Anyone in the same boat? Any advise?
We're all in the same boat my friend. The laws we have here are pretty restrictive, but they are not quite as bad as you fear. Or at least not yet :/ Yes, we have to look a lot harder these days, but you can usually always find somewhere to legally fly on any day you spend a bit of time on Google maps looking. Registration is not due until November next year, but I'd advise you to do it when it happens, because you'd risk confiscation, massive fines, or even prison if you were caught flying unregistered.
What is more depressing (for me at least) is the attitude of people like the National Trust and English Heritage, who are prejudiced against drones, and (IMO) unfairly try and prevent any sort of UAV flight at nearly all the most attractive areas of the UK - for me that is far more of an issue than the actual law.
But places can be found. Look for public land, commons, parks, public footpaths near fields or forests and it is usually still quite easy to find places that are 150m away from built-up areas. But watch out for nature reserves and certain stretches of beachfront where the 'no drones' signs have already started going up...
I think it is important to have a 'home ground', where you can pretty much always fly, and is nice and local. I wrote to my town council and applied for permission to fly on the local heath / lake, which was granted for pretty much the whole area except one bit where the public mostly are, which seemed fair enough.
CAN YOU OUTLINE THE NEW UK LAWS?
Yes. The latest drone law for the UK is
here.
