"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
... It seemed to me that I could probably fly between or above the
layers en-route, but I was worried about the possibility of having to
descend through two layers of wet (and possibly icy) clouds and maybe have
to do an approach to minimums in very gusty winds.

Sometimes you can avoid ice in the air with ease. And sometimes you can't.
So unless you like Russian Roulette, you need to have a plan B. And plan B
may be having warm air below you at a safe altitude, or it may be the
knowledge that you've got ice-free conditions behind you.

In the conditions you describe, my first concern would be whether there were
safe levels at the destination below the ice, in particular in case I missed
the approach. If that were the case, I wouldn't be particularly concerned
with the descent through icing levels, as I'd have safe haven below.
Enroute, I'd want either a safe level below the ice or the knowledge that I
could avoid icing conditions by choice of level or by lateral avoidance of
isolated or scattered Cu. In order to check that those conditions would
exist, I'd want a similar "safe haven" at the point of departure.

It goes without saying that you made the right call.

Julian Scarfe