Is it a manual cable or a self adjusting one? If it's self adjusting it will have a big plastic cylinder round it not far from the bit that hooks onto the fork on the box.
If it's a manual one it will just be a plain cable.
Can you move the cable freely? ie. if you unhook it again both ends, can you push/ pull the cable by hand easily back and forth in the cable jacket? If not, it's the cable, Id advise you to throw it away if you have one of those nasty horrible self adjusting ones, they're more trouble than they're worth IMO. A manual one is about £10 from a motor factors and about £12 from VW from memory.
Well done changing gear with no clutch, most people struggle with that! It's a piece of piss if done at the right revs/ load.
IT's rarwe to be able to move a clutch arm by hand too, even levering it can be hard. Did you try dipping the clutch just as you lift off the accelerator? Like, as if you're revving highly and suddenly lift off, or did you jsut try it when stationary? is tehre any movement at all or does it just feel like the cable stretches slightly? (about 10mm)
Is it a standard or uprated clutch?