Sennadog
I'm not sure if I'm reading your original post correctly, but, did you not even do incipient spin recovery during your PPL? This is a standard part of our training down under. I dislike doing it, but can understand the need for it.
I would recommend this training to anyone, having experienced a rather nasty spin after being kicked over turning crosswind when I first started flying. We recovered at below the headgear of a mine we were flying over at the time. If the reactions had not been "automatic" I'm pretty sure we would have plowed into the ground. It took me a long time to get over this, and that's why I dislike it, even at a 4000ft with a large bit of air underneath me.
So, my advice, learn how to recover from a spin, even though you may not enjoy the sensations that go with it. It could make a difference some day
