Troglodyte lifestyle

[daoji]

Is it possible anywhere in the British isles to live totally off the land with nothing more than rudimentary tools in such a secluded place that you may achieve your biblical three score and ten with no intervention from the modern world?
Never be discovered, live fully independently in total isolation as our ancient ancestors did?
Assuming you have Ray Mears level of bush craft or you're SAS trained to survive behind enemy lines...

[daoji]

Hi Answerprancer and Tweed,
I think you have both hit upon the serious flaw that pretty much negates the viability of living parallel to civilisation for any extended time.
This was a concern as I developed the premise but reasoned that with intelligence it could possibly be achieved. I initially had in mind one of the many abandoned Iron Age sites scattered across southern England.
Nomadic, yes I agree this person would need to be. That alters the story significantly but something I can work around. Scotland is also a good call.

[daoji]

Dammit, It's simply not a plausible concept.

[jomifl]

An island would be a good choice but as you have ruled out coastal islands can I suggest an island on a lake or river. There are quite a lot of these and some are easily big enough to support one person. Additionally you get to catch fish, eels are very nutritious and easy to catch and on an island you can have a captive population of rabbits(just keep them away from the carrot crop. Water would not be a problem and there would be fewer boat trippers on a lake than on the sea. Good luck!

[ChuckFickens]

here you go, ideal

http://goo.gl/maps/sis6

[daoji]

Fcuk chikens,
I see you are prolific and revered, does that license you to ridicule or bully others with impunity?

[daoji]

Hyde park, where the hell did that come from?

[daoji]

Lemon Party advocate..'nuff said

[daoji]

^I see you are, I am not.

[daoji]

Jomifl, I have no knowledge of an adequately massive Holme in the Uk capable of supporting a single human with no outside help. The Idea is good though, but I'd still prefer to use a legitimate name for a real place.

[karenmac60]

I'm sure there are areas in the Highlands - have you read any of the Mike Tomkies books? He was a former Hollywood biographer who did pretty much what you're talking about, although he did use a little outside help, but mainly because he was there to study the wildlife and not to be totally self sufficient.

http://www.amazon.co....=mike+tomkies&x=0&y=0

[dundurn]

Have a look at the book "Sea Room" by Adam Nicolson. His son, Tom Nicolson, now owns the Shiants off Lewis. The land is grazed by the sheep of a Lewis crofter but otherwise I believe the islands are unoccupied and "available" for the sort of experiment you are describing. At one time they supported several families but at the time they became depopulated the inhabitants had shrunk to just one family. Your diet would become very monotonous; potatoes and fish mostly, and it would be very hard going but you might approximate to the sort of lifestyle you describe.

[jomifl]

Hi Daoji.. there are plenty of islands on lakes big enough to support one person, I believe there is an island in loch lomond that has a farm and used to suport a family. One person can survive on less than an acre especially if the land is reasonably fertile and you have access to fish and game.

[jomifl]

Additional info. there are at least 7 islands on Loch Lomond big enough, but it is a bit close to Glasgow. Loch Maree is further north much more isolated and has several wooded islands easily big enough. Some lochs are privately owned so it is theoretically possible that your plan could be accomplished with the landowners permission. Suppose someone was dumped there by a malevolent landowner, who would know?

[daoji]

Thanks to seadog, jomifl. Karenmac and dundurn for pointing further research in the right direction. Scotland it is then.

[Tweed]

There's this which has an interesting history. Claimed by former British Major Paddy Roy Bates. It's a WW2 defence fort off the coast of Sussex and an English court ruled it did not have jurisdiction over it. I believe it was once invaded by Germans.

http://en.wikipedia.o...incipality_of_Sealand

[Tweed]

BTW, I'm not suggesting you go this route. Apparently the current occupiers were offered millions for it and refused. It's just an interesting story I thought I'd share. It was even featured on 'The One Show' I think.

[jomifl]

Hi Tweed, I used to see those forts when I was doing surveys in the Thames estuary, they are basically scrap metal. A diet of fish and seagulls would tend toward monotony after a couple of days followed quickly by insanity and suicide.

[karenmac60]

Jomifl, I wouldn't go for Loch Lomond - too many day trippers, campers, drunken fishing parties etc up here :)

[Tweed]

Hi Jomifl
:) Yeah, I suppose you'd have to work pretty hard to be self sufficient there.