Russell -
I would really recommend running off a copy of the 'VFR Guide' which you will find on the NATS website. It is an excellent guide to VFR flying in the UK and covers almost all you need to know about practical VFR flight in the UK. Althought the last time I looked it is due for a revision (eg Bournemouth LARS not shown on the map), it will help immensely with improving confidence, through knowledge, for your cross-country work, as well as covering a lot of what you need to know for your Aviation Law exam and Radiotelephony Licence.
On the CAA website you will find a series of Safety Sense Leaflets. These used to be published in hard copy and there are plans to reissue at some stage; however, many are out of print. But you can download and print them all out, given the time and a plenty of paper!! These are an excellent series of leaflets and, at some stage, you should make the time to read them all. Many won't necessarily help you through the exams, but they are very readable and will make you a better pilot! In particular there is one on Radiotelephony which is a must to print out. It even gives you a sample route, with all the calls, similar to what you should expect for your Radiotelephony Licence exam.
Again on the NATS site, there is a link to the AICs (Aeronautical Information Circulars). You do not need to study these for your exams at PPL level (however, you need to aware of their existence). But, if you are interested in aviation, and I imagine you must be (!), then you will enjoy browsing through these.
Best of all, all the above is free!
If you have any trouble locating the web addresses for the above, let me know and I will dig them out for you.
And follow Cessna Boy's advice and get a copy of CAP413. Essential!
[This message has been edited by Gerund (edited 04 June 2001).]