137
edits
Changes
Clean up. Remove dead links, restructure content, update some information like pop sizes, eu affiliation
|language = English; recognized regional languages are Welsh, Irish, Ulster Scots, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish
|capital = [[London]]
|pop = 6067,975081,000
|currency = Pound sterling (GBP)
|hitch = <rating country='uk' />
|BW = GB
}}
The '''United Kingdom''' is a country in [[Nothern Europe]] which forms the so-called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Travel_Area Common Travel area] with [[Ireland]] and is not part of the [[Schengen Agreement]]. It is connected to mainland Europe via the [[English channel]]. As of 2020, it is no longer part of the [[European Union]].
Like anywhere else, it is illegal to walk on motorways, and so hitchhiking is best done from the bottom of [[slip road]]s and at [[rest area|service stations]] (at discretion of the owner). Highways Agency officials may question you if you hitch from sliproads on motorways as technically you are not allowed to do this, but the police will not pay any interest; the Highways Agency staff are more pedantic than the police regarding that.
Most people in the United Kingdom seems to be afraid of terrorist attacks, criminals or whatever. You can easily notice that junctions, stations, supermarkets and sometimes even pubs are video-monitored. They have naked scanners at the airports and so on. If you ask unknown people in cities in the dark for the way or for something, they can be terrified or anxious.
The UK is infamous for its rainy [[weather]]. The oceanic climate makes the weather changeable from one day to the next and causes comparatively long but light phases of rain. This doesn't mean it's always raining, but it ''can'' always rain. Be prepared and always have waterproof clothes with you. The rainiest months are October−January. As a rule of thumb, one could say the further west and the higher the elevation, the greater the rainfall. Contradicting the cliché, some parts of south and west England are surprisingly dry and may even have drought problems in summer.
An advantage of the mild oceanic climate is that it does not get extremely cold or hot.
[[File:Carl Nai Maroc.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[User:Carl|Carl]] and his hitch partner Naomi leaving [[Cardiff]] for [[Morocco]].]]
[[English channel|Hitchhiking the English Channel]] ''from'' [[England]] to [[France]] is possible. Just hitchhike in direction of [[Dover]] along the ''M20'' in the [[South East England|South East]] to reach the ferries or [[Channel Tunnel|The Channel Tunnel]]. Once you're there, you could either try to find a lift in Dover or in a more relaxed atmosphere on one of the services along the M20, e.g. Maidstone Services (note however that a lot of people on this service station are locals, so you might be better off with a truck driver, they are parked behind the restaurant).
Truckers who cross the channel through the Eurotunnel (train) cannot take an extra person, but those who go by ferry in Dover can. If you're lucky you can even eat for free in the truckers' restaurant on the ferry! On the parking lot where everyone's waiting to board the ferry, If you can often find another lift that goes in your direction. Just show your sign to all the waiting truckers/cars. Don't do it too obvious thoughget a ride from a service station before Dover, because wait by the BP station just over a mile before the ferry port police could bother you for not having a proper ticketin Dover. See the [[English channel]] page.
You can also hitch from the Immingham docks near Grimsby to [[Zeebrugge]] on a truck ferry. Hitching from Scotland to [[Scandinavia]] is also possible, see [[Scrabster]]. Due to fears of terrorism and illegal immigration authorities may ask you not to wait near the docks.
If you're dropped off in Calais, you can start hitchhiking at the bottom of the bridge before the check-in. The price is the same for a car, no matter how many passengers (also in Dunkerque). People who booked in advance indicated how many passengers they would have, so it could be better not to mention at the check-in that you're a hitchhiker (?). A one way ticket as a foot passenger is € 40. On the parking lot where everyone's waiting to board the ferry, you can often find another lift that goes in your direction. Just show your sign to all the waiting truckers/cars.
If coming from Zeebrugge note that the truckers usually can have two passengers on the manifest so if you travel this way you don't need to pay for a ferry ticket. You might be better off hitching with a car, because truck drivers are often more suspicious of people who want to be taken across the channel - their livelihood depends on it, as UK police tend to arrest anybody who knowingly or not help illegal immigrants to enter the UK.
There are ferries from [[Wales]] ([[Holyhead]] in the North and [[Fishguard]] in the South), from Scotland (Troon, Cairnryan, Stranraer) and from England (around Liverpool). Currently, it might only be possible to get across without paying if you can find a sympathetic driver who allows you to hide in their vehicle, as every passenger pays separately.
Your driver will also get a cabin with his ticket with four bunkbeds in it, so you will depending on wether your driver wants you in the cabin or not, get a night on real sheets. (Cheapest alternative I have been able to come across if you are still to do it in any legal way. Credit to SamanthaofTarth on the westeros internet forum for this initial info.)
(If you decide to pay, consider getting a Megabus für for 25 Pound from London to Rosslare, ferry included, as this is already cheaper then the foot passenger ticket for the ferry only. Alternatively, there sometimes are decent Rail & Sail offers from London to Dublin, via the Holyhead Ferry.)
== Links ==
{{nomadwiki}}
* [http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/services/map/ Map of Services Stations] - Motorway Services Online
* [http://www.frixo.com Frixo Traffic Reports] – Live travel updates for UK roads / motorways
* [http://www.motorwayservices.info/ Motorway Services Info] UK Motorway Services Information (Reader's Comments)
==Personal Experiences = Useful travel information ===* Dumpster-diving/skipping: while it is quite possible and easy in many cities to live completely out of the bins (e.g. London), skipping on motorway service stations can be difficult. There are cameras everywhere, and security can be fast.* Cheap travel: if ever you do have to pay for transport, the cheapest option (by far) is megabus.co.uk They sometimes have special offers which allow you to travel for hundres of miles for 5 pound. (Not saying this to advertise for megabus, but sometimes it does make more sense to pay 5 quid for the whole journey, then to pay 4,50 quid on local transport to get to the hitchhiking spot.....)* Trains: trains are privatised, therefore expensive (unless you get a special offer). While checks on trains happen with a maybe 50% chance, most of the stations have barriers, and are usually staffed. Don't count on any solidarity when trying to travel for free.* Sleep/accomodation: Something to keep in mind is that the British government has threatened to deport (and ban from re-entry for a year) EU nationals who beg or "sleep in the street"/"sleep outside" in the UK. The exact application of this new rule isn't known yet, however. Squatting in England and Wales is still partly legal, there are squat scenes in London and Brighton, less so in Cardiff, Leeds, and Bristol. Yet, squats are often transient spaces, and difficult to run into if you don't have contacts. Note however, that squatting a commercial building is legal, so if you want to crash somewhere for a night, don't chose a residential building. For more information on squatting check http://www.squatter.org.uk/* Internet: In city libraries you can use Internet PCs for free after a short(ish) free registration (some want to see a passport, some aren't that strict). Legally this should be available to everyone, but in some localities, staff may say its only available to local residents or library members. In this case just ask to join the library.
'' [[User:OlcheMaith|Roaming Pencil]] has hitchhiked over 5000 km in the UK (Mid/North England, Wales and Scotland). She was initially apprehensive due to this page, but has found out that UK is great for hitchhiking, often with low waiting times, people offering rides even before you officially start hitchhiking, and very helpful drivers. ''
==Nomadwiki & Trashwiki == Countries ====For more specific information about the countries, islands and cities within the ''United Kingdom'', have a look at this overview of British constituent countries and affiliations:
{{nomadwiki}}
{{UK_constituent_countries}}
{{hitchbase_country|203}}
__NOTOC__
[[Category:United Kingdom| ]]
[[Category:Northern Europe]]