summerdays said:
A question I would like to know about trikes is - does it make your neck ache?
Does your neck ache when you sit in a comfy chair? Try it. Slump a bit in a chair, and look ahead level all evening - watching telly for example...
Seriously, no, it's a much more natural angle than on an upright, where your head is in effect tilted back (depending, of course, on how much you are bent over). My old trike had a headrest built into the seat, but I never used it on the road - only when reclining in the shade after a good lunch of baguette and fromage. My new trike doesn't have a head rest, and I don't miss it.
Decent recumbent dealers will have plenty for you to try - I guess it's better if you're seriously in the market, but you won't know that until you try one.
I know you're in Bristol but...
London Recumbents have a wide range of stuff that can be hired for rides round Dulwich Park. D-Tek inear Ely, Cambridgshire, is apparently a veitable toy box of delights (I've not yet been). Westcountry Recumbents are based in Derbyshire, and specialise in Greenspeeds. Laid Back Bikes in Edinburgh organise guided rides on 'bents. Obviously, you need to make an appointment, but if you were ever going to be in the area of any of them. That's just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Alternatively, keep an eye out for a Get Cycling roadshow in your area, they may well bring a recumbent or two....
http://www.getcycling.org.uk/index.php