With fears of World War 3 escalating and potential threats from nations like Russia or Iran, many Brits are anxiously wondering where they would hide if the worst were to happen. While sheltering in your local IKEA or nearest football stadium might sound like a solid plan, apocalypse experts have mapped out much safer options – along with a chillingly simple piece of survival advice.
Apocalypse expert Ryan Law has issued a blunt, seven-word warning for Brits bracing for a potential nuclear crisis: “Don’t stay where the bombs might fall.” While it may sound incredibly obvious, Law stresses that it is a crucial reality check worth repeating. If reaching a fortified bunker isn’t an option, getting yourself out of immediate target zones is your absolute best chance of survival.
Thanks to the apocalypse experts at Ash Tales, a comprehensive list mapping out the UK’s nuclear bunkers now exists. It turns out the country is better equipped than many initially thought, boasting exactly 171 nuclear fallout shelters scattered across the nation.
If you aren’t lucky enough to be within dashing distance of one of these designated shelters, Law, who compiled the list, offers some crucial relocation strategies:
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Flee the Danger Zones: Relocate immediately at the first sign of trouble if you live next to an army base, a major city, or “overly suspicious” industrial sites.
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Avoid the Crowds: Anywhere with dense populations or important-looking buildings is a prime target and exactly where you do not want to be.
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Go Off-Grid: Think rural and remote. Your goal is to find a location “so far out that even Google Maps needs a minute to figure out where you are.”
Look on the Bright Side: As Law points out, retreating to the middle of nowhere isn’t all bad: “It might mean more fresh air and fewer neighbours when the world’s not ending. Win-win.”
The full list of nuclear fallout shelters in the UK is:
- Abbottswood: AAOR
- Aberconwy: Emergency Control Centre
- Aberdeen: Tertowie House Grampian Regional Council Emergency Centre
- Acomb: York ROC Group HQ
- Alconbury: RAF Alconbury Cold War Bunkers
- Anstruther: Rotor Radar Station and Scotland North Zone HQ
- Aylesbury: Buckinghamshire County Emergency Centre
- Ayr: ROC Group HQ
- Banbury: Cherwell District Council Emergency Centre
- Bawburgh: Rotor SOC and RGHQ
- Bawdsey: Rotor Radar Station
- BBC Wood Norton
- Beachy Head: Rotor Radar Station
- Beaconsfield: Buckinghamshire County Standby Emergency Centre
- Beaconsfield: Wilton Park Eastern Command War Headquarters and Armed Forces HQ 5
- Bedford: ROC Group HQ
- Bedminster: Sub Control
- Belfast: Mount Eden Park Regional War Room
- Belfast: Stormont Sub Control
- Bempton: Rotor Radar Station
- Berkshire: Country Council Emergency Control Bunker
- Bexley: Emergency Centre
- Birkenhead: Wirral Metropolitan Borough Emergency Centre
- Birkenshaw: AAOR
- Birmingham: Anchor Exchange
- Birmingham: Severn Trent Water Emergency Control Centre
- Blyth: Area Control
- Bodmin: District Council Emergency Centre
- Bootle: Merseyside County Main Emergency Centre 2nd Site
- Borras: North Wales ROC Group HQ
- Boulmer: Rotor Radar Station
- Brede: Southern Water Emergency Control Centre
- Brighouse: West Yorkshire Sub County Control
- Brightlingsea: Urban District Council Control
- Brinklow Heath: Protected BBC Transmitter Building
- Brislington: Regional War Room
- Bristol: Waterworks Emergency Control Centre
- Buchan: R7 Remote Type 7 Radar
- Buchan: Rotor Radar Station
- Burntisland: Railway Control Centre
- Cambridge: Regional War Room RSG and RGHQ
