Catcheing, timing and Survival Retreats/Base (UK)

I wasnt actually reffering to 'going out to sea fishing' but more of a beachcomber type existence. There is a plentiful supply of shellfish, edible seaweeds, lugworm (tasty in an omelette), crabs, lobsters, fish, plus seabird eggs, etc around most of the UK coast. Also, depending on the type of beach, there are numerous plants above the high tide marks that are edible. There is nothing, nutrition wise, that the sea/seashore cannot provide.

I actually live on an Island off the South Coast of England. I have beach fished/beachcombed since I was a kid. I also used to 'trotline' on the tidal sandbanks - can be very profitable. Also at certain times of the year there are cockles, winkles and mussels to collect plus the very black art of razorshell collecting.

In addition to the 'beachcomber' style, there is the plentiful supply of driftwood and other things that can be useful. When night fishing i always made a fire, wood was easily gathered in less than an hour with no problems. Dry seaweed makes an excellent burning material as do old ropes that are washed up, usually with tar/oil on them. I have a 'beach tent' that I use as a shelter whilst fishing - especially when i am doing an ''all-nighter/weekender''.

Yes, it is true that UK waters are overfished, but that is purely in a commercial sense as fish sizes and quotas wouldnt matter in a survival situation and fishing vessels usually are not that close in to the shoreline.

So you see, the shoreline shouldnt be overlooked. I think Ray Mears once said that if you were in a 'situation' on the shoreline, with some knowledge and know-how, you would never go hungry.

Originally posted by Wotan
... the very black art of razorshell collecting.

You wouldn't be referring to the 'salting' technique would you?
(Salt.of course, can be acquired by boiling off seawater in a survival sit.)
Not my fave,taste wise,but you can eat all 100% of them so they're quite a substantial catch.

Remember to pick shellfish from a CLEAN area.Check for sewage pipes for eg.

You don't want viral gastroenteritis or hepatitis if there's no docs around..

reply to post by WatchRider


A good cooker is the firespout ..mine cost £30 .used it and it is excellant and flat packs.. just google it !! a very efficient wood burning stove!!

i know this is going to sound like am stupid,but why do we need to stock up?
what do you think is going to happene?

i know i mite come across as thick,sorry

reply to post by WatchRider


"Timing - Going in too soon could mean you are overreacting and missing other opportunities in life. Too late and you could be killed or injured before you can make it out of there.
Could there be anything more annoying and fustrating to know that you 'nearly' made it but are stuck in some internment camp or worse.
Worse case scenario could be that you are grilled for your catche / base location by 'those in charge'...
So ideally slightly before, as opposed to during SitX, should be aimed for."

Not sure if I have posted the quote right!!

But there is the rub..storing stuff in a location is not that easy...the ideal place where you stash ..you might not be able to get to...

I have loads of dried stuff ..pulses , stock dried vegatables enough I think to give us time to find food !! and multi vitamin and mineral tablets..water is not a problem in the UK ..but if you can't get nutrienents ..the the body goes downhill !!

Dried chick peas ..have about five kilos stored to take away ...packed with protien and carbohydrates and swell to about five time the volume!! and they have a lot of roughage!!

So nutrionally chick peas a vitamin / mineral supplement...reckon that would get you through a time!!

reply to post by citizen smith


You would probably have a better diet than you have now....might taste dreadful like but ....but it would be a good diet with all the nutrients the body needs!!

reply to post by WatchRider


Aye !! timing thats the other rub...we have everything ready...can see its going to happen in my lifetime...its just hoping you get the timing right...real bummer that!!

We will be going north if we get the timing right!!

We have three plans..best scenario ...we mange to get to the borders.
Two stay at home if we don't get the chance...3 is in between is get to our nearest canal...and at a certain point ..tab it across open country north!!

The last one I think will be the hardest!! will have to be exposed!!

reply to post by shuck


Have a few kilos of sultana's/currants and sunflower seeds!!

I look at this lot

Surval wise even though you would get sick of them..

Chickpeas.. protien carbohydrates roughage
Multi vitamin and mineral ..speaks fot itself
Sultana's/glucose for when you need a pick up in energy
Sunflower seeds contain fats!!

And it all don't take up much room...We would supplement these foods with what we could catch forage..( my other half is very good at fishing )

reply to post by shuck


Chickpeas as I said..dried they do not take up that much room and all they need is an overnight soak !!

www.nutritiondata.com...

