dublinpilot
I would have considered flying from the Midlands (let alone the south coast) to Wick to be “serious touring”, but you are right, I did not define the term when I asked the question.
The situation regarding French airspace is unclear to the CAA, who is trying to sort it out and have a meeting in December, which may give us the position in the rest of Europe. If the French want to fly to the UK with no Mode S (and they will) then I think the CAA will allow an exception provided we can fly there. The existing class D airspace around L2K is theoretically Mode C mandatory, but you can get permission to enter with no Transponder at all, so we will have to see.
Rod1
PS there is a very lively discussion going on on Flyer if you want a look.