Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with uk

looking for warm winter boots

primer_dimer — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:03:38 -0800

Looking for recommendations for warm waterproof boots in UK One of the many joys of adopting our retired racing greyhound is our early morning walks together. But it's getting cold, and so are my feet! My wellington boots that I use for gardening are uncomfortable to walk in, and have no insulation. My hiking boots are warm and comfortable, but I can't tuck my trousers into them, and lacing them up takes too long. The morning walk is very muddy and often involves wading through puddles (and will likely soon involve snow), so I need boots that fulfil these criteria:

-waterproof
-trousers go on the inside
-warm
-comfortable to walk in
-available in the UK

I know you can get fleece-lined wellies, but they never seem comfortable to walk in. The perfect boot seems to be this one, but it doesn't look like it's available in the UK.

Overpayment by ex-employer

hnnrs — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:15:56 -0800

My ex-employer is claiming I was overpaid, and is asking for the money back - what should I do? For about four years I worked with a local authority in the UK. 10 months ago I was offered a new job with a private company, so I handed in my notice and left.

Yesterday I received a phone call from my bank, saying that I had been overpaid by over £1200, and that they needed to recover that money. I had no idea that this had happened, and as far as I could tell from my remaining paycheques everything was in order. I mean, I didn't sit down and tot up my hours or anything, but it seemed to roughly add up to how much I'd worked.

I'm pretty poor at the moment - I took a paycut to take my new job because it's something I knew I'd enjoy. The bank offered to set up a standing order to pay the amount off over 12 months, but I can't afford it.

It just all seems a tad unfair because it was obviously someone else's mistake. I've emailed the local authority to try and get a breakdown of how exactly I was overpaid by so much, but haven't had a response yet. Does anyone know where do I stand legally? Or does anyone have any advice?

I'm finding the whole thing pretty upsetting at the moment tbh.

Thanks for reading

Rules for remaining in UK while new visa is processing

nímwunnan — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:25:38 -0800

Need info on applying for a Tier-1 (Post-Study work) Visa in the UK while holding a soon-to-expire student visa. My current visa expires on Halloween, and I fit all the requirements for the Tier-1 visa extension. I hear from reliable sources that as long as I've applied for my new visa, I can remain in the UK while it's processing. Can anyone here point me to the official rules about this, just quell my worries?

UK Politics

djgh — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:46:42 -0800

How can I get more involved in UK politics? All the US election furore has really triggered an interest in politics. However, I'm not a USian. So what's the best way for me to get involved in UK politics? I'm not necessarily looking to join/be active for a party - I just want to be more informed and active beyond what I read in the papers etc. on a general level. I might particularly enjoy anything dealing with the intersection of law and politics.

why i love the internet

sgt.serenity — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:20:06 -0800

how to watch bbc iplayer outside of the uk ? genuine uk resident and er... licence payer here - im in the us for three months so would want to watch some stuff from home but it wont let me even though i am incredibly legally entitled to watch - anyone who can lend a hand ?

I've heard the Boringstoke joke...

jdl — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:32:45 -0800

I may be spending one week in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. Aside from definite trips into London, what else should I do? This town is on the Southampton and Reading railway lines and the train is how I'll be getting around (unless someone thinks a car is a better idea?). What's to do and see around these parts? Any place with particularly good food and drink? I've Googled a bit, but haven't found much.

Suing in the UK while based abroad?

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:53:41 -0800

Have you ever sued someone for libel in the UK, while you yourself were based in another country? If so, what was your experience? I'm very interested in a top-to-bottom view of what the process is like. How did you find a lawyer? How much time did you have to spend in the UK? What was your overall impression with the way things worked out?

I have Googled quite a bit -- but there's a lot of noise and I'd like a first-person perspective. Any information you could share would be most appreciated.

Lake District Recommendations?

Elmore — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:03:08 -0800

UKFilter: Planning a camping trip to the Lake District in October looking for suggestions and recommendations of places to stay and things to do. My girlfriend and me are taking the car from Dublin to Holyhead and going to drive to Cumbria to see the Lake District in October. We're planning on camping for most of the trip, but may stay in a hotel/b&b/pub guesthouse type place for a night or two on the way back (thinking of Chester, but open to suggestions).

As far as camping in the Lake District there seem to be a lot of camp sites. Any recommendations? Are there some outstanding places - re facilities, location, people who run it, etc. Or any places to avoid?

