Equipment

The cost of equipment varies with its specification and quality.
Top of the range items can be expensive but some carry lifetime guarantees. Second hand items are also available so check out some of the sources listed but remember it is best to try before you buy.

You may be able to borrow or hire tackle from your local fishery and gain some instruction from them before you decide to invest.
I would recommend a visit to a Game Fair and a walk down Fisherman's Row. You will find many tackle and clothing companies represented with many offering reduced prices for the fair.

Fly tying, casting and fishing demonstrations are a regular feature and you can usually sign up for a casting lesson from an expert for as little as a £1 donation.

Few good waters in the U.K. today can be fished free.
Consider joining a club that has waters of its own.

Fishing

Fishing is now big business and hundreds of still waters ranging in size from small lakes of two or three acres to large reservoirs covering thousands of acres are stocked with reared Rainbow or Brown trout for fly-fishing.
Most drinking water reservoirs are stocked with trout for in addition to producing revenue from fishermen trout provide a good indication of water condition because they cannot survive in water that is not clean.

Charges for still water fishing range from as little as £10 a day in some rain fed Northern lakes, with an average fish weight of 2 lbs, to £50 a day in the Chalk spring fed lakes of the South where average fish weigh in at 4 lbs. However prices charged by some big fish lakes in the North are approaching those of the South.

Two brace of fish (a 4 fish bag) can normally be taken from still waters on a full day ticket.
It is the custom in the North to continue fishing after the bag limit has been reached provided additional fish are returned to the water undamaged. This practice is known as catch and release and it demands the use of barbless hooks to avoid damage to the fish.
In the South catch and release is rarely adopted and it is the custom to stop fishing once the bag limit is reached. To continue fishing a second ticket must be purchased.
However rules do vary considerably across the U.K. and from fishery to fishery so check them carefully before fishing.

Day fishing tickets on good Rivers are more difficult to obtain since the waters tend to be leased to clubs and syndicates but some tickets are usually available if you check locally. River fishing can be expensive with charges running to hundreds of pounds per day for exclusive chalk streams or famous salmon beats.
However good river fishing can be found at modest cost with a little research.