- Cambridgeshire: South Cambridgeshire District Emergency Centre
- Camden: Borough Control
- Cardiff: Coryton Regional War Room
- Cardiff: Landaff Sub Control
- Carlisle: ROC Group HQ
- Carmarthen: County Council Control Bunker
- Carmarthen: South Wales ROC Group HQ
- Castlepoint: Borough Emergency Centre
- Chatham: Southern Water Emergency Control Centre
- Cheam: South West London Group Control
- Chelmsford: Essex County Emergency Centre
- Chichester: West Sussex County Emergency Centre
- Chislehurst: South East London Group Control
- Christchurch: Hampshire County Council and County Borough of Bournemouth Area Control
- Cold Hesledon: Rotor Radar Station
- Colchester: ROC Group HQ
- Conisbrough: AAOR
- Coswarth: South West Water Emergency Control Centre
- Cottingham: Yorkshire Water Emergency Control Centre
- Craigiebarns: Dundee ROC Group HQ
- Crawley: Borough Emergency Centre
- Crosslaw: Rotor Radar Station
- Crowborough: RGHQ
- Cultybraggan: RGHQ
- Dagenham: Borough Control
- Dagenham: WW2 Civil Defence Control Centre
- Dartford: Emergency Centre
- Drakelow: WW2 Shadow Factory RSG and RGHQ
- Durham: ROC Group HQ
- East Dereham: Breckland District Emergency Centre
- East Ham: Borough Control
- East Kilbride: Western Zone Regional War Room
- Edmonton: Borough Control Site 2
- Ellesmere Port: Emergency Centre
- Elvaston: AAOR
- Eston: Grangetown Area Control
- Exeter: Borough Control
- Fairlight: Rotor Radar Station
- Falkirk: Civil Defence Headquarters
- Faraid Head: Rotor Radar Station
- Finchley: Borough Control
- Finsbury: Borough Control
- Fiskerton: Lincoln ROC Group HQ
- Fort Bridgewoods: AAOR
- Frodsham: AAOR
- Fylingdales: Long Range Radar Station
- Gairloch: AAOR
- Gillingham: Borough Control
- Godalming: Waverley District Council Emergency Centre
- Goldsborough: Rotor Radar Station
- Gosforth: AAOR
- Gosport: Borough Control
- Greenwich: Borough Control
- Guernsey: Civil Defence Headquarters
- Guildford: Stoughton Barracks SRHQ
- Hack Green: Rotor Radar Station and RGHQ
- Hackney: WW2 ARP Control and Post War Borough Control
- Harwich: RNXS Emergency Port Control
- Hastings: Borough Council Control
- Hayes: Sub Area Control
- Hemel Hempstead: Dacorum Borough Council Emergency Centre
- Henley: WW2 Shadow Factory and Armed Forces HQ
- Hertford: Sovereign House SRHQ
- Hexham: Cold Store and RGHQ
- High Wycombe: RAF Daws Hill
- Hillingdon: Borough Control
- Holmpton: Rotor Radar Station
- Hope Cove: Rotor Radar Station and RGHQ
- Hopton: Rotor Radar Station
- Horsham: District Council Emergency Centre
- Horsham: ROC Group HQ
- Inverbervie: Rotor Radar Station
- Inverness: Raigmore Highland Emergency Centre
- Inverness: ROC HQ
- Inverkip: AAOR
- Ipswich: USW Autovon Telephone Exchange
- Kelvedon Hatch: Rotor SOC and RGHQ
- Kilchiaran: Rotor Radar Station
- Kings Lynn: Joint Norfolk County Standby and West Norfolk District Emergency Centre
- Kingsway: Telephone Exchange
- Kirklevington Hall: AAOR
- Kirknewton: Regional War Room and Scottish Eastern Zone HQ
- Lancashire: County Emergency Centre
- Landaff: Landaff Court WW2 Control Cardiff
- Langtoft: Rotor Radar Station
- Lansdown: AAOR and Bristol ROC Group HQ
- Lawford Heath: Coventry ROC Group HQ
- Leicester: Severn Trent Water Emergency Control Centre
- Lincolnshire: County Emergency Centre
- Lisburn: AAOR and ROC Group HQ
- Liverpool (Walker Gallery): Merseyside County Main Emergency Centre 1st Site
- Llanion Barracks: AAOR
- Llwynypia: Rhondda Cynon Taff Joint Emergency Centre
- Lowestoft: Sub Control
- Luton: County Borough Control
- Lyndon Green: BT Repeater
- Maidstone: ROC Group HQ
- Maidstone: Springfields Kent County Emergency Centre
- Maldon: District Council Emergency Centre
- Manchester: Co-op Tunnels
