Baz, if PPL is financially out of reach then put it on hold until it can be in reach.
In the meantime you will of course want to fly and there has never been a better time to gain hundreds of hours of airtime in a single seat aircraft that has variable geometry, VNE ~ 60kts, needs no hangar, airfield, licence or medical and can be converted from power variant to glider variant in 15 minutes.
We are talking Hang Glider (NOT PARAGLIDER). Hang Gliders are difficult to land and takeoff - they teach you a lot about flying and yourself. Bend them and they are expensive to repair (just like a light a/c). So fly well. You want IMC? - easly achieved on a thermic day - but also illegal. You want to practise touch and goes for free all day? Want to practise X-wind landings all day for free?
Hang Gliding is now dying owing to overcrowding of sites with PGs. Thus you can pick up a very decent modern machine probably with harness and instruments for less then £500.00.
Modern HGs are not the old weird things you see on TV docs - they are carbon fibre, aluminium, dacron, stainless steel and immensly strong, safe and light.
You can now, entirely down to your determination, fly 30 - 60 miles XC most summer UK weekends, map read and talk to ATC or AIS. (Yes you will need a radio licence but you will need one for your PPL. Radio load is a big distraction on PPL training - get in their early)
You'll need a short padded ladder on top of you car and a few straps - and that's it.
Cron. (Solar Wings Scandal with APS! Google it)