Earlier this year I headed up to Scotland for my first prepper meet, and I want to share how it went, including the concerns I had beforehand and how they played out in practice. If you’ve been curious about attending something like this but keep finding reasons not to, this one’s for you.
Philip filmed the whole experience, and if you want to get a feel for the event before reading on, this is a good place to start.
Being an Introvert at a Social Event
I’ll be honest: I was worried about this one. I’m fairly introverted and I need time on my own to recharge. My concern was that disappearing into my tent between activities would come across as standoffish, or that people would notice and think less of me for it.
It wasn’t like that at all. Nobody was keeping tabs on where anyone else was, and I could see other attendees doing exactly the same thing. Taking yourself off for a bit of quiet time was perfectly normal and nobody batted an eyelid.
On the other side of it, when I did make the effort to join in, people were genuinely welcoming. Having a shared interest gives you an immediate conversation starter, which takes a lot of the pressure off. My advice: introduce yourself, ask questions, and sit down with people rather than hovering and waiting for someone to come to you.
One moment that stuck with me was when I mentioned to a stallholder that I was after a cooking pot. He told me to wait, ducked into his tent, and came back out with one. He asked for a couple of quid. That kind of generosity set the tone for the whole weekend.
Getting There Without a Car
I don’t drive at the moment, so I was relying entirely on public transport. Before the event I reached out on the Discord forum to another attendee in the same situation, and we arranged to meet in Carlisle and travel together. Between us we worked out the right bus, where to board, and where to get off. On the way back we flagged it down from outside the site, which I’d been told was possible on the forum and turned out to be correct.
I also have to give an honourable mention to the pastries at Carlisle railway station. Genuinely some of the best I’ve ever had.
The Facilities
This was another area where my concerns turned out to be unfounded. There were four decent toilets, a shower, drinking water taps, and rubbish bins around the site. Everything you’d reasonably need was there.
What impressed me more than the facilities themselves was how people treated them. At one point I set down an empty bottle while someone helped me adjust a new rucksack. When I turned around less than a minute later, someone had already picked it up and was on their way to bin it for me. The leave no trace ethic seemed to come naturally to most people there.
Midges
If you’ve heard about Scottish midges and wondered whether they’re as bad as people say, the answer is: they can be. I went prepared with a can of Smidge and a head net. Whether the Smidge made a significant difference I genuinely can’t say, but I wore the head net once over the weekend, and that happened to be exactly the moment the midges were at their worst. It helped.
They were an annoyance rather than a dealbreaker. Pick up some Smidge and a head net, and don’t let the midges be the reason you decide not to go.
What I’d Change
The event was positive overall, and I’ll be going back. But a few things could make it even better.
There were a handful of small stalls, but it wasn’t immediately obvious where they were or what was available. As the event grows, I think there’s a real opportunity for more commercial interest, and I suspect traders would do well there.
There was one whiteboard doing double duty as a schedule board and a surface for talks. I’m going to suggest to the organisers that a simple website would go a long way. It could carry the schedule for each day, short introductions to speakers and their topics, and signposts for anyone who wants to read or watch more after a session. That last point would also help speakers gauge what level to pitch their talks at.
A site like that could also carry any practical announcements that would otherwise get lost, and perhaps an optional attendee directory where people can share their Discord names, interests, or YouTube channels. Trying to track down the person in green who knew everything about radios afterwards is harder than it sounds.
Worth Going?
Yes, without hesitation. The community was welcoming, the knowledge being shared freely was impressive, and even the logistical worries I had beforehand turned out to be manageable with a bit of planning. If you’ve been on the fence about attending a prepper meet, I’d encourage you to give it a go.