Four things you should know this morning
Iona is the quietest place in Scotland
Well, according to Lonely Planet anyway. In their 2016 edition of Best in Travel guide, Iona is hailed as a retreat for those seeking solitude away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Coming in at number four on the top ten list - and the only Scottish entry - they recommend this island in the Inner Hebrides as one of the best places in the world to seek silence.
Teens can’t live without social media
With technology fully integrated into the millennial everyday life, many would find it impossible to get through a day without it, according to new research.
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Hide Ad66 per cent of teens spend at least two hours a day on social media alone, with much more time spent during the holidays. A similar number has said that they have sent a text to someone who is in the same house as them.
And the study revealed that family time was more likely to consist of watching television than eating a family meal at the dinner table.
Is Hallowe’en Scottish?
With it fast approaching, many Scots will have already looked out a fancy-dress costume for the witching hours. But many of these traditions have Scottish origins dating back to Medieval times.
The Gaelic festival of Samhain - pronounced “sow-en” - was celebrated throughout Scotland and originating in Celtic lands across Northern Europe. It ushered in the start of the winter season and marked the end of the harvest months.
Traditionally held from sunset on 31 October, Samhain was believed to be a time where the boundaries between the real world and the other world of witches, fairies and ghouls were at their weakest. As undead souls were believed to roam freely on the 31st, Scots would leave an empty chair and food on the table to pacify any potential nocturnal visitors.
Wolves should be reintroduced to Scotland
Naturalist and television broadcaster Chris Packham claims re-introducing wolves to Scotland would be a “good thing” for the ecology of the UK.
Former The Really Wild Show host, who presents BBC nature series Springwatch, admitted the plans were “ambitious” but that Scotland could offer a good place for wolves to thrive.
Packham, who is promoting his new book Wildlife of the World, said: “I think we’ve got to be realistic and pragmatic, since the wolf disappeared in the 1740s our landscape has changed rather radically, so there would be very few places where wolves could make a living in the UK, that means probably areas of low human population, so we’re looking at Scotland, that sort of thing.”