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The '''United Kingdom''' is a member state of the [[European Union]] 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 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, insurance issues and very busy roads, but also extremely cheap coach fares . You will still manage a ride somehow but you really need to be '''at the right 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! 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 [[South West England|South West]] makes it a lot more easier than trying to hitch in the [[South East England|South East]]. It seems the closer you are to big cities, especially London, the harder it is. Furthermore, especially in the South of England, people have some kind of you-only-get-what-you-merit-(equals: work for)-attitude, which is why they sometimes react unfriendly with unfriendliness to the idea of hitching. On the other hand, very many students hitched in the 70s and 80s and they often give lifts now they are rich and 50plus. '' [[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. ''

*Try to look up service stations on maps or gps. A 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.

[[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.

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 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.)

 === Useful travel information =Links =={{nomadwiki}}* Dumpster-diving/skippingWikipedia contains [[:wikipedia:Category: while it is quite possible and easy Motorway_service_stations_in_the_United_Kingdom|articles about service stations]] on the motorways 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.UK!* Cheap travel[http: if ever you do have to pay for transport, the cheapest option (by far) is megabus//motorwayservicesonline.co.uk They sometimes have special offers which allow you to travel for hundres /services/map/ Map 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 spotServices Stations] - Motorway Services Online* [http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/15000..)* Trains: trains are privatised, therefore expensive htm Another (unless you get a special offermaybe better?). While checks on trains happen with a maybe 50% chance, most Map of the service stations have barriers, and are usually staffed. Don't count on any solidarity when trying to travel for free.]* Sleep[http:/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 UKwww. The exact application of this new rule isn't known yet, howeverfrixo. 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 com Frixo Traffic Reports] – Live travel updates for a night, don't chose a residential building. For more information on squatting check UK roads / motorways* [http://www.squattermotorwayservices.org.ukinfo/* Internet: In city libraries you can use Internet PCs for free after a short(ish) free registration Motorway Services Info] UK Motorway Services Information (some want to see a passport, some arenReader't that stricts Comments). 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.