I’m in the middle of a diagnosis for a similar issue. Woke up one morning around Christmas with a stiff neck on the right side, as you do sometimes. After a couple of months of it not going away and starting to get pain and stiffness elsewhere, hips and back, I went for 6 physio sessions. Physio said the neck pain was ‘referred pain’ but I wasn’t convinced and it hasn’t improved after the sessions.
Went on holiday to postugal for a week at the end of june and literally could not lift my head off the pillow in the mornings. Got some strong anti-inflammatory pills from the pharmacist and that kind of eased the stiffness.
Made an appointment with the gp when I got back, who referred me to a consultant. Had an appointment yesterday and after a few tests he says it’s definitely neck related and could be a worn disc. Anyway MRI next week then we should know what the issue is.
Really hope you get it sorted though, the saying ‘pain in the neck’ to describe something that’s extremely annoying is true.
Edit: I have BUPA through my employer, had I been going NHS gp advised it would be a 4 month wait to see a consultant, then a further wait for an MRI scan.