Pudoc: I quite like the look of the Modular route, but would happily commit to an integrated scheme if needs be. I didn't quite fancy joining the cadets, as our local squadron is full of people I know that are trouble makers. However, after doing some voluntary work, I did manage to get a few hours of gliding done at my local gliding strip.
Airclues: I did have a look through the sticky, and found some great stories and some rather off-putting articles. However, while some of the information was relative to my course, I couldn't help but notice that the threads were over 10 years old on the best part. The aviation industry has no doubt changed since the time around 9/11.
Bex88: I'd love to get some flying done on my PPL, and I'm currently looking into possible shares and groups to get as much flying as possible done without being a pesky hour builder.
Thanks for the replies, as I said in the original post, the input from everyone makes it much clearer.