FFF

Someone mentioned the difference between the single-cell CBs we often get in the UK, and huge lines of CBs that occur in other parts of the world. I've not yet encountered CBs outside of the UK, so all my experience and suggestions are entirely based on UK weather - but you should certainly take local weather patterns into account.

I did see huge lines of CBs over Spain the other week, visually and all over the stormscope :O About 50 miles long.

Personally I would not fly in IMC extensively if CBs are about (even with a stormscope because while it shows storms with lightning very reliably, it doesn't show everything nasty there is) but it should be OK to climb/descend through a thin layer. But then one does not fly in IMC extensively by choice; VMC on top is much better...