Hover mowers are not as good as they are made out to be, as I found out.
You
won't get strips, and I found that they weren't that great with
uneven-ness
either. They can also be dangerous to the back as you can swing them
around, and if you try to keep a grip on a hover mower thats determined to
slide down a slope sideways....

I'd got for a wheeled rotary mower any time - they cope just as well with
the unevenness. All lawnmowers have an area that they don't cut, as you
can
never get right to the edge - possibly slightly wider on a wheeled model
but no big deal.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with stripes - my "lawn" is not good enough.
Now given that you mentioned elsewhere you lawn is very shady, it is going
to be difficult to achieve the Wimbledon look. However, you can get
wheeled
rotary mowers with a small rear roller that are meant to give the 'look'
if
you really want it, these models shouldn't break the bank either.

Plug your mower in through an RCD and make sure there is enough power cord
to get you into the furthest corners of the garden!

Sarah

thanks for all the advice, picked up a shiny new rotary mower. Now i'm just
waiting for the sun to shine so I can give me lawn a trim!
Whats an RCD?