Devon and Cornwall will be inundated with refugees? Ifs, maybes, and conjecture

[NorthernRaider]

So does Joe Average and his unprepared family:

1. Stay with the car and wait to be rescued
2. Head back on foot along the motorway to Swindon with his family etc
3. Head on foot along the motorway towards Bristol with his family etc
4. Leave the road and head north towards Cirencester or Gloucester (or any area of open countryside in that direction)
5. Leave the road and head south towards Bath or Southampton (or any area of open countryside in that direction)
6. Think about where his nearest family/friends (outside of the danger area) are and then head towards them
7. Head towards the South West by foot along the Motorway (several days walk)
8. Head towards the South West by foot across country (several days walk)

The answer has to be ANY and ALL of the above. I don't think its the multiple and myriad options that people will take that the preppers down south have to consider because ALL are equal and valid depending on the situation. The problem is the age old one of simple distance and numbers plus topography.

1 The Greater London Built-up or Urban Area had a population of 9,787,426 and occupied an area of 1,737.9 square kilometres (671.0 sq mi) at the time of the 2011 census.
2 428,000 in Bristol
3 253,000 in Southhampton
4 145,700 in Reading
Then add the dozens and dozens of large towns that serve London like Guilford, etc The population of the SE EXCLUDING London is another 8 million people.

So nearly 18 million people right next door to the south west not including those possibly heading south from the midlands in any given scenario, regardless of any situation you or I or any of the other thinkers can come up with the unfortunate fact is the massive populations of the SE are right next door to the SW.

Up here as a simple comparison (only as a comparison not a boasting or competition ) this entire region including its big cities only has 2,597,000 (2011) people nearly all on the coast with the NY moors to the south (empty) Yorkshire dales to the SW ( fairly low population), Durham dales to the east (empty) with the equally low population of the Lakes heading west after that, heading north is Northumberland (90% empty) then the Scottish borders ( very low pops).

The sad unfortunate fact is that regardless of its wonderful climate, geography, people, resources etc etc etc, its sat right next door to the south east and its massive numbers of people.

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And again I absolutely encourage anyone thinking of bugging in permenantly to move to the south west, there is nothing of value or use up here its a barren wilderness.

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From Wiki to highlight the issue
Region Population
- South East 8,634,750
- Greater London 8,173,941
- North West 7,052,177
- East 5,846,965
- West Midlands 5,601,847
- South West 5,288,935
- Yorkshire / Humber 5,283,733
- East Midlands 4,533,222
- North East 2,596,886