AdamF,
I suggest you have a read of the post I made on this thread on 7th October.
Two specific points, to add to what others have already said in their replies to you:
- There is no requirement to file a flight plan when flying IFR outside controlled airspace in the UK.
- There is nothing which says "you're not allowed to have any visual references" when flying IFR, in any country, day or night.
FFF
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