Thanks for the answers (and the links). I never knew you could buy a telescope in Argos! I`ll have to do some serious research so I know what to get (got a vague idea).
Ours (Kingston is a High St one). I`m not mad on John Lewis though. I hate going in the Oxford St one because I can never find my way out. It`s like a maze. I think they want to keep you there going round and round trying to find the exit and hopefully spending more money in the process.
Is it for bird watching or astronomy? I would suggest that you find a specialist shop in your area (there's an excellent one 20 miles from me in Lancaster http://www.lambertslancaster.co.uk/), and try out some. Surely that would be better than buying 'blind' if you don't know what you need.
Hey, I'm Cole and I reside in Australia. I love stargazing and I have been looking at purchasing a telescope since long myself. I have bought a telescope just a couple of weeks back and its a Bresser Telescope. I have bought it from an online store and you too can probably have a look at the entire product range of telescopes at http://procular.com.au/telescopes-beginners-easy-buyer-guide-review/. The site offers a complete resource for telescope for beginners.