Thanks for all your replies
Thing - they probably would let me do it if I wanted to do 6 hours in a day, but part of the appeal of flying to me is being able to go somewhere that maybe isn't 3 hours away for a whole day (eg. for an event), or going to europe but spending a couple of days relaxing when there. I don't hold it against them - they are looking to make money but I don't want to fly 3 hours for lunch then turn around and fly back.
fleetflyer - 3 of the other tabs open on my browser are about Vans, 1 about the czech sport cruiser - I love the look of these aircraft, excited about the aeros capability, (having had a grand total of one 20 min Pitts lesson), but I'm struggling to find a group - any suggestions in SE welcome. I will also go hunting and am off to Sywell in a few weeks so will look there too.
flybymike - i appreciate your comments on availability and weather for the continent - I'm self employed so would rarely have to be back for a certain day, so can always be flexible. Also I will probably extend my IR(R) to the EIR or full IR to allow a bit more flex on the continent.
The VANS hunt is on.....