Located just below the freezing cold bits, and above the sunny hot bits, of planet Earth, the United Kingdom is singularly well placed for a thoroughly lousy climate. To tell the truth, the inhabitants have often been known to comment that they don't in fact have a climate at all - just weather.

Mostly lousy weather.

Fortunately, the average hitchhiker will find Great Britain a relatively peaceful, relatively prosperous, relatively boring but definately not too threatening place to be. Foreign hikers should beware the fabled warm beer, much loved by the inhabitants but much hated by the subsidiary nation known as the Americans, Yanks or Merkins.