Hi Brian,
Great to hear from you. Near Sheffield would be immaculate viewing I'd expect. You'll get a lot out of IIS site too. I'm a launcestonian and 12 months into this challenging hobby!! I use a 200mm GSO Dob at this stage. I used to meet with Peter Sayers of Devonport at a farm near Latrobe where he introduced me to all sorts of things astronomical. He has a 300mm Dob and a 14" SCT I'm not sure of the brand. He also does photography you'll see his name on the site
http://www.apstas.com/astrotas/ his email is included there, tell him I mentioned to contact him. He is into Honda road bikes and regularlly rides out your way too. I meet monthly with 4 others from Launceston at my place in Bridgenorth near Legana, nice dark skies mostly. We all participate in IIS and Moonman places a notice here when we meet. Kind regards Ian Gillespie.