The Post-Apocalyptic Roadmap/UK
Part of the Post-Apocalyptic Roadmap Project.
Its safe to say that in the UK at least, pretty much the main people with access to firearms, and especially ones with easily available ammunition in the form of lead balls, are all the re-enactment groups.
And trust me, A lot of these people are the kind that have a contingency plan for things like when the zombies come, so I wouldn't put it past them to be one of the most influential and important groups of survivors (read: armed, armoured and usually with a good deal of useful knowledge, from making one's own clothes to gunning people down with volley fire).
Shit could be very surreal, But I honestly would not be surprised to see historical anachronisms in the form of modern people wearing plate or chain armour running around, fighting and looting.
>>2743827 Somehow I think whatever remnants of the police and SO19 teams as well as military reservists, (the National Guard in America and the Territorial Army in England) are going to be a lot more dominant than reenactors.
Quite probable, but remember that even the regular cops are unarmed in the UK, and the Territorial Army (the equivalent of the national guard) isn't really much of a force, unlike several states in the US having a national guard with comparable manpower to most European militaries combined, its mostly just one of the main armed groups that's going to be capable of doing something to survive, unlike the majority of the population who for the most part don't even know how to start fire without a cooker or a lighter.
>>Don't forget as well, that in total there's about 350,000 people across all the armed forces, armed police, CNC, MDP, and reserve forces across the country. Which would probably also outgun reenactors. Plus of course massive stockpiles of weapons across the country many of which will no longer be guarded.
London would probably be the first city to go, in my opinion.
It's a symbol of Western power and the capital of one of the U.S.A.'s greatest allies - with almost no means to protect itself from nuclear attack or to retaliate to nuclear attack. Central London would become uninhabitable. The government would become useless. While there would be anarchy, there would be some attempts to train and maintain order. For example, Crystal Palace has a radio tower. It's the second tallest building in London and it's atop the highest point in London. If you can see it, you know you're in South East London or within ten miles of it. I could see that location becoming a gathering point for refugees from that area of London - if it would still stand.
In my opinion, everyone would immediately crowd around famous landmarks, no matter where they are. It just seems like the most likely area where you would go during a crisis where there is no long distance communication. Well, at least that's where the people who care for other human life would go.
Of course, there are several good places for succession governments to be established. York or Nottingham are former secondary capitals. Manchester, Sheffield or Birmingham are large population centres that aren't Primary targets for a nuke. Edinburgh and Cardiff are already set up as regional capitals, as befits their sub-national status, and thus could be expanded to run the whole country.
Any cities with naval bases, such as Plymouth, will likely be very damaged, if not completely destroyed.
Don't forget Oxford. Its a city with low military importance, so it has a high survival chance, plus it has an intellectual elite already and a moderate population.
Shetland isles
Due to the relatively small population and distance from many targets the shetland isles were left alone after the war, that does not mean it got off free, the sea which many now relies on has been contaminated with radiation, killing many fish, and causing strange mutations in those that survive. But due to the sea being the only reliable place to get food it has caused a resurgence in the fishing industry, with many towns becoming rich in materials and goods from selling the fish to surrounding Shepards. But while many try to carve a life out for themselves many others try to take what others have built, with many roads and Valls becoming bandit havens, and although no where near as safe as the main "city" of lerwick or its neighbouring towns. This means many caravans taking fish to Shepards regularly hire mercenaries to protect them, of whom use old swords, shields and other ceremonial equipment.
Landscape and Environment
Presumably North America would be hit pretty bad including some areas around the Mexican gulf, this will create mass increase in both evaporated liquid and temperature of the gulf stream which crosses the atlantic and reaches the UK, this will hit the artic winds coming from the artic, this will create mass rainfall and huge hurricanes were they meet.
this will create a huge boggy, irradiated quagmire that splits the southwest and wales onto one side and scotland, the northeast and whatever remains of london and the southeast onto the other.
In addition, only two cities are known to still stand. Cambridge survives as a bastion of knowledge and Nottingham is a central hub for trading. Apart from this, most people live in small camps and villages. No other cities stand, and the Armed Forces are split between all the different communities.