Bookworm,
It is so simple I can not understand why PPLs fail to understand the principle.
You can not expect to safely fly from A to B unless the weather at A, at B and on the proposed route is good enough to permit VFR flight. That is it. Simple.
Please read ICAO Annex 6, Part 2, Chapter 4, 4.6.1 This deals with VFR flights and is the UK standard in this regard.
VFR flights are not required to have alternates and are not required to have fuel to divert at the destination.
They are required to have a final reserve which in this case would have been 45 minutes.
Regards,
DFC
PS You are also wrong about the IFR flight - An IFR flight can only depart for a destination which is below minima when it has two suitable alternates above alternate minima