The nation's leading conservation charity is to appeal directly to walkers, climbers and birdwatchers for the first time in a bid to raise badly-needed funds.
And leveraging money from its vast tracts of wilderness, as opposed to its charged-for buildings and parks, is being seen as a way forward.
The body does not earn anything directly for looking after Scotland’s most famous mountains including Glen Coe, above, Ben Lomond, Ben Lawers and the Five Sisters of Kintail.
But the trust hopes it can persuade those who actively use the great outdoors to pay a contribution towards its upkeep through raised awareness.
An NTS spokesman said right of way laws prevent the charity from charging on its wild lands yet the often vast areas are central to their conservation work.
He said: “Even if people don’t want to join the trust, we can ask them to contribute to the conservation costs of the place they enjoy so much.
"The trust owns a significant amount of wild land but gets little credit for its work in conserving it and ensuring that people are able to access it.
“We have been perhaps timid in the past about shouting about what we do or even having some signage to show people they are on land that the NTS cares for.
“So we need to do more to show people how, without the trust, these beautiful places may well have been lost."
As the trust looks to raise millions for its work, it will look to bolster income at flagship architectural sites among its 129 among properties.
Money-making projects could include for example a boutique hotel in the west wing of Culzean Castle in Ayrshire and reopening the cave system in the cliffs below as a separate attraction.
Below: Culzean Castle
NTS chief executive Simon Skinner said in a brief to workers, which includes 540 full time, 750 seasonal staff and more than 3000 volunteers based all over Scotland: "All organisations adapt and evolve. In our context, this is necessary because of a mix of old and new challenges that we must face up to including that we need £47 million to conserve and improve our properties to the standards the public expect.
NTS chief executive Simon Skinner said in a brief to workers, which includes 540 full time, 750 seasonal staff and more than 3000 volunteers based all over Scotland: "All organisations adapt and evolve. In our context, this is necessary because of a mix of old and new challenges that we must face up to including that we need £47 million to conserve and improve our properties to the standards the public expect.
"We also need to make significant investment in visitor experiences and facilities."
The move to ask for contributions is likely to spark debate among those who use the wide range outdoor resources.
The trust is responsible for coastlines, which along with 400 islands and islets, provide habitats for over one million seabirds; 190,000 acres of countryside; 46 Munro mountains; 394 miles of mountain footpaths; 10,000 archaeological sites; 35 major gardens nurturing 13,500 plant varieties; seven national nature reserves; 45 sites of special scientific interest; St Kilda, below, Britain's only dual World Heritage Site and battlefields which changed the course of history.
Prospect, the union representing hundreds of specialists at NTS, has called for members to be treated “fairly and decently” as it enters talks over the cuts.
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