I have to agree with 540. A clear case of get-home-itis. And the coroner saying that the pilot was 'not aware of the change in ground level' is, in my view, a cop-out. Even I know that Snowdonia has a few hills, and I live a little further than Pontypool!
And yes, I have flown into cloud when supposedly VFR, but not with the intention of making over the tops of a ridge line