I think that LEL was fantastic value and incredibly cheap for what it was.
I'm thinking about riding a 24 hour place to place sportive next year. Entry fee is about £260. The coach back to the start is extra and will push it over £300. There will be a lot of mollycoddling going on, nothing like a DIY Audax, but I reckon it might be fun.
I don't think it's all that expensive, though it is a lot of money to me. There is a difference.
If I did it myself using trains and cafes then I could probably save £100 over the sportive, I think. But it wouldn't be the same.