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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. ''
*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 heading that direction, for example: Strazdas007 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.
*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.
*Go for the popular ones if you have a choice, like: Starbucks over Costa, as it is with petrol stations - Shell over BP.
==== Hitchhiking towards [[Western Europe]] ====
[[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.
==== 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.
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}}
* Wikipedia contains [[:wikipedia:Category:Motorway_service_stations_in_the_United_Kingdom|articles about service stations]] on the motorways in the UK!
* [http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/services/map/ Map of Services Stations] - Motorway Services Online
* [http://www.highways.gov.uk/knowledge/15000.htm Another (maybe better?) Map of service stations]
* [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)
==== 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 & Trashwiki ==
[[trash:United Kingdom]] [[nomad:United Kingdom]]
{{UK_constituent_countries}}
{{hitchbase_country|203}}
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
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[[Category:United Kingdom| ]]