It makes me feel sad to know that those days are gone in the UK... I didn't live through them, but they sound like bliss! Back in the days when you didn't need to book PPR at every single airfield you intended to land in, when you didn't need to plan journeys on the cost of the landing fee or cost of fuel, but more because of the great cafe or pub there...
I have found that flying in France still gives you to some extent this freedom which has been stripped from most of the UK. (exception is the Paris area which is so busy & the controllers often get annoyed with us Brits wanting to speak English below TMA).
When I first started flying to/in France, I called all the airfields requesting PPR (being so used to doing this in the UK) and their answer often seem to be "why are you calling me? Yes, we have a runway, we even have a parking area, we have coffee, and during opening hours we sometimes sell ice creams..." I then answer "Do you need any details from me?" The response has almost always been "Why would I need details from you? Are you planning on parking permanently?". The few times they have requested for information, they always end the call by saying "oh - so you're not a commercial operator?" thinking I wanted to bring 20+ passengers to the airport. I picture them striking all the details I gave them!
Why has the UK become so... over-protective... so... over-cautious... so business driven that the friendliness has gone?