You all probably know about Scotland, about its beautiful scenery and its wild lands with nature at its best, you might also know about its history but there might be something you still don’t know!

We delved a little deeper and discovered a few interesting and funny trivia pieces you ought to know before travelling to the Highlands! Here are the best Scottish fun facts!

1. The official animal of Scotland is the unicorn. In Celtic mythology it’s a symbol of purity and power.

2. Scotland is home to the world’s tallest hedge. It is located near Meikleour on the A93 Perth-Blairgowrie road. The hedge is over 1,700 feet in length and 100 foot high.

3. Did you know the first ever Nessie sighting was in 565AD by St Columba? According to legend, a “water beast” attacked the Irish monk’s servant.

4. Talking about Nessie, you might now meet Morag, the monster of Loch Morar. This large and elusive female is said to have attacked two fishermen in August 1969. They saw a creature described as around 30ft long with rough brown skin, three large humps and a snake-like head.

Loch Morar is even deeper than Loch Ness, and with its 1,077 feet it is, in fact, the 17th deepest lake in the world!

5. The oldest known tree in Europe is the Fortingall Yew in Perthshire, Scotland. It is between 2,000 and 3,000 years old.

6. At the famous Highland Games, first celebrated in the 11th century, contestants show off their skills at hammer throw and even haggis-hurling.

7. ‘Braveheart’ was actually the nickname of Robert the Bruce and not William Wallace. Despite this, Mel Gibson used the name for Wallace in his Hollywood movie.

8. At least 40% of Scots have the red hair gene in their DNA.

9. The little town of Bonnybridge has more than 300 reported UFO sightings every year.

10. Scotland is well renowned for its whisky but what few people know is that whisky was invented in China and first distilled by monks in Ireland in the early 15th century before reaching Scotland 100 years later.

This post was first published 17th July 2019