i agree with the point about depressed lecturers: i discussed the issue with lecturer from my undergrad course who said he didn't doubt my ability to do a PhD but his made him want to die !!
my reasons for disliking my MA were entirely personal and did not reflect the actual experience of the course itself. Due to personal circumstance i felt that my mind, and my energy, was directed elsewhere and that i was unable to focus fully on my work.
Unfortunately my supervisor has now retired but there is a lecturer at my former institution (who i very much doubt will remember me) with similar interests to my own. Is it worth a speculative email to pick his brain, even when i have limited ideas at the moment ?

I have recently completed an MA in Social Science Research and am interested in applying for a PhD but simply don't know where to begin. For personal reasons entirely independant of the university experience or the workload I didn't enjoy my Master's year and, although I was awarded a Merit, do not feel confident in my own ability
I have a vague idea of the area of research I am interested in but am unsure of how clear I need to be on research aims when contacting potential supervisers. The whole application process seems incredibly daunting and I don't feel that there is much support available for this period. Any advice on how/when to apply and what to expect would be appreciated.