I fly helicopters just for fun and it is great. I had a fixed wing licence and kept both licences current for a while but one day realised that helicopters have so much more to offer.
Yes, I know they they do go a bit slower ( my R44 can only manage 112kts!) and they do not have the range (after 2.5hrs in most helicopters you want to take a break anyway) but the big advantage is that you can, in many cases, go direct to your destination and not to a nearby airfield and then get a taxi.
I have flown through the Swiss Alps, countless times to France, and a few times to Germany and Belgium as well as much of the UK.
From High Wycombe you could be down in, say, Rock/Padstow/Eden Project in Cornwall in about 1 hour 40 minutes in an R44.
Helicopter pilots are generally a very sociable bunch and new recruits are always welcome.