Changes

|map= <map lat='5554.6992335284814' lng='-34.130859375' zoom='5' view='3' country='United Kingdom' height='450420'/>

|pop = 6067,975081,000

|hitch = from {{average}} to {{good}}<rating country='uk' />|BW = GB}}The '''United Kingdom''' is a member state of the country in [[European UnionNothern 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]]. Hitchhiking in the United Kingdom It is feasible although the British are a little surprised (especially in [[England]]) to see people still doing it these days since it has become a dying trend largely due to the safety worries and very busy roads. You will still manage a ride somehow but you really need connected to be at mainland Europe via the right spot. Hitching in [[ScotlandEnglish channel]] or [[Wales]] tends to be more easy than in southern [[England]] although this depends from county to county. For exampleAs of 2020, the rural mentality in the [[South West (England)|South West]] makes it a lot more easier than trying to hitch in is no longer part of the [[South East (England)|South East]] or [[East (England)|East AngliaEuropean Union]]. It seems the closer you are to big cities, especially London the harder it is.

Like anywhere else, it is illegal to walk on motorways, and so hitchhiking Hitchhiking in the United Kingdom is best done from feasible although the bottom of sliproads and at British are a little surprised (especially in [[service stationEngland]]s (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 thissee people still doing it these days since it has become a dying trend largely due to the safety worries, insurance issues and very busy roads, but the police also extremely cheap coach fares. You will not pay any interest; still manage a ride somehow but you really need to be '''at the Highways Agency staff are more pedantic than the police regarding thatright spot.''' Finding a safe spot where drivers can pull over easily can be crucial here - British people usually don't like to stop in bad places, so make it easy for them to pick you up!

When travelling a long distance on Hitching in [[Scotland]] or [[Wales]] tends to be more easy than in southern [[England]] although this depends from county to county. For example, the rural mentality in the motorways [[South West England|South West]] makes it is best a lot more easier than trying to stick hitch in the [[South East England|South East]]. It seems the closer you are to big cities, especially London, the service stations as getting a lift on a slip road will take an exceptionally longer timeharder it is. Don't Furthermore, especially in the South of England, people have some kind of you-only-get dropped at any motorway junctions -what-you-merit-(''M25/M4''equals: work for)-attitude, ''M4/M5'' etc.) as traffic will be going too fast which is why they sometimes react with unfriendliness to stop and you will probably be picked up by the policeidea of hitching. In case you ''do'' get dropped there your best option is probably to start walking a bit away from On the highwayother hand, many students hitched in the 70s and 80s and if you're a foreigner, attach a sign to your backpack saying e.g. ''from Holland''they often give lifts now that they are older.

Useful tip: In city libraries you can use Internet PC'Like anywhere else, it is illegal to walk on motorways, and so hitchhiking is best done from the bottom of [[slip road]]s for free after a short free registration and at [[rest area|service stations]] (some want to see a passport, some aren't that strictat discretion of the owner). Legally Highways Agency officials may question you if you hitch from sliproads on motorways as technically you are not allowed to do this should be available to everyone, but in some localities, the police will not pay any interest; the Highways Agency staff may say its only available to local residents or library members. In this case just ask to join are more pedantic than the librarypolice regarding that.

If you're hitchhiking When traveling a long distances and considering making a sign, in general people use distance on the motorway names rather than motorways it is best to stick to the city namesservice stations as getting a lift on a slip road will take an exceptionally longer time. For exampleDon't get dropped at any motorway intersection junctions (''M25/M4'', from [[London]] to [[South West (England)|Cornwall]] have a sign saying ''M4/M5''etc. But if ) as traffic will be going too fast to stop and you are hitching on a motorway with multiple cities (i.ewill probably be picked up by the police. In case you ''M1do'') it get dropped there your best option is an idea probably to use start walking a bit away from the motorway, and if you're a foreigner, attach a sign with the city name (to your backpack saying e.g. [[Nottingham]], [[Sheffield]])''from Holland''.

==== Hitchhiking towards [[Western Europe]] ====[[Image:Carl Nai MarocApart from motorways, you can also hitch on the so-called A-roads, where - legally - you can stand on the side lane.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[User:Carl|Carl]] and his hitch partner Naomi leaving [[Cardiff]] As A-roads, however, are a replacement for [[Morocco]].]]Hitchhiking ''from'' [[England]] to [[France]] is possible. Just hitchhike motorways in direction of [[Dover]] along more rural areas, people basically go at the ''M20'' in the [[South East (England)|South East]] same speed, and it is quite difficult and dangerous to reach the ferries or [[The Channel Tunnel]]flag somebody down.

