Having a job which takes me both 'up North' and 'down South' in the UK quite a bit, I have to say that people do seem to me more friendly the further North you go in both England and Scotland, and I have also noticed that in and around the Capital, people are generally much ruder than they are elsewhere in the country.
Just last week I was on Reading railway station, having come from Guildford on my way home to Stockport just a bit south of Manchester. Being not hugely familiar with Reading station, I asked several people who worked there if they could point out which platforms trains to Manchester and the North would generally go from, and they could not have been more unhelpful if they had tried. Behaviour such as that at locations much further North in the UK would be regarded as completely unacceptable. They may, of course, have been exceptions to the rule, but nevertheless, that was my experience.
Oddly enough though, the friendliest people I've come across in the UK, were in South Wales, which often gets saddled with the reputation of people being unfriendly to those from England. Nothing could have been further from the truth from what I've experienced there numerous times. And in fact, I have been to some towns in South Wales which have been devastated by pit closures and rendundancies, where many of the populace have 'barely got a pot to piss in', yet, they were amongst the most friendly and helpful people I've ever met. If anyone had a reason to hate people from England, it was them, but they were without exception most welcoming and warm towards me.
The same is also true of Ireland, where the people are always very helpful. So in the British Isles, I would say that it's mostly Wales and Ireland where the friendliest people are, and then on the main island, it would be friendlier as you go North. Bizarre, but in my experience true.
On the subject of making money when things are in demand, that's generally the case anywhere you go I think, as evidenced by my trip to Guildford last week. Being made at short notice, I had to book an hotel at the last minute, and it was while the Guilfest rock music festival was taking place in that town, so it was a bit like trying to find a stable to stay in at Bethlehem. Those hotels which did have vacancies were charging vastly inflated prices over what they normally do when I stay there (which is quite often). Didn't really surprise me I have to say.
Chock