Englishall
As in the thread on night flying there is a difference between nipping up for a quick look over the top or as in the night flying doing some circuits on a clear night and keeping close to the airfield and actually using the method to go somewhere.
I can remember as a new PPL flying on a generally overcast day and finding a 5 mile wide hole. I could see the the cloud was not more than 1000 feet thick and spiralled up to take a look at the panorama above. I felt like a naughty boy and quickly descened back down
The question has to be can you maintain VMC and navigate visually while on top. Over an overcast the answer is NO when the cloud is well broken and in you cruise along in smoother air while getting enough glimpes of ground features to be able to navigate then the answer is YES.
If that cloud starts to come together and to start giving a more solid coverage then you need to get down and continue below.
Pace