If you felt it wasn't right, then you did the right thing. Always.
I will say one thing though: In the beginning it's very easy to fixate on numbers and rules and see them as absolutes. I did this as well. By not being able to achieve a cruise altitude of 3100ft as per your flight plan, you already feel like you've "messed up" a little. But there's absolutely no harm in adapting to the circumstances at hand - and it doesn't constitute a failure on your part. Things change. Weather changes.
Likewise coming into Lydd, yes they do have a published 1500ft overhead join, but you can always do a low approach. You have that power. They don't want to force traffic into IMC anymore than you do to satisfy some silly OH join rule - they're there to help you get safely on the ground. So next time you encounter cloud base at 1700ft, tell them you want to do an OH join at a 1000ft instead due to weather. They'll say yes, guaranteed.
Safe and achievable flying is often just a radio communication away. Don't be afraid to tell them what you need in order to conduct your flight safely.
Last edited by AdamFrisch; 4th Mar 2013 at 16:34.