A PA28 PLT DEPARTED VFR; BUT ENCOUNTERED IMC. HE ADVISED ATC AND RETURNED TO LAND.

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I PLANNED A TRIP FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 AND BACK (DEPARTING XC00 AND RETURNING 2 HRS LATER). THAT AFTERNOON; I RAN A STANDARD WX BRIEFING USING DUATS. ACCORDING TO THE RPT; VFR CONDITIONS WERE TO EXIST DURING MY FLT. IMC WERE TO AFFECT THE AREA LATER; BUT THAT WAS WELL AFTER MY FLT WOULD BE COMPLETED. AT XA30; I OBTAINED THE CURRENT ATIS RPT. IT READ AS FOLLOWS: 8 MI VISIBILITY; FEW CLOUDS AT 2400 FT AND SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 11000 FT; TEMP 22 DEGS; DEW POINT 19 DEGS. AFTER TAKING OFF; ATC AUTH ME TO PROCEED ON COURSE. I ALTERED MY COURSE TO AVOID A FEW CLOUDS WHILE CONTINUING MY CLB TOWARDS 6500 FT. A FEW MINS LATER; I NOTICED THAT I HAD LOST VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GND. I DECIDED IT WAS BEST TO CANCEL MY TRIP AND RETURN TO ZZZ; SO I LEVELED OFF AT ROUGHLY 3500 FT AND CONTACTED ATC. I ADVISED THEM I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE MY TRIP UNDER VFR CONDITIONS AND REQUESTED TO RETURN TO ZZZ. ATC INSTRUCTED ME TO TURN TO HDG 010 DEGS AND BEGIN A DSCNT AT MY DISCRETION; PLANNING FOR RWY XXL. I TURNED TO THE APPROPRIATE HDG AND BEGAN MY DSCNT. UPON DOING THIS; I FOUND MYSELF IN A LAYER OF CLOUDS. I CONTINUED MY DSCNT AND CURRENT HDG; EXPECTING TO CLR THE CLOUD ALMOST IMMEDIATELY (SINCE ONLY A FEW CLOUDS WERE BEING RPTED). ATC INSTRUCTED ME TO ENTER A R BASE FOR RWY XXL. ATC ALSO TOLD ME THAT THE ARPT WAS 5 MI AT MY 3 O'CLOCK POS. I TURNED TO HDG 090 DEGS AND CONTINUED TO DSND; BUT WAS STILL IN THE CLOUD LAYER AND REMAINED THIS WAY UNTIL ROUGHLY 1000 FT AGL. AT THIS ALT; I CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS; SPOTTED THE ARPT AND MADE A NORMAL LNDG. AFTERWARDS; I REALIZED THE APPROPRIATE ACTION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO REQUEST A HDG OF 090 DEGS AT 3500 FT IMMEDIATELY; INSTEAD OF COMPLYING WITH ATC'S REQUEST FOR HDG 010 DEGS. IF I HAD DONE THAT; I COULD HAVE OVERFLOWN THE FIELD AND TO THE E OF THE ARPT; MADE A DSCNT WITHOUT THE CLOUDS BEING ANY FACTOR.