Dont be fooled into thinking that flying at manchester makes you any more sharp . It makes you skinter I'll say that much. You RT from Barton (should you choose to use it ) has to be just as good as manchester , it is just a different sort of challenge . YOur not spoon fed like you are at CC and a lot of the decsisons you make are exactly that , they are your decisions made at your discretion . If you have recently done your PPL at Manchester , have a go at Barton on your tod and let us know how many go arounds you had before you put it down . I was the same I learnt at Brize Norton and there is a big difference between 2 miles and 600m .
The challenges of flying out of manchester are just different than Barton and not harder or requiring a greater degree of skill. IMHO the more diverse your flying the better a pilot you will be . Go fly from Barton and see for yourself.
ON the second note I am in the no equity group Im sure of which you speak. Ill wager I can fly two hours in a brand new g1000 172 for the price you pay for one hour in a school a/c on self fly hire at CC , and I wont have to hold once on RTB .
Give it a go , anyone can land on 2 miles of concrete , Barton is way more fun