Resource List

Because I was the first person in my family to be born outside the UK or Ireland, I registered with the British ancestry site rather than the Canadian. This saves extra international costs.
http://home.ancestry.co.uk

However, Ancestry is limited when it comes to Scotland, so I do a lot of research directly with ScotlandsPeople, who hold the official records.
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Even if your ancestors are not important people, if they are like some of mine they used the announcements extensively (cheaper than the post?) For example, the Smiths and Logans would post in the Liverpool Mercury, the Glasgow Herald, and the Dumfries and Galloway Standard just to make sure they reached everyone. You could also use it backwards: if you know of an event, search it nationwide and see if there is an unexpected paper included - it might indicate the location of a missing sibling or cousin.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

The digital newspaper archives project can also be accessed with a subscription to Find My Past http://www.findmypast.co.uk