Hi Mat,
Welcome to SGL. A lot of people including myself start with the Skywatcher 200P and it is a great telescope for the price, easy to set up and gives fantastic views. Depending on which way you want to go, either AP or visual will decide what type of scope and mount you need. I am only a visual observer and I still use my 200P along with a 127 Mak and a ST 120 refractor which are both on manual mounts. My venture into Goto was not what I was expecting as I spent more time setting up and operating than observing. Lots of people use Goto and are very successful but for observing I find it more satisfying using a manual mount.