In reply to Alex Conway:
Try clubs!
UKC single partners are great (I've climbed with a few) but a whole club to share travel, meet down the wall, push your grades with different people etc gives a greater richness to the climbing experience, especially when you're new.
There's a perception that clubs are cliquey or old but ours (London based) has around 100 members from 20 to 70 and covers all disciplines that you could imagine - ice, bouldering, trad, sport etc