One minute circuits are cross countries once you learn how to fly the thing.
No, I dont agree.
I think the discussion has been what is the purpose of a bad weather circuit and where and when it might be useful to the average PPL.
One minute circuits is not something the average PPL has been trained to do, and moreover if the average PPL is forced to do a 200 feet circuit to remain in VMC (at which point I would suggest even at 200 feet the viz is likely to be pretty bad) something has gone seriously wrong with his pre flight briefing. In fact I would hazard that he should alredy have made a precautionary landing somewhere else!
In short, 200 feet 1 minute circuits great fun like flying up side down along the centre line at 500 feet, but not the territory of the average PLL!