Bugging out in the UK

[Trig.Point]

Forgive me if this is somthing that's been coverd before. I know that it's been stated in various threads that bugging out in the UK, given the population density, urban nature of most of the country isn't an option.

However is the idea of having a retreat or some location you can move to, so far fetched. If you are bringing with you food/fuel and some means to get access to water, couldn't a location that most people might think would offer nothing, be an option.

Anyway It's just something I'm interested in. Please don't feel the need to hold back if you think I'm deluding myself!

[Vitamin c]

My plan is to only leave home if I absolutely need to and that would be a short a time as possible.
I would use my vehicle as a temporary home .
It has power ,heat , radio space to store food ,water cooking equipment, Beding it can be locked and left while going about my normal business.
I can judge a situation as it happens and move when I wish to where I wish.

With all the different bugg out options available this one gives me lots of choice.

[Frnc]

For a few days maybe. It would be almost impossible to survive long term in the middle of nowhere unless most of the population perished, and you had the skills to survive. It would also depend on who you were with, if anyone.

However, there are scenarios where you might need to survive for a few days, either to get home, or to get to an evacuation point set by the government. Maybe you don't have a car or the roads are blocked, and public transport isn't operating.

There is also the possibility that looters take over your house for a few hours or days.

The government links to Cheshire Resilience who publish a pdf with two risk charts. First is natural and accidental disasters, second is malicious events.

https://cheshireresilience.org.uk/docs/crfrisk.pdf

They also have bugout bag lists etc

https://cheshireresilience.org.uk/how-t ... emergency/

Personally I have enough to sustain me for a few days outdoors on my own. I also have some gear for longer term survival, in a separate pannier for my bike. For example in my bugout bag I have a titanium cooking pot, and inside that is a small gas canister and stove. But the gas would run out after a few days. So in my longer-term bag there is a folding stove you can put twigs in. But what if I run out of gas and don't have the other bag? Well, on top of my pot is a titanium chain which can dangle the pot over an open fire. I just need 3 sticks to make a tripod which fit into a disc at the top of the chain. Obviously you want embers rather than tall flames which might burn the tripod sticks.

My BOB is actually a half full rucksack and front two bike panniers. My rear right panniers are my day to day bike gear and my longer term stuff.

[GillyBee]

One thing that COVID taught was that people bugging out to their rural holiday homes were NOT welcomed by the locals. This needs to be factored in when planning a retreat plan.

I suspect that you would do better if staying with family who are already settled (& liked) in the community and this might be a good avenue for thought.

Even if they are not preppers, would they take you in in a pinch? What might help to pave the way? ( Of course they may bug out to you instead of things go the other way)

[korolev]

Forgive me if this is somthing that's been coverd before. I know that it's been stated in various threads that bugging out in the UK, given the population density, urban nature of most of the country isn't an option.

However is the idea of having a retreat or some location you can move to, so far fetched. If you are bringing with you food/fuel and some means to get access to water, couldn't a location that most people might think would offer nothing, be an option.

Anyway It's just something I'm interested in. Please don't feel the need to hold back if you think I'm deluding myself!

YOU'RE DELUDI....
Sorry, no. Its a valid question.

My own take on it (and I've thought about it) is that it's got to be somewhere you own, so that in normal times you can use/maintain it. That involves quite a bit of cost (even farm/wood land is expensive).
The cheapest option is a lock up garage but the disadvantage of this is that it's going to be in a town. You're still looking at £15k+ though round here, maybe £8-10k elsewhere.
The advantages are that its very "grey" and no-one would give it a second look and it's also dry and fairly secure.
You could also think about a beach hut, they go for about £20k and it'd be lovely in the summer.

[Droidy]

I've been thinking along the lines when it all goes wrong the gangs that form will eventually come calling as they raid houses further out from the big towns for food and resources.
Remember we can survive 3min without air, 3days without water, 3weeks without food.
Alot will pass without clean water.
I have picked out a couple of places far from roads with running water and some wildlife.
The sun cycles are such that we will probably loose all electric fairly soon.

