Thing,
Firstly I apologise if my reply was a bit...fierce or blunt. I'm was coming to terms with the horror or ATPL funding (unless I manage to bag myself a job with BA in the morning) when I came across the thread.
I quite agree that it is a daunting experience for even the most confident of people. I have a brief but useful background on a UAS, but left with 70 hours with some fantastic teaching. I was lucky (sort of). When I tried to turn up at a civilian airfield for the first time I was terrified quite frankly. Square circuits still hurt my brain.
I didn't quite mean walking up to someone whilst they were getting out of their pride and joy and asking them for a few flights in exchange for fuel, but there are options out there.
Share groups exist where ab-initio trainees can use aircraft at sensible rates.
The point I was trying to get at - do not simply just go to your local flight school and take whatever the price is. Consider your options. A friend in Wales is going to do an intensive course in Yorkshire where he can get an hour with instruction at £130 an hour rather than £175 at his local.
Like I said there are alternatives such as the TomaHawk share at £80 an hour wet. I'd take that over a microlight at £75 any day.