Mitchstick, you are complicating this beyond reason. If the requirements are to fly a route, landing at a site other than at the final destination then you have to touch the skids/wheels down somewhere enroute. Which bit of 'landing' is difficult to understand here?
Rotarywise, the ANO still refers to the 3 mile cross country definition but now that we are Europeans, it is only applicable to national licences.
TeeS