To be fair SkyCam, the baby airline pilot ahead is quite probably a student - by definition of the global circuit. They are a pain, yus, but they are probably trying to do their best at the time.
When said student gets the same experience and confidence that you have - they'll complain when they're grumpy too.
We all started with zero.
Bjorn - you could SAY "request 360 rather than overfly terrain, built up area..whatever" if radio traffic permits.
It's so much clearer to pilots when ATC can say "extend downwind due XXX" and gives us the fuller picture. They may understand better too if opportunity allows us to point it out.
I have the same going to a common airfield of mine - unwritten procedure says outbound traffic at 1500', inbound at 1,000. But that's just inside a zone of 4 miles radius with a top at 1,600 feet. I stay at 3 or 4(ish) thousand (normally gently descending) on my way back in, for exactly the same reasons. I don't want to start engine failure drills from only 900 feet agl. Unlikely - but certainly possible.