I went to uni aged 44, so there is hope!
In your situation, I would first try to narrow it down to maybe half a dozen uni courses which I like the look of. Then I'd contact each of the unis, explain your situation and ask what you would need to do in order to be a credible applicant for your chosen course. You may find that you have a couple of years of preparatory study, but if you're etermined then it's perfectly possible.
These days you will most likely be expected to have GCSE English and Maths at grade C or above, to demonsrate basic levels of literacy and numeracy. You would then most likely be asked to do a one year Access to Higher Education qualification at a local college. This is taught in quite a uni-like way. Not only will it show the uni that you have uni-level potential, but it will give you an idea of uni-type learning so that you can see whether it really is for you. There are different Access subjects, so if the unis mention them, ask which Access subject they would need you to take.
An alternative to Access may be a Foundation Year, which is taken at uni and prepares you for your chosen degree. Not every degree has one, but it may be an option. One advntage is that this makes you eligible for Student Finance fundig. However sometimes they do need you to have a relevant Access qualification first.
To get a taste of uni-type learning, try a free online course from providers such as Coursera and FutureLearn. Short online courses are run by universities and are made available for free. I've recently done courses from Southampton and Leicester universities and they were fascinating. You can go at your own pace, join in discussion with other participants if you want to, do extra reading or none at all and there are no tests/exams. You're studying just for he interest, although you can buy a certificate which shows that you comleted it (it generally doesn't carry any academic credits as on most courses you don't do any formal assessment).