I can not remember the american group that you can join that has a pass to british heritage sites. Does anyone know the name of the of the organization? Thanks

it isn't an "organization" - it is called the Great British Heritage Pass. VERY worthwhile if you are spending time outside of London.

English Heritage, the National Trust and other organizations do sell passes to their own sites - but the GBHP covers all of those sites plus MANY others including most of the privately-owned ones like Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, Chatsworth, etc etc. The privately owned properties tend to be the most expensive so the GBHP can be a massive bargain.

Plus you don't need to belong to any group to buy the GBHP. It's available online. Here's one URL:
www.britishheritagepass.com/?ref=cj

I agree it's a great deal.

Thanks for all your help

I believe the American branch is called the Royal Oak.

Irishface: The Royal Oak Foundation is the overseas branch of the National Trust. A very fine organization indeed (I have belonged to both versions over the years). But the Great British Heritage Pass is different - it gets one into all National Trust properties (as a Royal Oak membership would), plus all English Heritage, National Trust for Scotland, Historic Scotland, CADW (the Wales Heritage org.) and most of privately owned properties.

So the GBHP a much better deal for the average visitor than joining the Nat'l Trust/Royal Oak. However - joining does give money to the Trust for their good works . . . . .

You can buy the GBHP stateside at www.visitbritain.com

Lee Ann

The Royal Oak is tax deductible!

Janisj, thanks for the correction and distinction between British Heritage and National Trust/Royal Oak.

avalon - yes it is deductible. But w/ the entrance fees for places like Blenheim ($32), Warwick Castle ($36), Chatsworth House ($30), Stonehenge ($13), Dover Castle ($20), RHS Wisley ($16) and all the others not affiliated w/ the NT - the saving w/ the GBHP are probably much more than any tax benefit.

You can buy the GBHP online? When we tried to get it last summer, they were asking for our passports to prove that we were from overseas. My parents had theirs, but my husband and I didn't. Luckily the woman took our driver's licenses as proof. My husband IS British though, so his passport wouldn't have convinced her anyway.

So I'm just curious about the online thing, I guess as long as you have an overseas address. They were very diligent about checking our ID though.

Where would you buy the pass in person? I'm living in the UK right now and my parents are coming to visit us. I would like to buy these passes for them -- can I do that without them being present? Our passports are American so I wouldn't think that was a problem but I can't tell if you can buy them on someone else's behalf. I assume they are non transferable -- but how would they know?

I am just trying to avoid standing at a ticket counter with my dad and open wallets saying "I'll get this" "No, no, let me." "No, no, I insist!"

Maybe you have to have an overseas address to buy the pass online. They were mailed to us.

If so, I wonder how it would work if the mailing address was different than your address for the credit card.

And we've had 3-week passes on 2 separate trips. I don't remember any site asking to see confirming ID of any sort.

We got ours at the Aberdeen Tourist Office. I think we signed our names on the card? But none of the sights we went to ever asked for ID to match up with the name on the GBHP.

I don't know if you could buy 3 at once, if you are only there by yourself. I have a feeling it depends on the local office (like so many other things in life, inconsistencies). It wouldn't hurt to try, and just explain your situation. Or just buy them online? I don't know.

amelie: I have never been asked for ID, and I've used the GBHP for years even before it was called that. Maybe if your husband sounds "British" - it caused them to question if you really were overseas visitors.

BKP: You can buy them in person at larger TICs, at LHR and GLA (but not at LGW, MAN or EDI), and at some of the covered properties. I don't know if they would need id's for your friends too. Why not get their passport numbers from them just in case and then go to the nearest TIC or covered property. You can see the list on the website.

Yes my husband has his Scottish accent still of course. I did all the talking though, and they had to write down the numbers on my parents passports. So they definitely wanted to see passports (but took ID's for Tom and I since we don't carry our passports around like my parents do).

Again, it must be a local office thing with no inconsistencies. It doesn't surprise me.

Thanks for all of the answers! I hate to pull this to the top for a thank you but I didn't want you all to think I didn't appreciate your help.

amelie, we bought ours online at visitbritain.com - much easier for us than picking one up in London.

Lee Ann