It's quite normal for commercial flights in Mediterranean areas also to fly without radar, but it gets a bit hectic sometimes. half a dozen aircraft being procedurally positioned for approach into a greek island at night with one controller having to continually ask each aircraft for range and bearing updates to work out relative distances etc for spacing...not for the nervous flyer.
I'm a bit out of touch with recent PPlL training and IMC rating these days, but I was always under the impression that the intention of teaching and issuing an IMC rating is really only a "get out of trouble" rating..if you accidentally get into cloud, use your instrument flying skills to get out of it by turning back . If you set off with the intention of going into cloud, get an IR.
I know the law doesn't quite read that way, but too many pilots kill themselves because they think their IMC rating is all they need to know about IMC flying.
Be careful. Happy landings
