Thank you for all the responses, I really appreciate it. For a little bit of context I am moving back to back with a green belt area and with a 5 minute walk I will be in almost complete darkness with no light interfering, so I do intend to buy in the next few months. As I am in the process of buying a house I can't really start swinging seriously big money round on a telescope but I do have in the region of £300-£500 available. This was (approximately) what the 102 SynScan was priced at, but having created this thread last night I clicked on a link I saved to my favourites a long time ago and it's suddenly £425 - this is no doubt pandemic related.
Whilst I intend to do some astrophotography in the future (I have a 7 year old Sony camera, the model of which I can't remember but know it is suitable for astrophotography) I am more concerned about getting to understand astronomy and using a telescope first. If I really take to it, and this is something I have always wanted to get into, then perhaps I could look at getting another telescope more suited for the photography side of things.
Thank you for all the advice and for being so welcoming. Something I have always wanted to do and no clue where to start! And of course if it's an appropriate scope, I am completely open to a second hand purchase.