Your journey doesn't have to begin with complex searches of the Public Record Office, county record offices or local libraries. Your current family is a rich resource, so make sure you use it well. Gather as much information as you can by talking to your relatives and their friends. They might also be able to provide you with originals or copies of documentation such as birth, death and marriage certificates. Or they might have or less formal - though no less valuable - resources to further you search.

Items such as diaries, scrapbooks, letters, and old address books can be invaluable. School reports, qualification certificates, apprenticeship papers, trade union cards, pension cards and newspaper cuttings can be treasure troves of information.

Photographs are particularly useful: they not only provide a tangible link to the past but can also serve as aids to memory. They'll often have details written on the back - so don't forget to look!
If they haven't then make sure that you record the essential details (who is it, when was it taken, and where did they live?) as you discover them.

All families generate tall stories or myths around themselves - don't discount them totally, but be aware that on occasion you might hear a tale that contains only a small grain of truth - it's up to you to discover what it is by cross-referencing with other family members or documentary sources.

Family history is a popular pastime, and a range of courses have built up around it from community education classes to university courses. Your local library, college, university or LEA will be able to provide you with details of courses near you.
You can also look for details in family history and genealogy journals.

Local family history societies are another option. Joining will take you into a community of interest, which can only further your search there may even be someone who's researching your family! The Federation of Family History Societies (www.ffhs.org.uk) can provide you with details of a society near you, as well as with societies in the areas that your ancestors lived in.

Of course, the Internet is a powerful and fast growing resource: there are a growing range of genealogy and family history websites - check out our Family History Webguide to help you get started.
These sites can be an excellent way of networking - gaining contacts who are researching the same or related areas as you - to gain more information. The web will also provide you with access to official documentation such as census returns (www.pro.gov.uk), indexes (such as the General Register Office Index), databases and even software to help you build your family tree.

Before you get carried away, remember that like any other tree, you won't get your family tree to grow without a good root system - and you are that root system. Your task is to work backwards systematically, generation by generation. Trying to work forwards from the past will undoubtedly lead you up many blind alleys, which will only make your task more difficult.
Remember also that a search for a family history can't really be divorced from its wider historical and social context - so be prepared for some surprises!
You may find that a simple search for your roots takes you on a fascinating journey through time, place and history.