforce it; it’s their responsibility to manage this land. You can almost always find somewhere ‘legal’ to TOAL and overfly from, and I can usually get the shots and angles I want from a decent height at which my drone is out of earshot of anyone on their ground and within VLOS. The huge majority of people who cannot hear a drone will be completely unaware of it’s presence!
It’s not rocket science; keep to the rules (CAA Drone Code), be considerate, be aware of wildlife in the breeding season, and don’t be overtly confrontational, that’s for ‘auditors’. Auditors are dicks.
Join NT Scotland. Cheaper across all age groups and seniors are anyone over 60 without having to be a member for 3 years.
The joy of joining cheaper Scotland is NT membership is accepted globally, not just in the country you bought it so with an NTS card, you can park and get into nearly any NT England property same as having an NT England membership (see 2nd link below).
Jumping in the air as you launch is still classed as “on” their property 