As far as activities; well it will obviously be relatively active - plenty of walking, running, bike hire etc. Would like to get a bit more adventurous (thinking kayaking or climbing). Any good places for beginners to get stuck in without being overwhelmed or bored?

Are there any real gems out there - pubs, places to visit, museums, villages, etc., that don't get mentioned on the tourist websites? Any suggestions for a nice town to stay in for the last night before getting the ferry home - somewhere about an hour or so from Holyhead?

UK police wants to search me on a public road - do I have a choice?

krautland — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:07:15 -0800

UK police wants to search me on a public road - do I have a choice? I just got searched by a bunch of cops on a public street in London.
For the third time in two months. I'm tired of this.

(Previous searches have been at a tube station and outside a shopping mall.)

The cops are usually kind and civil but I am being told I have no choice but to allow them to pad me down. These are instances where they do this to almost everyone walking past them. Often they bring a metal detector gate with them. The usual explanation is that they are trying to prevent knife-crime.

The Metropolitan Police website tells me that indeed I do not have a choice but to submit to such searches. I may not have to give my name or assist them in any way but I cannot deny them this search.

Are they correct? What is the legal situation here?

Can Obama take part in UK politics?

Megami — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:22:44 -0800

Calling all UK political experts - my better half wants to know-if Obama doesn't make it to President as the USA, is he allowed to move to the UK and run as leader of a political party there? And if he was allowed to do that, would he run for Labour or Lib Dems?

Can I combine my pensions transatlantically?

Joh — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:38:19 -0800

Can I get money invested in a UK private pension transferred into my US 401K? I am a UK citizen living in the US (and plan to stay here, no interest in moving back to the UK). I have a small amount of money in a private pension in the UK, with Norwich Union. I have not made any contributions to it for nearly ten years now. The money is just sitting there, essentially being useless, since its too small an amount to actually retire on. I would love to get at the money and roll it into my 401K. I did call Norwich Union, but they were pretty unhelpful and evasive. They said I could only transfer it to another pension that is on their approved list (no idea where to find that list). I did make it very clear that I live in the US now, and I wanted to get it into a US pension, and they agreed to send me some forms to start the process. The forms arrived today, and are for transferring it to a UK pension. Before I call back and try again, I want to know if this is even possible, if anyone else has done it, or if I should just give up and leave the money sitting there. Hoping some UK expats have tried this and can offer advice.

Name this children's book and TV series from the 80's

ticktockdoc — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 11:18:49 -0800

Name this children's book and TV series from the 80's...? It's Lord of the Flies meets Follyfoot. Kinda. Plot: Three (?) children [definitely two boys, maybe a girl too...] are living in their grandfather's/stepfather's/some dude's(?) massive house and estate/lands. For some reason(?) they decide to run away, but instead of actually going anywhere, they instead hide out in the land/forrest of the estate. They manage to hide out there for YEARS, within sight of the massive house all the while. They evade many search parties [something about a hollow tree...?] and it becomes rather Lord of the Flies, with them making clothes out of animals and eventually their escapade ending with one of the boys [dark-haired one] returning home to the big house [can't recall if he rats out the other two]. Maybe the dark-haired kid got sick, so that's why he had to go back...?

This was a book , but was also a TV series shown in the UK in the late 80's with similar production values as 'Famous Five' and 'Follyfoot'. I remember it being full of awesome. The closest I can come to remembering the actual title is: 'The Boys of Brendan Green'. But fruitless Googling and Amazon-ing(?) prove useless.

Subscription based music services

like_neon — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:49:37 -0800

UK accessible subscription based music service recommendations please. Desirable criteria:
- around 20 GBP a month or less
- allows you to keep your music even if you cancel your subscription
- legal

Cheers

Recommendations for Marketing/Advertising on a Limited Budget in the UK?

gadha — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:53:38 -0800

Does anyone know how to effectively (and economically) market a women's shoes and accessories retail store in London, UK? A friend has recently opened a store on South Molton street (just off Bond Street in London). She is selling shoes and bespoke handbags, jewellery and other related items.

Everybody who comes into the store seems to like it and she's doing okayish. People who come in love the store and get stuff but there doesn't seem to be enough traffic to sustain her without advertising.

Unfortunately, she's on a very limited budget (approx 10K) so she needs it to go as far as possible as long as possible. If anybody is in marketing/advertising in the UK I'd love to hear how she could make the most of her money.

