IMC Rating - for emergency use only?
There are folks who say the IMC rating is to help save your life if you unexpectedly get caught out. And there are folk who are happy to take off knowing that they will be in IMC for at least part of the route.
Putting aside conditions which are too bad (eg icing risk in aircraft without FIKI, cloud base marginal even for an instrument approach at the destination etc), what's the view prevailing among those of you with experience?
Seems to me (someone building on low experience) that one needs to stay current if the rating is to be effective, and the weather in the UK certainly merits having some extra capability, so judicious planned flight into IMC is not foolhardy.
Would your views be different if you had another pilot to help with workload in the right hand seat?