You wouldn't be referring to the 'salting' technique would you?


Hehe, thats exactly what I am referring too. It takes a bit of practice, but its quite satisfying when it works

reply to post by WatchRider


Interesting thought on retreats. I`ve come to the conclusion that the best retreat, is my own home. As soon as you step out of the door in a bad scenario, your at the mercy of all that goes on around you. Stay put, build your stores up in a shed or garage, and get to know all your local resources. Great to see theres others out there that are actualy thinking and not just following the herd. My first post ever, but have been preparing for years

reply to post by Wotan


beach is not a safe place, check out what was near UK few days ago:
SatImage1
SatImage2
SatImage3

[edit on 24-5-2008 by wedama]

Originally posted by wedama
reply to post by Wotan

 

beach is not a safe place, check out what was near UK few days ago:
SatImage1
SatImage2
SatImage3

[edit on 24-5-2008 by wedama]

I have already lived through ''The Great Storm'' that hit the UK, where I live. I was sleeping in the loft at the time and never heard a damm thing .... I think it was the alchohol I had consumed prior to going to bed

To be honest, nowhere is really safe from the weather ...... its just pot luck if you are hit by it, especially in the UK. I must admit, I am pretty lucky where I live, apart from ''The Great Storm'' bad weather doesnt normally hit where I am, it seems to fly overhead and hits the mainland .... The advantages of a few miles of water.

At the end of the day, it depends on what scenario (sit x) you are envisaging before heading for the hills, beach, pub, brothel, etc etc. I mean if its the big one like an asteriod hitting Earth, then I am off down the pub ....... cheers

Interesting reading folks. I've been thinking about stockpiling supplies, no other reason then just a gut feeling the # is about to hit the fan.

But what is SitX? Searches just brings up some sort of code/file extension.

i've been pondering this idea for a while now, and i'm lucky enough to live in the southwest, so i have the coast and a national park on my doorstep!

i've been wondering what the best thing to do in situation X is.......now it does depend on what the situation is, but we all seem to be pointing towards food shortages/ensuing chaos in the cities. so my plan is to keep away built up areas and live of the land, and although this seems a little crazy because cud stockpile food! but the problem with that is transporting it around, because who says you're gonna be safe in a single place? you may have to move around......alot......and if thats the case you need to know how to survive with what nature provides and whats availible where and in what seasons! so i suggest to anyone who's serious on this survival lark to read up now and get out there and practice it! (better to make mistakes now and learn from them, than to be thrown in at the deep end and not know how to swim) once you find out what food is availible to you, you'll be surprised just how much there is!
so when/if situation X happens i'll be off with a few days water and food, just enough to carry comfortably and get me to where i need to be to start! also i'll have 2 books with me.......which will help me identify plants and there uses!
.........and yes i have lived off the land, i do it when i go camping.....much more fun!

reply to post by Faaipdeoiad


I have 3 books in my pack and they don't take up much room

SAS survival
Food for free
Medicinal plants

Like yourself ..I go wild camping ..I keep learning and practicing !! and it can be fun...unless when its bucketing it down!!

reply to post by shuck


yeah excellant choice of books, i think people dont understand the value of taking a few with them, they are lightweight (unless hardback lol) and can provide you with valuble information that you might otherwise have forgotten! alot of what i have learnt over the years have come from one man......Ray Mears.......total legend!

Excellent topic, and well thought-out responses. To expand upon Maya's good post, I suggest you look into water filtration/purification techniques and equipment. I personally favor two filter systems -- The Big Berkey, and Katadyn filters. They can be a tweak pricey, but water is your primary need if TSHTF. There's another product I keep in stock -- PolarPure. It's a small bottle of iodine crystals. Each bottle has the capability of purifying 500 gallons of water. Of course, if the water is cloudy, you can "field filter" through a cloth, and then treat it.

Now, as to cacheing ..... this is a sticky wicket for certain. Remember that the sites you have scouted out, while not currently occupied, might be fallback sites for many others. I would tend toward a cache that is somewhat close to you, perhaps even a place that you have developed that is fairly secluded. For example, you could find a place to dig a hole and block in the area, cover it with plywood and cover over with dirt. Each time you can safely access the area, you could improve upon it -- perhaps filling the cores of the block with concrete. Another way of cacheing that works for some is to find areas that have soil, but aren't common for folks to walk upon, and bury 5 or 10-gallon buckets.

