Mad list
Contributing editor Mike Peake ponders world domination
MOROCCO
THE SAHARA DESERT
A mere stone’s throw from Ryanair stop-off Agadir in Morocco, the sands of the Sahara stretch out for miles in three directions. Choose the wrong path and you’ll find loneliness, harsh conditions and sore feet. Choose the right path and, look! A friendly training camp for like-minded anti-capitalist mentalists!
ITALY
STROMBOLI ISLAND
Heading to Sicily may not be a great idea, as you could end up with lava on your squirrel-skin jacket. In any case, try rowing a boat out to Stromboli, a tiny volcanic island 50km off the northern coast and if they find you here then give up.
GERMANY
THE BLACK MOUNTAINS
If you’re only half convinced the world is a very bad place, try this new world order retreat “lite” – just a stroll from five major cities. Tourism is brisk too, so why not carve some assault rifles out of wood, say – and flog them to passing Austrians.
UK
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
With a deer population apparently outnumbering humans by 12,000 to one, the wilds of Scotland offer plenty of hiding places for the reclusive plotter. Just welcome your recruits at Inverness, head north across the Moray Firth and let those campfire conspiracy theories begin
FRANCE
LANDES FOREST
This man-made pine forest in south-west France covers more than 10,000km2, and is flanked on its western front by a long strip of isolated beach. As an added bonus, bored tree dwellers may glimpse the occasional passing nudist.
NORWAY
NORWEGIAN FJORDS
The exposed, western coast of Norway is awash with rocky inlets and windswept bays – no place for holidaymakers but a boon for birds, the odd whale and any man wishing to disappear
SWEDEN
SWEDISH LAKES
There are thousands of lakes in Sweden – a good number within a couple of days’ backpacking from Stockholm. Within these lakes lie thousands of islands, some so tiny and remote-looking you may even escape news of Ulrika Jonsson’s latest romp.
