ATCO 2,
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'll definitely give this a go next time I'm heading in this direction. I'm not too worried about having clearance refused, because I'm quite familiar with the alternative routes, but I'll feel a lot more confident that I'm doing it "correctly" now you've pointed me in the right direction.
As for the lack of knowledge, I think this is self-perpetuating - students aren't shown how to ask for SVFR, and when they become instructors they're still unfamiliar with the procedures so they don't show their students, and so on. I had to request a SVFR clearance through some Class A on my R/T practical test, but we all know that those tests may or may not accurately represent the way things work in real life - and even if it was accurate, it wouldn't have helped answer the specific questions which you've just answered for me.
I may be speaking to you on 119.9 soon!
FFF
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