I think you're on the right track regarding stocking up with foods that you currently eat, and buying a little extra each time you shop. Rotate your stocks. For those of us that live in warm climates, all of the grain products -- wheat, flour, rice, oats, pasta, etc. should be put in your freezer for 48 hours before stashing them. Why? Weevil eggs are shipped with these products. It's unavoidable, and freezing them kills the eggs. I performed several experiments with flour in a sealed container, which then "grew" weevils and other flour insects. Since I've been freezing them first, no problems, and I have flour and rice products that are over two years old. I always write with a marker on the top of the container the date which I purchased it, so I can accurately rotate our stocks.

Timing...... another difficult thing. We have to function as productive members of society while all the while providing for an uncertain future. You have a disatvantage that I don't have, which is a true and certain winter, so you must provide for heating as well. There are only a couple of situations that would necessitate your leaving your current home..... radiation, urban insurrection, etc. It might be a good idea for you to acquire a small, portable stove that you could duct out a window, or take with you in the event you had to bug out. These are difficult issues to deal with in that most people choose to act as though everything will remain static. If you are fortunate enough to be able to form a group of like-minded folks in your area, then your chances of survival are improved markedly. You can pool your resources and your skills. IMO, the greatest threat in a SHTF situation is other people. People in distress are SCARED. They acquire the characteristics of a hivemind with no intelligence. MOB mentality is dangerous. I have seen this time and time again while being a first responder to various disasters. People don't mean to go crazy and they aren't inherently bad people, but they endanger themselves and others. A hungry mob is capable of doing ANYTHING to be fed.

This is a great thread. It"s real life stuff that we should be talking about. Hey, and if nothing happens, what are you out? If you keep rotating your stocks, you're merely ahead of the curve. One final blab and then I'll shut up for a while....... consider stocking up on open-pollinated seeds. Also, consider acquiring or building weapons systems. We all hope we don't need them, but..............

Cheers

Hi mate,

I totally agree with your post mate, I just wanted to say that I have also been planning this, everyone thinks im crazy. Ive even scouted out locations here in West Yorkshire, including wooded areas with clearings that are useful for setting up small villages. I am also interested in a survival group.

Keep up the good work,

-Jedi

Well I do most of my stockpiling from the Tesco Value range, for a 3-4 months supply for 1 person I have

100 tins of beans (any supermarket 20p)
100 tins of Tuna (Sainsbury’s currently have the best deal with 3 for 75p)
40 tins of Red kidney beans (15p to 19p)
60 tins of various soups (18p)
60 tins of various tinned fruits (15p - 33p)
40 Sliced tomatoes (18p)
10 boxes of powdered milk (1.29)
10 boxes of aspirin (13p)
10 boxes of Ibuprofen (31p)
20 tins of carrots (15p)
20 tins of peas (13p)
20 tins of sweet and sour sauce (22p)
40 tins of potatoes (26p - 49p)
400 litres of water (1.25 per 8 litres, much cheaper than buying an airtight container)
10 packs instant mash (9p)
600 tea bags (32p per 80)
60 various stock cubes (13p prt 10)
6 packs of sage and onion stuffing (14p)
5 litres of veg oil (3.60)
600 matches (£2.50)
10 litres (£1)
10 rolls of paper (extra extra large rolls 2 for £1 at pound shop)

I have this amount for 1 person although I have 3 times this for my partner and family handouts plus the following for my dog

12 packets of complete full protein dog food (1.20 per pack)
10 packs of Zest complete dog food (12 cans * 3.00 (from farmfoods))

Add to this several 5 gallon contains for flour, sugar, pintos, rice, wheat, salt

And bandages, anti diahoria tablets, torches, vitamins, bleach, plasters, candles, gas burners, solar chargers, gas canisters, puzzle books blah blah blah

This has a life expectancy of about 2 years although the airtight contains (with oxygen removers and mayler bags) will last for considerably longer.

My stock pile added up to about £300 (2+ people and a dog) (extra gas and petrol) for a 3-4 months supply (that would probably last 6-8 at a stretch) which is cheaper than life insurance.