Yes the CC NDB was an eye opener when I arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed in the '80s. As locally based pilots we had the advantage of doing the approach on base training in VMC with a chalkboard brief and a full debrief before we ever had to do it in anger. Without going through logbooks I think I did around 5 or 6 in low cloud, several on the 707, which required a bit of anticipation of the turn with a stiff South Westerly wind up the chuff. 1200 ft across CC, 800ft minimums IIRC.
It was also in the mid 80s that we stopped doing harbour circuits on base training, as the good burghers of Mid Levels and the Peak were somewhat concerned to be looking down on aircraft going past their windows. You had to be quick getting the approach checks out of the way downwind, it was not very long.
It was good flying.