Bunker. Norfolk. £25k

[Arzosah]

My brother and I actually own an island on the river.We inherited it from our rather delinquent Grandfather,who won it in a card game back in the 60's,where legend has it,lasted two days! There is a single brick ' cabin' there,that has a fireplace,and it measures 40' x 12'.We have water catchment,and a solar panel / leisure batteries.There is a ' garden' at the end where there are no trees,which I have covered with heavy black plastic.All the usual prepper stuff.However,the Bro' got fed up with living in a such a secluded place on his narrowboat moored there.The only way in and out is by outboard dinghy.

I love the sound of that! A little island, with a little house - sounds wonderful! And it's river rather than tidal? Perfick: a Pop Larkin fantasy for the 21st century.

[jansman]

My brother and I actually own an island on the river.We inherited it from our rather delinquent Grandfather,who won it in a card game back in the 60's,where legend has it,lasted two days! There is a single brick ' cabin' there,that has a fireplace,and it measures 40' x 12'.We have water catchment,and a solar panel / leisure batteries.There is a ' garden' at the end where there are no trees,which I have covered with heavy black plastic.All the usual prepper stuff.However,the Bro' got fed up with living in a such a secluded place on his narrowboat moored there.The only way in and out is by outboard dinghy.

I love the sound of that! A little island, with a little house - sounds wonderful! And it's river rather than tidal? Perfick: a Pop Larkin fantasy for the 21st century.

Its an ok place Arzosah,but the building does have to have steel shutters on the door and windows,as we do get passing boaters who moor up.In the early days we got a number of break- ins and vandalism.The only people who can access it have to have a boat - and they tend to be nice,wealth( ier) folks,which says a lot about human nature.SHTF ,anyone? In a way,it is a lot like the bunker that is the subject of this thread.When something happens,and folks need a hidey hole,your place becomes the subject of unwanted attention.My brother used to let his Alsatian and Jack Russell run loose,which deterred casual moorings,but alas he is no longer there.I think in the fullness of time we may sell it.I am in no rush,but if brother wants to I can be persuaded.

[Arzosah]

Its an ok place Arzosah,but the building does have to have steel shutters on the door and windows,as we do get passing boaters who moor up.In the early days we got a number of break- ins and vandalism. The only people who can access it have to have a boat - and they tend to be nice,wealth( ier) folks,which says a lot about human nature.SHTF ,anyone? In a way,it is a lot like the bunker that is the subject of this thread.When something happens,and folks need a hidey hole,your place becomes the subject of unwanted attention.

Ah. I still find it surprising when I hear of countryside properties being vandalised, but I saw an example myself last month . So even now, the fact is, you get two types of people using the island - vandal types and passing boaters. In a big/permanent version of SHTF, both sets would be a threat - some might be negotiated with or cooperated with, but maybe not. It would be a troubled existence, to put it mildly.

It's something I've been thinking of in terms of the present day: there are plenty of countries where, if we were living in those conditions, we'd call it "shtf". I was thinking of Pakistan, with the Afghan war drifting over the border plus regular border wars with India; mass kidnappings by Boko Haram in Nigeria; drug wars in Central and South America; we all know there are half a dozen other areas I could put in that list. Studying how people survive and live in those areas could be very helpful. There's still a positive outlook shown in some areas: Yugoslavia's implosion undoubtedly was shtf, but now it's a tourist magnet (which may feel like another shtf version!), and Rwanda seems to have recovered, superficially, from the genocide during the 1990s.

[jansman]

That’s a good point Arzosah. Living in those troubled countries, with a constant threat of harm, really would feel like SHTF. Places like Rwanda and Yugoslavia were awful, when neighbours turned on neighbours.

