Mr C,
I did precisely what you are intending a few years back.
As previously mentioned the first thing is to decide if you are going to do the ATPL (14) or CPL (9) papers. If you are not going to complete an IR withing 3 years of your "final pass" in the exams then don't bother with the ATPLs - do the CPL exams. (See J1.7 Theoretical Knowledge Examination Acceptance Period in LASORS). If you do intend to get an IR, within 3 years, do the ATPLs - it means 5 fewer exams in the long run.
Get a night rating!!! If you don't have one you'll have to do 5 extra hours training - possibly at "commercial" (as opposed to "PPL") rates.
Next get a Class 1 medical - there's no point in even starting the ground school if you can't pass that.
Before you can start the flying part of the CPL you will need: "...at least 150 hours flight time as a pilot..." LASORS D.1.2(d)
By the time you have completed the flying training you must have :
- 100 hours PIC
- 20 hours VFR Cross Country as PIC - including a "...cross-country Flight totalling at least 540 km (300 nm) in the course of which full-stop landings at two aerodromes different from the aerodrome of departure..."
- 10 hours instrument dual instruction (covered in the CPL course)
- 5 hours night
I think that's about it.
OC619