Anglophiles Alert! Must read. IMO
 

We had a 15 day Great British Heritage Pass for our 16 holiday in the UK.
Which was AB FAB BTW.
We were in the Tudor Merchant House in Tenby, when a wonderfully charming docent , informed us of the The Royal Oak Foundation.
It is a far cheaper alternative to the GBHP.

http://www.royal-oak.org/index.php
I am joining.

BTW, it is TAX DEDUCTABLE!!!!!

Judyrem: we joined English Heritage for our trip this May/June. We were visiting many more English Heritage properties, and the adult and senior membership was 66.50 GBP for a year's membership. It was a very good deal for us, better than the GBHP.

We won't be returning to the UK within 12 months, so our membership really only served us while we were there. I take you plan to return within 12 months?

If our next planned trip will take in more National Trust properties, I will look into the Royal Oak Foundation.

Yes, we are going to Wells, Somerset area and Cornwall next year.
Did I mention it was tax free? ;-)

I've been a member of Royal Oak for years, plan a good deal of my annual spring trip with the help of the National Trust handbook and their website. A subscription to the newsletter and the NT magazine is also included. You can't go wrong. And a benefit not listed anywhere is the thanks one gets from the staff who will see your membership card at the properties you'll visit. They're genuinely grateful for the support and say so. I'm always taken by surprise as it's I who am grateful for the opportunities to see the wonderful houses, gardens and other properties cared for by the National Trust. Judy, you're doing a very all around good thing by joining.

Over the years I've held membership (and am still a member of some) in the Nat'l Trust, Nat'l Trust for Scotland, the Royal Oak, and CADW (the Welsh historic org.)

"<i>. . . .a wonderfully charming docent , informed us of the The Royal Oak Foundation.
It is a far cheaper alternative to the GBHP.</i>"

It isn't that simple. If one is only visiting Nat'l Trust properties -- sure, it is cheaper than a GBHP.

BUT -- if one is visiting any privately owned places, or those managed by English Heritage, Historic Scotland, CADW, etc. -- then the GBHP is a better deal. Even though I'm a full member of the National Trust, I still buy a GBHP for most trips since the private sites (Blenheim, Chatsworth, Castle Howard, Warwick, Bamburgh, etc) and historic properties (Dover, Hadrians Wall, Stonehenge, etc) can really add up.

So --it mostly depends on which/how many properties you are visiting.

Also been a Royal Oak member for years and have touted it here numerous times. Nice magazines and deals come with membership and as mentioned it is Tax dductible! If we want to visit a privsately owned site we just pay the entry fee as we are not seeing that many on any one trip!

"<i>as we are not seeing that many on any one trip!</i>"

That is usually my main criteria whether to get a GBHP or not. If it is heavily 'sightseeing centric' trip outside of London, I buy one. If I am mostly in London, or not visiting a lot of 'biggies', then no.

Also some areas-- like far western Scotland/Hebrides don't have many covered sites so a trip primainly in that area - no. But the rest of Scotland has scads.

As an example 1 or 2 days in Stratford/Warwick (all the Shakespeare related sites, Warwick Castle, Lord Leycester Hospital, Kenilworth) will more than pay for a 7 day GBHP. Plus it will still cover all the nearby Nat'l Trust places like Hidecote.

So it <i>really</i> depends on one's specific plans. For a site-heavy itinerary, a GBHP will pay for itself 3 or 4 times over. Sometimes more.

Bookmarking for future. A great idea.

I hear what you are saying Janis.
We soooooo got our moneys worth....with Ironbridge, St Pauls and the Globe and other properties.
Joannay, I like the concept of the Royal Oak too.

Which pass or membership to buy I think also largely depends on ones taste, which sort of places appeal personally. I find that the places that interest me are almost always National Trust owned. On the occasions that I find myself wanting to see a place not under the NT I then just pay the admission and am still far ahead as far as entry fees are concerned.

Another approach, if budget is an issue, is to just confine oneself to the properties run by 1 organization. There is such an unbelievable wealth of historic properties in the UK that it can be a quite useful approach to narrowing down the number of places one can visit in a given time frame or area of the country. I don't believe I'll ever run out of fascinating places to see if I confine myself to National Trust places with the Royal Oak membership.

"<i>if budget is an issue, is to just confine oneself to the properties run by 1 organization. </i>"

That can often mean hopscotching all around. Hidcote -- NT, Anne Hathaway's cottage just 9 miles away -- not NT.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm a HUGE promoter/fan of the NT. When I lived in the UK I volunteered for them. And I've rented NT cottages several times.

But for the typical visitor, a GBHP can be a definite money saver.

I don't deny for a moment that everyone's trip is different and may benefit from various other money saving options. I can only say what works for me which I believe is the kind of information people are looking for in these forums. One need not "hopscotch" to enjoy the benefits of one membership or another. Simply investigate which has the most properties of interest. I like one, someone else will find another organization of more benefit. And if money is no object or if one plans just a few visits then a pass or membership in any of them may be irrelevant.

http://www.royal-oak.org/index.php
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/
http://www.heritagepassbritain.com/en/home.html
http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/?skip=1&lang=en
http://www.nts.org.uk/Home/

I have a minor issue with the National Trust - unless you trawl their website instead of looking at the list?

Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire - you only save on parking fees since there is no entrance fee

The Lizard and Kynance Cove in Cornwall - same again.
St Michaels Mount, you don't pay to visit the Island - ony the castle.

The White Cliffs of Dover? Drive to St Margarets - pay parking.
There is public access to the cliffs and no entry fee but you pay parking at the NT visitors centre.

Whitby - you don't need to have NT membership to visit Whitby

I admire the NT for saving vast areas of coastline but their website (if you skim it) makes it appear that some places are only accessible if you have NT membership and in many cases that's not true

But in the meantime there are local councils that are supporting local museums and opening them for free to everyone - with free parking.
Here are 3 close to where I was born and visit when we go 'home' to visit Mum.

http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/venue...stle/index.php Victorian
http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/venue...hall/index.php Medieval
http://www.bradfordmuseums.org/venue...hall/index.php Victorian, an art gallery.

I do hope that someone posting here and vising Yorkshire will take the time out to vist one of these places and support them so they will remain open with free access to everyone.

BTW - Bolling Hall is my favorite