If it helps, shes targeting 25-45/women slightly fancier items (shoes + handbags) and a whole range of cheap and affordable everyday items such as earrings and necklaces.

Pay-as-you-go unlimited data for first-gen iPhone in the UK?

-1 — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:16:33 -0800

I've got an unlocked iPhone (first-gen) running 1.1.4. Currently, I use AT&T's PAYG w/ Unlimited MediaNet to get unlimited data for $20/month. I'll soon be going to the UK, and I'd like to set up a similar arrangement. I'd like some advice as to how to accomplish this. I rarely make calls (<10 a month), and I almost never send texts -- what I really want is unlimited data on my iPhone. I'm having a hard time figuring out what (if any) pay-as-you-go tariffs in the UK will allow me to do this.

Since I've got a first-gen iPhone, I can't just use any old 3G SIM, so I'd like any recommendations as to what networks have plans that allow for unlimited EDGE usage. I'm willing to deal with GPRS if I have to, but EDGE is definitely preferred.

(I say "unlimited", but realistically I'm not gonna use more than 5GB/month, so reasonable caps are fine.)

Thanks in advance!

Is Skype a viable landline alternative for us?

Happy Dave — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 04:55:56 -0800

What's the best Skype package for managing contact with our international friends and family group? I've been examining options for keeping in touch with the families and friends of both my wife and myself. We moved into our place a year ago and never got around to getting a landline, because we both have mobiles with good packages, and our internet is provided through building-wide, minimal cost wifi.

However, it's kind of tough to keep on top of costs of calls with our mobiles, and we've been consistently going over international call allowances and getting smacked with bills £30 - £50 over our call limits. Ideally, I want to remove all the various bolt ons, international allowances and so on we have on our mobile contracts and just pay for calls, texts and data.

So, I've been looking at Skype as a possibility. I have family and friends in Scotland, some who can use Skype, some on landlines. My wife has family and friends across the US, again some using landlines, some able to use Skype.

From my research, it looks like the Unlimited World subscription would give us all the benefits of having a landline on top of the obvious benefits of Skype-to-Skype video calling, which we have already. Has anyone used this package from the UK? Can you call landlines in the UK with it? Is it a good landline alternative? I'm thinking it'd be cheaper than pretty much any landline deal (about £6 a month, which I can pay through Paypal).

Any experiences or perspectives?

Does carbon trading make a difference?

henry.oswald — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:16:02 -0800

Why should energy supply companies bother making people houses greener when they are essentially reducing demand for their good? (quite a UK based question) I've been looking at carbon credits, the EU Emissions trading scheme and CERTs and have a good handle on it now but the main question is why should the energy suppliers (British gas, powergen etc) bother?

Electricity suppliers such as British gas are obliged to help improve the energy efficiency of peoples homes, from a cert certified process they receive carbon credits. However from a bit of basic maths it seem silly for a business to reduce the demand for their good.

If a house was insulated and then needed 10% less gas to heat the home, on a £800 yearly bill the energy supplier would lose £80 a year. A house around that size probably produces 4 tonnes of carbon a year - 10% of that is worth about £8 in carbon credits.

£80 - £8 = £72 worse of?

So why should British gas, eon, powergen etc bother to really improve peoples energy efficiency?

Translating a (lack of) qualifications when I move to the US

tallus — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:38:22 -0800

Help me translate my (lack of) qualifications when I emigrate to the US. I'm emigrating to the US next year (on a K1 visa — I'm marrying a US citizen) and need to figure out how to best present myself to potential employers.

I have 7 'O' levels which is equivalent to high school graduation, roughly, but I don't have a degree. It's a long story but I chose not to take the final exams. However I did successfully finish the first two years which is the equivalent of an HND in the UK (an associates degree in the US) though I don't have the actual paper qualification. On my CV I have always written: Completed two years of University, equivalent to HND. It has never been a problem - most likely due to my age (I'm now 40), my experience and the fact that I work in a field that's used to self taught people and doesn't always rate qualifications — I'm a linux/unix sysadmin.

I've been doing this for sometime however (10 years), and I really don't want to carry on in this field, so I want to take this opportunity to re-invent myself. I understand this might mean starting at the bottom, and take some work to end up where I want, but I'm prepared for this (how and what will be the subject of further askme questions). My question is about I how I can make the best of other skills and qualities without letting a relative lack of, or unfamiliar, qualifications get in the way.

