While A levels/their equivalents are the most common route to university there ARE other paths that can get you there as well. I don't have any formal qualifications beyond GCSEs and I got accepted onto a degree course because of my passion for the subject and out-of-school experience. It depends on what you want to study though - if you're interested in medicine then it's going to be a challenge to get to where you want to be without good A levels, but if you wanted to work in - for example - journalism, then you could start a blog and write your own stories about things you are interested in. That can be enough to get you not only a university acceptance, but can actually be a direct route into working in the media industry. Sure it might take a bit longer but you could end up learning more than if you went through the traditional routes. I mean, I'm starting my course at the same time as the people i was in school with. I dropped out of sixth form early on, figured stuff out for myself, and I'm much happier for it.
One of my friends had to retake some of her GCSEs 3 times, tried (unsuccessfully) to get a college diploma, tried (unsuccessfully) to get a levels, and STILL she ended up being accepted into a pretty decent university to study a science-heavy course, because despite all of that she knew her stuff, and it showed in her interview.
My point is that, yes, not having those great A level grades might mean you're going to have to get creative, but it doesn't mean you automatically can't go to university. If that's what you want to do, then take a step back and reassess the situation. Is it feasible that, through your own independent work and getting involved in community groups related to what you want to study, that you can prove that you are knowledgeable enough to take on a degree? If not, do you want to retake your A levels in the hopes of getting better results that would get you into a university? or do you want to leave formal education and start working your way up, building a career that way? A family friend did that and she's now got a pretty important job in the MOD, so it's absolutely possible.
Different career paths work for different people. You'll figure yours out as long as you keep trying to.