It solved everything.
Now I only have a high gear of 44x11 but it is just about tolerable.
At the low end there will never be any worries since it is full MTB gearing and goes down to 22x32.
I found that even on 8-speed you can get away with a 11-32t without aggravating jumps, but only if you use an SRAM cassette. The Shimano 11-32t cassette has a jump from 15-18t which to me is a no no because its a 20% jump in the worst place it could be.
Going to 11-speed would be nice but would incur a horrendous cost because I would need a new rear hub as well as all the equipment which for some reason is 3x the cost for the same level of quality (for example the PG850 Vs PG1150). One is under £20 (or would be if anywhere still sold it) and the other is £43.99.