One thing to note is that access to "wild" land in the UK is generally a lot easier today than it would have been in 1911.
The high level population density in the UK is pretty misleading because quite significant chunks of the country are fairly lightly populated - making us all cram into what parts are left (e.g. the Central Belt of Scotland).
It does, but it means it's also a misleading statistic within the context of this argument, because the high population density (600 people per square mile) would indicate that you can't ever walk 50 meters in one direction without bumping into someone. In fact, you can easily walk miles without meeting anyone - if you go into the countryside. On the other hand, you won't be able to walk anywhere near 50 metres without bumping into someone in a town centre.
I think my record, at least so far, is walking for four days in the Highlands in winter without meeting anyone. Not bad for an island that people generally consider as rather densely populated.
Yes... a flat density statistic is fairly useless to describe somewhere like Britain, although perhaps it is a weak proxy for relative density, because most places will have density variations.
p.s. did you just walk around in a circle, though?
It was a fairly devious route from Achnashellach to Ullapool stopping for a few nights at the utterly gorgeous Lochan Fada so I could climb the surrounding mountains then up to Ullapool.
It was early April, bitterly cold and very deep snow. Usually those mountains are pretty busy - but I had the whole area to myself.
The high level population density in the UK is pretty misleading because quite significant chunks of the country are fairly lightly populated - making us all cram into what parts are left (e.g. the Central Belt of Scotland).