You can also hitch If you're hitchhiking long distances and considering making a sign, in general people use the motorway names rather than the city names. For example, from Immingham docks in [[HullLondon]] to [[ZeebruggeSouth West England|Cornwall]]have a sign saying ''M4''. Hitching from Scotland But if you are hitching on a motorway with multiple cities (i.e. ''M1'') it is an idea to use a sign with the city name (e.g. [[ScandinaviaNottingham]] is also possible. Due to fears of terrorism and illegal immigration authorities may ask you not to wait near the docks, [[Sheffield]]).

==== Hitchhiking from [[Western Europe]] ====Hitchiking ''Most people in the United Kingdom seems to'' Great Britain is possiblebe afraid of terrorist attacks, criminals or whatever. When coming from [[France]]You can easily notice that junctions, make sure you stay on stations, supermarkets and sometimes even pubs are video-monitored. They have naked scanners at the A26. Loads of truck drivers are heading from [[Switzerland]], [[Luxemburg]] airports and [[Germany]] to Great Britainso on. So if someone offers If you a ride to [[Lille]]ask unknown people in cities in the dark for the way or for something, make sure you stay on the A26 they can be terrified or you might get stuckanxious.

If coming from Zeebrugge As a final note that the truckers usually can have 2 passengers on the manifest so if you travel this way you don't need to pay for a ferry ticket. Cars usually charge for every passenger on this route, but often from France it's a price per car no matter how many rides are lifts and trucks are inside.lorries :)

==Service stations hitchiking method == Hitchhiking towards [[Ireland]] ====Stick to motorway services, as lot of traffic is passing, filling up their tanks. TALK with drivers who are filling up their tanks in petrol station. It will help if you will have a sign, or if you don't have one, have some kind of paper map, because you will look more trustable from distance. As they are afraid of terrorists, try to be as polite as possible, sometimes you'll encounter chatty people, chat a little bit for their pleasure, and for you to calm down if you are trying to get a ride for longer time.

Ferry Timetables If there are a lot of traffic coming through petrol station, or in general, don't waste time going to speek to drivers in rest area, they will pass you at some point. Try asking drivers if you are in good place for boats between Ireland and Britainhttpheading that direction, for example://wwwStrazdas007 was stuck on Maidstone services while trying to get to the North, as all drivers where going South, or just around the corner, so he just went back to Dover port. If you are in bad service station for your direction, don't hesitate going back to last good spot, or possibly good spot.aferryTry to look up service stations on maps or gps.coA Collins road map of the UK (+ Ireland) can be found in book stores for ~£5 and is very useful here since you don't want to miss the last possible service sttation.uk/dublin-holyheadGo for the popular ones if you have a choice, like: Starbucks over Costa, as it is with petrol stations -ferryShell over BP.htm

Through [[Holyhead]] in the North. This is possibleAlso, with some luck, but longer journey times make it a bit more difficult. Also there are less places to stop if you don't can even get liftsjob offers (Strazdas007 got offer from driver to work as roofpainter or smth like that in service station near Leeds).

==Climate == Hitchhiking from The UK is infamous for its rainy [[Irelandweather]] ===={{infoneeded|Help complete . The oceanic climate makes the weather changeable from one day to the information next and providing causes comparatively long but light phases of rain. This doesn't mean it on '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 Ireland page as well}}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.

==Hitchhiking towards [[Western Europe]] == Countries ====For more specific information about [[File:Carl Nai Maroc.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[User:Carl|Carl]] and his hitch partner Naomi leaving [[Cardiff]] for [[Morocco]].]][[English channel|Hitchhiking the countries, islands and cities within English Channel]] ''from'' [[England]] to [[France]] is possible. Just hitchhike in direction of [[Dover]] along the ''United KingdomM20''in the [[South East England|South East]] to reach the ferries or [[Channel Tunnel|The Channel Tunnel]]. Once you're there, have you could either try to find a look at 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 overview of British constituent countries and affiliations: service station are locals, so you might be better off with a truck driver, they are parked behind the restaurant).

{{UK_constituent_countries}}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! If you can't get a ride from a service station before Dover, wait by the BP station just over a mile before the ferry port in 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. == Hitchhiking from [[Western Europe]] ==Hitchiking [[English channel|across the English Channel]] ''to'' Great Britain is possible. When coming from [[France]], make sure you stay on the A26. Loads of truck drivers are heading from [[Switzerland]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Germany]] to Great Britain. So if someone offers you a ride to [[Lille]], make sure you stay on the A26 or you might get stuck. 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. == Hitchhiking from or towards [[Ireland]] ==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. From Birkenhead there is a ferry with DFDS seaways that goes either directly to Dublin or Belfast. Two ferries per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. If you can find a driver who has already paid for his car + 1, then it is possible to amend that ticket and check in with the driver for only 10 euros. It would still be paying, but on the ferry you get a dinner buffet and breakfast buffet.  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 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.)

== Personal Experiences == '' [[CategoryUser:United KingdomOlcheMaith| 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. '' [[Category:Northern Europe]]== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==

{{Template__NOTOC__ [[Category:United Kingdom]][[Category:Northern Europe/countries}}]]