So that's it really. I want a drawing tablet for my upcoming birthday, and I thought I should open it to the community to help me choose.
Requirements are:

• Must be available in the UK.
• Must be Win7 compatible.
• Price-wise I'm still uncertain. If your suggestions start getting overpriced I'll give a figure.

Any ideas?

Get a bamboo pen. it works on everything, I have Ubuntu 10.10 and it still works.
Wacom makes really good tablets. It's in the 50-70 price range but there are more expensive ones too.

It's surprisingly limited in choice actually. I happened to be looking at this, which I'm pretty sure is what you're getting at.

Look on Newegg, I got the Bamboo Pen (not touch) for ~60$. You might want a higher resolution one if you need a lot of detail, but it works pretty well for me.
I did notice something interesting, however.
I'm on windows right now to play some GCII, but I notice my pointer skips around a little bit when I use my tablet. However on Ubuntu, it's flawless and just as precise as my mouse.

Well that's not good. If it really is skipping and jumping that kinda defeats the object of it.

The only other options other than wacom were Trust, which have been stapled as rather untrustworthy by most reviews.

Wacom Bamboo Fun has lasted me a few years, and will a few more. No idea how much they cost anymore.

I seem to remember a thread just like this one, someone asking about tablets. Same answer too, the wacom bamboo. I suppose things haven't changed much, ay?

If you're seriously into your art, Wacom Intuos. More expensive, but definitely worth it.

General tips for buying any tablet:
-Think about the size. A small tablet is way cheaper, but you're going to have to suffer through a tiny work space.
-If you can, get a pen with a plastic grip instead of a rubber one, it tends to rip after a while.

I'd suggest waiting until you have enough money made solely from your art to afford an intuos before buying one, honestly. I've used one a few times, and by hell are they nice (as are cintiqs, but that's another story), but learning to use a tablet and getting good at digital art can be done more than sufficiently with a more "hobbyist" tablet.

Shelling out for an intuos while starting out seems like you're just kicking your wallet in the face... You may as well learn on something more than good enough and then "work up" to something "excellent" and revel in the difference once you can appreciate it, imo.

I figured out the problem, my tablet settings are completely screwed up on windows. Of course.
If you configure it right it should work beautifully.

I've never been able to get my hands on one, but from the many many many tablet-buying threads I've read on various forums, the general consensus seems to be to try before you buy, on your own computer if possible.
Also, some other bits of info I've collected:
Only buy Wacom.
If you're learning, get a bigger one if possible to encourage larger strokes.
Most people seem to say that the nibs wear out faster than they thought, and would suggest getting more extra.
Get a second-hand older model Intuos, since it will cut down the price tag by a whopping large amount.
Everyone loves Bamboos, although no-one regrets buying a bigger/better one.
This, if you're up for it.

I might shell out for the small Cintiq. Or the Large Intuos4. It's a lot, but it'll be worth it. I just don't wanna spend half that again on a bamboo I'll need to upgrade anyways.

I have a bamboo fun. It is beautiful and you get this bamboo dock with cool stuff, had it for about a year now..

Yeah I got an intuos before getting any good at art, and I mean sure it's amazingly nice, but it hasn't done me many favors as compared to other tablets. I probably should have developed my skills further before getting it, but meh I love it with all my heart.

Definitely worth the investment.

As I said above, most artists I've talked with consider the Intuos better for less confident artists.
If you've got the dough, of course.