Yes you are correct it would have been better to buy an 11-speed from the off. One reason I didn't was the £1,400 price of this bike. I'm hesitating going to 11-speed because of the fact an 11-speed bike would have been the sensible option. I could do the change for about £420, but I'm going to resist because it doesn't make economic sense, and I have to stick with my original decision.
The up-gearing has had the desired effect and I'm happy with the gear range now, that's not to say 11-speed wouldn't be better. It gets me up the steepest hills still, with power of course, and I can now pedal comfortably to around 30 mph, so it'll do.
It's just the aggro of dealing with my supplier that is located 200 miles away that I'm now not looking forward to, and the loss of use of the bike.
and yes that Rohloff has an awful lot of low gears.