I went to the top of Blackstone Edge on the border above Rochdale for about 11pm. There were a dozen or so enthusu1asts dotted around with varying degrees of kit. So you may imagine that I was childishly pleased to use a basic knowledge of astronomy, as opposed to photography, to be the one to find the comet for them! I used fairly low-powered field glasses (8 x, I think) but by 11.30 I was able to pick it out with the naked eye. It was a thrill, compounded by the knowledge that it's only every 7000 years or so. That makes it three times as reticent as Hale Bopp, which was a terrific show-off in 1996-7 - you could practically see that one without going out of the house.
One of the rare compensations of age is that as a child I saw the comet Arend-Roland in 1957. That really was spooky to an impressionable mind. That one won't come back.
As I came down from the mountain I was able to ascertain that it's possible to see the comet from much lower down but I expect that that is if you know exactly where it is beforehand!
Am I right in thinking that a lot of the excellent images on here are dependent on modern camera technology and that the comet itself appears far less distinct to the eye or in glasses?