[jansman]

One thing that COVID taught was that people bugging out to their rural holiday homes were NOT welcomed by the locals. This needs to be factored in when planning a retreat plan.

I suspect that you would do better if staying with family who are already settled (& liked) in the community and this might be a good avenue for thought.

Even if they are not preppers, would they take you in in a pinch? What might help to pave the way? ( Of course they may bug out to you instead of things go the other way)

That is a very sensible point.Some years back we had a rural holiday home. We were young and probably less sensible about ‘bugging out there’. In fact ,Mrs J sorted our HOB ( Hotel Bag) on Sunday. Aside from family,that would be our ‘bug out ‘ location. We too would much sooner be with family.

Another recent event too ,which is somewhat linked: My Sister and her husband own 5 acres of local woodland. They own it outright,and use it for camping etc with the children and their friends.After times of trespassing quite early on,my brother moved his Romany caravan up there . He is an off grid guy who has lived that way for a few years now. Anyhow,he has been putting up barbed wire and ‘no trespassing ‘ signs whilst there. As he put it ,sister too, outer security can keep perverts out when the kids are all playing there.
Last weekend, brother put up the last of the wire,and a group of lads stood in the field ( owned by the farmer next door) and shouted abuse. He told them to f*** off and went back to his van. Anyhow,it appears they kicked their way in! They headed towards my Bro’ who was splitting firewood and shouted “are you going to hit us with that axe?” Oh no he wasn’t! He shouted Stan. Who is Stan? He is my brother’s best mate,who happens to be a very well trained Alsatian dog! He simply came and stood next to Bro’ and waited for instructions he told me! All he had to do was to tell him to bark - which he did! Luckily the clowns legged it,followed at distance by the two inhabitants! The dog is so well trained. My brother not someone to upset.

My point? Make sure if you ‘Bug Out’ ,then make sure it’s a legal destination . You never know who is there - who is entitled to be. In a social emergency,people will be forced to protect property from trespassers .

[grenfell]

I can't help thinking that an equally or perhaps even more important consideration is timing or just when to bug out to that nice littleplot of land in the hills. If there's a tsunami , invasion or chemical factory fire then it's a pretty obvious choice , now , although everybody else will probably be thinking the same. If it's a slower event , such as the last pandemic then the question is just when do you run away? You'd need to go early enough to miss the crowds but go too early and you could be halfway through your stored food while tesco is still open a few miles away. Did anyone here bug out when covid hit ? Did anyone run to the hills and live like a hermit? Did anyone attempt to bug out once lockdown was announced and if so what were the consequences? It would be interesting to hear any real stories , I don't have one , I stayed at home and still went to work and life was , well , basically normal.

[Frnc]

I don't see much point in a set bugout location. If the area you live in is uninhabitable, government will be telling you where to go. It might depend which way the wind is blowing. If they tell us to head 30 miles west, that would take me days to walk. On my bike I could maybe do it in a day, but I'd rather have a bit of camping gear just in case. It might be horrible when you get there anyway. My tent weighs 1kg and takes up maybe two litres of volume.
I do have a few destinations in case we aren't given somewhere to go. They are all places the public can go freely. One or two are technically closed at night, but it just means someone locks the car park gate.
One of these is only a mile away, and this is where I would go if looters took over my house. Hopefully they would soon move on.
It's all a bit far-fetched, but I enjoyed putting my bugout gear together anyway. When I did it, I was hoping to go camping on my bike, so I'd be able to use it for that as well. But the nearest camp sites are a bit far for me to cycle, so I've not done that yet.
I don't have a vehicle so if there's no public transport, if I have to evacuate, I'm on foot or bike. I've planned for both.

[Nurseandy]

Also, if it's another pandemic you may not be allowed to travel to your bug out location. During the lockdown I was stopped by the police on the A9 South of Inverness on my way home after a back shift. I'm sure they took a step backwards when I told them I was on my way home after working on a covid ward