You are not daft so I guess you can see that when approaching the Lakes there are 3 distinct options. Go over, go through or go around. The choice always driven by the weather. Its not a crime to make a poor decision. However it will always remain a poor decision.
So if the weather forecast is favourable - not epic, just not bad and well above limits -and you plan to go through, rather than over or around, is that a poor decision? Don't think so.
Then, because you are operating at low level - not because of the weather but because that is the aim of your training - and you don't see the weather changing until you come round a corner and run into it - is that a poor decision? Again I don't think so
Then having done all the right things - slow down, go down but constrained by the topography - yet end up in the deteriorating weather because turning round at speed isn't an option and come to the hover in sight of decent visual references - is that a poor decision????
Finally, to extricate yourself from this less than ideal situation (where you can't land becuase of the terrain), you turn round and hover taxy back along a good line feature until you clear the weather again and then proceed on a different route home - is that really a poor decision???
Please tell me what you would have done different - and without more pointless HEMS dits which are not relevant. Where was this 'poor decision' you are certain that they made?
As for harking back to the bad old days, we used to mountain fly in UK, Cyprus and Hong Kong without NVG - wouldn't dream of doing it now but it doesn't relate to this thread any more than your move to AFCS equipped twins on HEMS.
BTW, what are the low level limits for UK HEMS? Just so I am educated..........
Now your last story has some interest - still not relevant, but a much better way of teaching the less experienced here how task focussing can get in the way of aviation safety - you could easily have been another statistic. Despite all you had been told, you knew better.......
If you had been trained in RAF SAR, you would have had it drummed into you when and how to say NO.