- Manchester: Guardian Telephone Exchange
- Merstham: AAOR
- Middlesex: County Control
- Mill Hill: North West London Group Control
- Mistley: AAOR
- Murlough Bay: Rotor Radar Station
- Northolt: Sub Control
- Norwich: Broadland District Council Emergency Centre
- Norwich: ROC Group HQ
- Nottingham: Regional War Room and RSG
- Oban: ROC Group HQ
- Oldham: Civic Centre
- Oxford: County Emergency Centre
- Oxford: ROC Group HQ
- Paddington: Borough Control
- Pear Tree House: London South East Group War Headquarters
- Pitreavie Castle: Combined HQ
- Poltimore Park: Exeter ROC Group HQ
- Portland: Rotor Radar Station
- Portreath: Reporting Post
- Portree: Portree Bunker
- Portsmouth: BT Repeater
- Prestatyn: Rotor Radar Station
- Queenborough: Sub Control
- Queslett: BT Repeater
- RAF Greenham Common
- RAF North Weald: SOC and Epping Forest District Council Emergency Centre
- Reading: Regional War Room
- Reigate: Borough Emergency Centre and Surrey County Standby Emergency Centre
- Richmond: Borough Emergency Centre
- Ridgeway Hill: AAOR
- Rotherham: County Borough Control
- Rothwell Haigh: Grid Control Centre
- Saffron Walden: Uttlesford District Council Emergency Centre
- Salisbury: Urban District Control
- Sandwich: Rotor Radar Station
- Schoolhill: ROC Sector Control
- Seaton Snook: Rotor Radar Station
- Shalford: Thames Water Control Centre
- Sheerness: RNXS Emergency Port Control
- Shipton: Rotor Radar SOC and RGHQ
- Shirley: Regional War Room
- Shrewsbury: Armed Forces HQ 9
- Shrewsbury: ROC Group HQ
- Skendleby: Rotor Radar Station and RGHQ
- Skirlaugh: Holderness District Council Emergency Centre
- Snaefell: Rotor Radar Station
- Solihull: Borough Emergency Centre
- Sopley: Rotor Radar Station
- Southall: London North West Group War HQ
- Southport: Merseyside County Standby Emergency Centre
- Southport: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Emergency Centre
- Southwark: Borough Control
- St Albans: City And District Council Emergency Centre
- St Austell: Restormel Borough Emergency Centre
- St Pancras: Borough Control
- Stafford: Staffordshire County Emergency Centre
- Staxton Wold: Rotor Radar Station
- Stockport: BT Repeater
- Stoke Newington: Borough Control
- Stoke Newington: Borough Control and Hackney Borough Control 2nd Site
- Stonehaven: Kincardine and Deeside District Council Emergency Centre
- Stoneleigh Park: AAOR
- Stratford: Newham Borough Council Control
- Swansea: West Cross AAOR
- Swynnerton: RGHQ
- Tayside: Regional Council Emergency Centre
- Thornbury: North Avon District Council Emergency Centre
- Torrance House: AAOR
- Totnes: South West Water Emergency Control Centre
- Tottenham: Borough Control
- Tower Hamlets: Borough Control
- Treleaver: Rotor Radar Station
- Trimingham: Rotor Radar Station
- Truleigh Hill: Rotor Radar Station
- Truro: Cornwall County Emergency Centre
- Truro: ROC Group HQ
- Tunbridge Wells: Regional War Room
- Twyford: Southern Water Emergency Control Centre
- Uddingston: BT Repeater
- Ullenwood: AAOR
- Upper Heyford: RAF Upper Heyford
- Uxbridge: AAOR
- Vange: AAOR
- Ventnor: Rotor Radar Station
- Walton on Thames: Sub Control
- Wandsworth: Borough Control
- Wanstead: South East London Group Control
- Warmley: BT Repeater
- Wartling: GCI Radar Station
- Wartling: Rotor Radar Station
- Warwick: County Emergency Centre
- Watford: ROC Group HQ
- Wawne: AAOR
- Wenallt: AAOR (Anti-Aircraft Operations Room)
- West Myne: Rotor Radar Station
- Wick: Rotor Radar Station
- Winchester: ROC Group HQ
- Witney: West Oxfordshire Emergency Centre
- Woolwich: Sub Control
- Worsley: AAOR
- Wylde Green: AAOR
- Yeadon: Leeds ROC Group HQ
- Yeovil: ROC Group HQ
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