All great advice. There are so many ways to fly and none is better than another.
For what it's worth my advice is don't give up - I took 21 and a half years from first trial flight to licence, yes, that's right 21 and a half years. And I don't have one single regret.
Now I've got a NPPL I'm looking at PFA types, groups and Self Launched Motorised Gliders to give me more experience and more time in the air more cheaply.
Everything you try to do will take you longer than you think (though, hopefully, not as long as me) and cost you more than you budgeted for but it will be worth it.