Unless he was thought he was flying a jet, climbing straight out of the CTR/CTA was never going to be the quickest option - nor the most economical on fuel. Although, it may have been safest to climb as he was routing away from trouble if he then had to cross the Forth at a wider point than the bridges.
Looks like this was one of these flights where an accident was the only likely outcome. I think PilotMike has summed up very well - Poor Mr H - it wasn't his fault that the the machine conked out and what a great job he has done saving the day. I guess he must just be wired differently.
Had he chosen to land with fuel or made a precautionary landing on farmland he would not have endangered so many other people and would perhaps have been of a lesser risk to himself.
I still dn't understand how you can spend 5 hrs getting from Barrow in Furness to Dundee! F**k I can drive there and halfway back in that time! What was he doing - looking for an accident?