Thank you all. My initial failure to understand how keyboard shortcuts are configured was holding me back. I've now set up a few shortcuts based on your suggestions, and my problem is solved.
Right, it makes sense to rotate the Artboard instead of the view. I have mapped Control-L to Layer -> Transform -> Rotate left
I have also mapped Control-Shift-L to View -> Rotate Left and indeed it is much faster than clicking the menu.
That's a clever trick I will keep in mind
Very cool, setting up two views works perfectly for this purpose.
I have just started learning Affinity Designer 2. You have all given me very helpful information today. Thank you!