>>My ancestors left Ireland in the late 1800's, and it's on my >bucket list to go back there someday to see what it's like. Maybe an item for your bucket list could be to come here to the great boreal forests and experience the wilderness.

Well Hello Paddy! With you on the visiting wilderness; why do you think I'm on this site? If I planned on only walking here I'd be on a UK walking camping site.
My parents left Ireland in the 1940s; you really should get there. What makes it is the Irish are so friendly and funny. Country is even tamer than here. Not a hill you can't see the roads and houses from.

> While it may be uncommon or rare to need one while camping or walking in the UK, it's still very hard to improvise if you do end up needing to cut something, even if that's just a hopelessly knotted shoelace.

Absolutely!
As I said; I do carry a SAK. This is regarded as almost an amusing eccentricity here.
But have to admit I can't think of a time I couldn't have improvised something else walking/camping. Guy lines can be burnt, thread simply pulled apart. Lock knives are illegal here; so I can't use the SAK for anything too rugged. If it was legal I'd carry a fixed blade. This is a survival site; I'm with you all on preparing for the worst.

qjs