Going back to countryside crime: It is rife! There is always someone up to no good. In our experience, two occasions of trespass and vandals involved rather ‘nice’ middle class narrow boat owners. One was witnessed by our Farmer neighbours on the opposite bank, and the police were called,and the second by my brother when he was on his way back from the vet with the dogs. As he approached in his dinghy he saw a narrow boat moored. They obviously had not noticed his on the other side as it was shielded by trees. He caught them ( husband and wife) trying to force the door of the cabin. We didn’t have shutters then. They sh*t themselves when they were cornered by a rather large Alsatian and a very nasty Russell! Pete always carried a pick shaft in the boat ( he never knew who might be about) and he jumped aboard their boat and laid into the door with it.As he put it,” damage mine, I’ll damage yours.” Long story short, they were left in no doubt they were doing wrong and that they had been caught. They left hastily with much emotion from the lady...

My point being, that when serious things happen, the most seemingly ‘nice’ people will do you wrong.

[Arzosah]

Good grief. Security is going to become more and more important, isn't it ...

[Stonecarver]

Read an article somewhere that gangs are moving out into the countryside

[jansman]

Good grief. Security is going to become more and more important, isn't it ...

When the clocks go back, farm security goes up. Crime spikes. My farmer friend at the North End of the village had a tractor and bailer stolen on fireworks night ( sound masked).He is not unique. It is not unusual in the dark days for vans to cruise around the villages in the valley looking for targets like open gates, garages, windows etc. It’s not just an inner city/ urban problem. If anything, I would suggest that property crime is possibly worse in the country, as police coverage is definitely concentrated on urban areas. At night here, I have been told by a copper that there is an average of one patrol car per ten villages!

[Nurseandy]

Sadly all very true. I had a pal who was a policeman in a nearby city. Obviously had his fair share of bother but always had back up. He then moved to being the only policeman in a small rural town and ended up fighting with the same lads at closing time every Friday night 'cos they knew the next nearest policeman was 20 miles away and likely in the same situation.
Sad times. Need to look to ourselves and neighbours 'cos help may be a long time time coming..........

[Deeps]

Good grief. Security is going to become more and more important, isn't it ...

When the clocks go back, farm security goes up. Crime spikes. My farmer friend at the North End of the village had a tractor and bailer stolen on fireworks night ( sound masked).He is not unique. It is not unusual in the dark days for vans to cruise around the villages in the valley looking for targets like open gates, garages, windows etc. It’s not just an inner city/ urban problem. If anything, I would suggest that property crime is possibly worse in the country, as police coverage is definitely concentrated on urban areas. At night here, I have been told by a copper that there is an average of one patrol car per ten villages!

A couple years back I had the whole response force for the bottom half of Fife round at mine. No armed sieges or mass brawls, the pair of them were taking time to chase up complaints I'd made about local issues. The lack of numbers is quite frightening.

[Raven]

Even if SHTF that bad, realistically I’m not sure that bunker would be big enough for a couple long-term. Storage of supplies seems to be lacking and “cabin fever” would set in very quickly unless they had specifically trained for it.

I know it would probably be for waiting out the worst, but even then there isn’t enough flexibility with the bunker itself.

Although the price is nice and cheap, I think if I was going to get a bunker, I would still save up and try and get one of those ones that they do in America, with the “air lock”, “decontamination area (which is really a shower that runs...is it 80psi? At the front before you can get into the rest of the bunker and contaminate it) different areas that are set up to feel like a home, an hidden escape hatch!!!!! And most importantly lots of storage for supplies. (Mines would also have a special room for growing plants to eat, and hopefully keep a few chickens to eat.)



Then no matter what if TSHTF situation there is you have more flexibility to cater for it from nuclear to, contagion of some description to a civil...downfall scenario?

But even if there was a nuclear situation, and you had an awesome bunker to cater for it and your family and a few choice friends (maybe with diverse skill sets that the family didn’t already possess roflol) realistically would you and them be prepared to stay down there long enough for the nuclear radiation to have dissipated to safe levels, which is probably not even be in your lifetime?

Don’t get me wrong its a cool thing to have, but I guess thinking through it this little gem isn’t for me haha.