UK exchange options for the resident and traveller?

[Flashman]

Hi gang,

A double question here. First off, I have an Aunt living in the UK who has been good to me, I'd like to send her a little BTC as a Christmas gift. She is computer competent, uses them professionally, but not a real tech wiz, got her home computer on the internet back in the days when you had to have a bit of a clue. Anyway, enough that I think she could "handle" BTC given a few pointers. I'd like her to be able to cash it easily if she wants. So which exchanges are amenable to transfers to UK bank accounts without taking forever? Preferably ones without too many options to get lost in.

Then secondly, I'm thinking of going over there to do the "Tourist thing" in early spring, will be around London a couple of days, but then heading out to see Stonehenge, historic sites away from the cities. I'd take UK pounds and credit cards, but "just in case" I'm wondering if I could get UKP for BTC easily with no bank account. Would I have to use local bitcoins? I'm thinking that's about the only way, not heard of many bitcoin ATMs over there. Are there any BTC to "service" purchase options? Like if Amazon UK sold tickets to a theme park or something, and I could use a service to buy them through BTC? Or perhaps BTC payment services that allow online purchase of bus or rail tickets or similar? Just want to have an idea of options in case some unforeseen circumstance swallows all my fiat. I can refund my CC by BTC by several "hops" as it were that take a few days each, but that might be too long a time considering I'll only be there a couple of weeks.... and would not do me much good if I lost my CC or something daft.

Oh finally, is there anything I should know about any BTC related sites that are blocked from the UK now? Would be shitty if I found that that default UK firewall thing had slippery sloped it's way into blocking pretty much anything that was slightly frowned on (For the children!)  and I couldn't get to exchanges or online wallets without having a "real" internet connection I could configure a proxy on, relying as I might be on public wifi or internet cafes.

Thanks muchly for any pointers,

Flash.

[hilariousandco]

I'm sure you could find somebody on here to meet you in London to buy some BTC for cash. There are no Bitcoin ATMs here at the moment as far as I'm aware, but there was one a few months ago at some tech conference down in London. Hopefully there'll be at least one by the time you plan to travel here.

Bittylicious is probably the easiest exchange for us UKers (IMO/experience), but I'm sure there will be easier ways to cash in BTC during next year (I take it she'll be keeping hold of it for a while? If not, may as well just give cash).

I don't believe they've blocked any Bitcoin related sites, or if they ever would, but you could always use TOR to access them.

Hope that helps. I can try find more details for you if you wish.

Oh.. and UKP should be GBP