Orkney - your views as a Peak Oil location?

[Bandidoz]

Cat, have you been going to Celidhs in Fife? They'd be a great way to meet the locals.

[bigjim]

I think Orkney's wonderful. The mainland does seem to be green and fertile, with lush green rolling hills and it's stuffed full of neolithic sites of interest. And I love Stromness with its narrow streets and pretty terraced cottages. If you're taking a car with you the roads are lovely and uncongested and quite good fun to drive on, although the price of fuel is obviously high and only going to get higher. While you're there, do go and find the Orkney Wine Company's shop on Lamb Holm, connected to East Mainland by a series of causeways built during WW2 by Italian POWs, they try and make their drinks out of locally grown fruits and they taste lovely.

If you can integrate yourself with the locals I think it'd be as good a place as any to weather the peak, despite its disadvantages of lack of trees and no doubt winters that may take some getting used to.

[adam2]

Orkney is probably a good place to be post peak.
Imports of building materials are expensive, on account of transport costs.
Stone and aggregate can AFAIK be found locally, but timber, cement, metal goods and the like are imported from the mainland, at considerable expense.

The isolation is good for keeping zombie hoards away, but a decided drawback under normal conditions.

Trees can be grown, but not very well.
Heating means either imported oil/coal, or electric heat, in most cases.

A wind turbine could be a good idea, and a spare if considering the long term. A wind turbine of a few KW would charge a battery bank for lighting, and power a fair bit of heating as a dump load.
In view of the very long winter nights, artificial light is of great importance and it would be well to have several types of light source. A minimum would be electric lights with a wind turbine, AND oil lamps, with 10? years oil supply.

If planning for the long emergency, ample stocks of manufactured goods would be sensible, especialy tools and hardware, and electrical goods.

[Blue Peter]

Trees can be grown, but not very well.
Heating means either imported oil/coal, or electric heat, in most cases.

Peat?


Pete.

[Lord Beria3]

If you assume a hard crash/collapse situation, Orkney has the advantage of being away from main urban centres and if you can do it, a very frugal self-sufficient lifestyle.

However, assuming that a collapse is the likely situation in the coming decades is a big if. More likely in my opinion is the odd crisis punctuated by a prolonged periods of consolidation/revival.

We are likely to see over the next 2 decades higher energy prices and cuts to services for places like Orkney. That boat service will be cut at some point, your electricity connection may be cut in the future as power companies focus their resources on maintaining places with higher people density... you get the picture.

The massive disadvantage of living somewhere like Orkney is that you will be the first to face the cuts and left by companies/governments. If you are prepared to forgo all the inputs of modern civilisation, fine, but if you have families or enjoy a lifestyle better than a subsistance one, you will be better of living in a city/town or the suburbs.

Suburbs get a bad press from some PO types, but if you have a garden, you can grow some of your own food, collected rainwater, install some alternative energy system and you have a potential community to share things and work together in the event of a crisis.

I would think very carefully before going to Orkney myself. As a basic rule of thumb, if you are moving because of PO it is the wrong decision.

[JohnB]

I would think very carefully before going to Orkney myself.

There you go Cat. The strongest argument yet for you going there .

[Miss Madam]

Thanks all! I knew I would get food for thought from you lot.

As a bit of context, we've been living up in Fife and Edinburgh for the last year and a half - slowly moving ever northwards. We're outsiders here but both very sociable so have enjoyed getting to know people. Also in the way back when, I lived for a year in northern Finland (50km south of the arctic circle). So I'm pretty sure I will be ok with the long winters. His nibs seems to be coping fine too - as long as there are fish he can go out and catch. He seems to be getting his vitamin D from sitting out in drizzly weather with his fishing rods. Originally he's from Kent, I'm from Yorkshire - but we're both pale celtic types - so no mediterranean blood issues I think.

In terms of job security, it does seem to have that - as much as any job does. He'll be working in the thick of the renewables industry, established company, doing well etc. They were really keen, and we initially turned it down because of the money (we couldn't have afforded to have lost my wage), but they kept offering more and more - until we couldn't turn it down. Money isn't the key motivation however, more that we both want to move somewhere quiet and remote and close to nature (the sea kayaking is a bonus!). And we were looking for the chance to be able to go down to one wage so I can become a (woefully lax) housewife and (fingers crossed) Mum. Plus we'll have a fair bit of savings coming with us.

As for the climate - well remembered (!) my experience in some of the south east's private rented sector has put me in good stead, even if the Gulf Stream slows!!!!

Anyway, lots to think about - thanks guys.

[contadino]

You'll be kicking yourself for the rest of your life if you don't give it a shot.

There are quite a few people living off-grid on Orkney. If you can deal with the climate, the only significant issue is that fragile and long supply chain from the mainland, which, with a bit of planning, you could probably mitigate the worst of the risk. Or you could just go all hardcore, and decide if it ain't local go without.

[adam2]

If moving to such a remote place, I would strongly urge a good stock of manufactured goods, especialy relatively cheap items that cant posibly be made locally.

Examples might include, hand tools, light bulbs, batteries, oil lamp glasses, wicks and mantles, cotton clothing and bedding, electric cable, water pipe, plumbing fittings, small electrical appliances and the like.
Food can be produced locally, as can wool clothing and blankets.

It would be well to keep at least a years reserve of food and bottled gas or parafin.
A rutland wind turbine and deep cycle battery will provide years of electric lighting.
If planning for the long term, a spare turbine or 2 and a nickel iron battery should give lighting for a lifetime.

[Bandidoz]

Don't forget the gaffer tape!