When I travel, I go to my bank to get a "starter" wad of currency to see me through the first few days of travel. I don't like carrying huge amounts of currency. After that, I use ATMs and VISA in the foreign country. Could I get better exchange rates if I shopped around or looked into things further? Maybe, but I don't get too fussed about it, because I want to focus on enjoying my trip. The only time I really got skinned (that I knew about) was buying Chinese currency at Thomas Cook in my own town. I realized when I got to China that I could have a gotten a way better rate there.
When going to Scotland, I got GBP before leaving. Once that was spent, I got Scottish currency from ATMs. If you can't buy pounds before you go, don't worry; there are lots of banks around. I wouldn't bring US cash to the UK, though.
Two more things to note. Most debit cards have daily withdrawal limits, so time your ATM withdrawals judiciously if you spend lots of money. Also, I understand that American cards are not chipped; I was behind an American couple in a supermarket when their credit card didn't work in the machine. It got sorted out eventually because they had lots of cards to try.
"Touch not the cat bot a glove."
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