Correct, the server's in the UK, not far from where I live actually! A tracert to that server is all well and good, but it's a bit of a moot point until I connect up the new modem and activate it (tomorrow morning, with luck). Hopefully, it'll be better. Pinging it for about 15 minutes or more would be worth doing, but I dunno what the server's running at the moment!
When the quality goes sky-high, the game slows to a crawl, so I have to park it because I'm a liability to others. The framerate's fine, but if it's not receiving packets, then it's a major issue.