u/farang_in_bkk

Next year, my friend will need to apply for a Schengen visa from the UK. Other friends have suggested it's impossible to get appointments, and has been for many years. Slots get snapped up 6 months in advance, etc.

Is this really true?

No fixed travel plans exist for now, and if (for example) France is impossible, then she would travel to the Netherlands instead. Aware of the "main purpose of visit" requirement, just saying that main purpose is flexible as the whole continent is uncharted territory for her.