I will be using a functional CV. Is writing

7 O levels (equivalent to High School graduation)
Successful Completion of Two Years at UK University (equivalent to an associates degree)

going to be fine?

Are there other options I could explore? I've thought of trying to get a GED while I'm waiting for my work permit to come through, but I'm not sure that wouldn't be a regressive step.

What about getting a minimum wage/service industry type job while I'm finding my feet? How might this be affected?

Greenest UK council rankings?

knapah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:04:57 -0800

Are there any good ranking systems for how well United Kingdom local government districts are doing on environmental issues? The closest thing I've found so far is a Guardian article from January 2007 listing their top 10. I'd prefer something more recent if possible, but in the last year or two is acceptable.

Do any charities (Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, etc.) do something like this?

Where can I buy a copy of the G.C.S.E. Science Syllabuses?

spyke23 — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:03:00 -0800

Where can I buy a copy of the latest G.C.S.E. Science Syllabuses in the UK?

Help!!

triggerfinger — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:58:01 -0800

Passport emergency!! (In the UK) I am due to travel on Wednesday morning from Manchester. Unfortunately I cannot locate my passport. I've looked everywhere.

I checked the website for the US Embassy in London (I'm a US citizen with indefinite leave to remain) which says they can issue emergency passports. Unfortunately they are closed Monday for Labor Day and their online appointment booking system says they are full for Tuesday.

Does anyone here know if the Consulate in Edinburgh can issue same day emergency passports? Their website says that they do issue emergency passports if you are due to travel within 10 days or something but nothing about same day. They also operate on a walk in basis, so I would be able to travel there on Tuesday if I can get a same day PP and still make my flight Wednesday.

Also, when I called the US Embassy in London, the recorded message says that if you have lost a passport and are due to travel very soon, that you should just come to the Embassy on the next business day. Can I do this even though the online booking system says Tuesday is full? I need to find out this info before Tuesday as it takes me about 4 hours to get to London, so I'd have to leave very early morning.

I think the worst case scenario would be that I travel to London on Wednesday (which I was able to book a 2:30 appointment for) and apply for a passport and hope they can issue it the same day. I would then have to change my flight to Thursday or Friday. I am trying to avoid this at all costs.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I live in the UK, where's the best place for me to save £10,000

mairuzu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:18:16 -0800

I have £10,000 which I made from the sale of my house. Eventually I want to use it as a deposit to buy a new house, but don't envisage this happening within less than a year. Where's the best place in the UK for me to save this money?

UK ISA account with MENA, Japan and US access.

Mossy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:39:54 -0800

I want to use up my UK ISA allowance investing in Japanese, American and Middle Eastern shares, anyone know of a good service provider? Spread betting places are also fine. I'm a fund manager professionally, just never got around investing any of my own money!

Which self-catering flat in York, UK?

infodiva — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:20:10 -0800

Colleague and I are staying in York, UK for a week in October. Help us decide which flat we should rent. One is at 16 Park Crescent, just off Monkgate. The other is in a converted warehouse on Peter Lane, near High Ousegate. We want good pubs and walks nearby, and we value quiet and safety. More info: 16 Park Crescent is a Victorian rowhouse; the Peter Lane place (called Peter Warehouse Apartments) is comparable in size, but in a converted warehouse. Both offer similar amenities in the flat, and both are about the same price. We don't have a car, so parking isn't an issue. I'm more concerned about the amenities in the area, and the general atmosphere. We have both visited York several times, and love it. Thank you in advance!

Television over internet

alby — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:26:51 -0800

I just moved. I have terrible TV reception and 24 megabit internet. Any ideas? My house (in the UK) has terrible television reception 'cause it has a crappy aerial and is badly positioned. I'm pretty sure that I can't change the aerial without a bit of fuss (it's rented) and I don't really watch much TV - in a "sit down and watch whatever's on" way - anyway.

I do however, have 24Mbit internet access; the router says I'm getting 16 and Speedtest says just over 8. I've certainly downloaded at at least 1.5 megabytes per second via good ol' HTTP, probably higher via Bittorrent.

So what's the current tech for getting television programmes over the internet? Bittorrent and set-top boxes? What free/fee-paying options are there?

I'm not particularly interested in computer-only services - I want to watch TV on my TV, not on my laptop.