You can purchase Bitcoins either from exchanges, or directly from other people via marketplaces.There are a few marketplaces users in the UK can sign up to online or easily, including Bittlyicious. This restricts unregistered users to buying a maximum of £50 worth of the currency, though registered users can invest more.Another is CoinCorner, which you can also sign up to for free.Once you've purchased some Bitcoin, you can trade it online using wallet software or an online trading service.
Probably the easiest way is to sign up to My Wallet, so that you have the ability to use and make transactions.There are also an increasing number of Bitcoin and Litecoin ATMs across the UK, including 17 in London. Here you can buy Bitcoins directly using cash or credit/debit cards and buy Bitcoin wallets at the same time if you don't have one already.Alternatively, you can try and mine the currency yourself.Miners - members of the public with the skills to navigate these complex computers - have a financial incentive to help validate and timestamp transactions.Mining involves running software on your computer that processes complex mathematical equations.The problem is, you're up against many other users also trying to solve the problem before you - making it difficult to get a payout.It's recommended for novices to join a mining group, to up the chances of success - though the payout will be smaller.The popular mining pool Bitcoinz has more information on the process.