CPL cross country requirements

[aztec25]

Can someone advise me on this please....

One of the requirements for the issue of a CPL licence is the completion of a 300nm

"20 hours cross country flight time as
Pilot-in-Command, including , a VFR
cross-country flight of at least 540km (300 nm)
in the course of which full-stop landings at two
aerodromes different from the aerodromes of
departure shall be made"

I'm currently studying for ATPL exams and hope to start the CPL training in March next year. I've done about 250 TT and plenty of cross country time but not a 300 nm round trip. I'm planning to do this in the next few weeks but then I wondered:

Would this be better done or does it need to be done as part of the CPL training course (i.e. like the PPL QXC)?

Does it needs to be signed off by an instructor or are the log book entries sufficient?

Is it better to have done it before starting the training?

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[Pole Hill]

aztec25,
I flew my cross country a couple of months ago, and like you, I am studying for the ATPL exams too.
Normally this flight is completed before the CPL cource commences; you can postpone it until you start the CPL, though there would be no advantage to the best of my knowledge.
Logbook entries are sufficient.
Best Regards,
POL

[aztec25]

Thanks POL good luck with the studies!