Good posts Genghis
My observation would be that it doesn't appear to me that your average grass roots flying club in the UK is exactly rolling in cash... in fact exactly the opposite many struggle to make the books balance. As such I don't think "avoiding" renting club aircraft for a week would be fair on the clubs some of which are run by enthusiasts rather than avid capitalists.
Although I agree the price of hiring a 152 in this country for an hour is simply nuts and leaves GA inaccessible to many.... more of a "top-down issue" (i.e. fuel costs, regulatory burden etc) than a "bottom-up" one (i.e. how many flying club owners drive around in Porsches??)