renting in the USa, we call it "WET HOBBS TIME". A meter, hooked to the oil pressure gauge, runs when the engine is running and the rental location pays for the fuel you use. If you travel far enough to buy fuel , you keep the receipt and the cost is deducted upon return.
you mentioned the price in pounds sterling, and it comes out to half that in US dollars...I think you can get a trainer for 120 dollars which is about half of your pounds...give or take.
our weather is better...you can tell the girls you went to the US, took some flying lessons, looked around and then came home for what you would have paid for a few hours in the UK...
mind you, if you want a british private pilot license...that might be different.
when I learned to fly, 12 dollars would rent a brand new piper cherokee with gasoline for one hour. but my pay was such that I had to work 8 hours for one hour of plane rental (after school job...so I saved up for a full course and got my ppl, went on to the airlines...but it costs!)
good luck...take a few lessons, don't make a big commitment. When I was teaching, there was a "special" for 10 hours of dual instruction...people paid money in advance and found out they didn't like flying and didn't get theirm oney back.
hard to believe, but some people are really not into flying!