A healthy lifestyle can mitigate genetic risk for early death by 62%, study suggests
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
Sanda Island lies between Scotland and Northern Ireland, off the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula, made famous by the 1977 song “Mull of Kintyre” by Paul McCartney and Wings.
Over the years, it’s had historical connections with monks, saints and kings. It was visited by Scottish King Robert the Bruce and Norway’s King Hacon and its chapel has associations with Saint Columba and Saint Ninian. The island has had numerous owners over the years, but the most famous is Jack Bruce from the rock band Cream.
Access to the island is by boat – there are stone slipways at both ends – or by helicopter. There, amongst the rolling bucolic greenery edged by rock escarpment, are seven residential properties – four at the northern end and three at the southern, right next to a picturesque lighthouse perched on an outcrop.
The accommodation can host up to 26 people, which is enough for a small crowd at the Byron Darnton Tavern, named after a ship that wrecked off the island in 1946. It was established in 2003 by previous owners Dick and Meg Gannon and for a number of years served customers arriving by boat, but closed after the island was bought in 2010 by Swiss businessman Michi Meier.
The pub “got a lot of press coverage and was open during the summer months,” explains Tom Stewart-Moore, head of rural agency for Scotland at Knight Frank, the agency handling the sale. “For the next owner it offers an opportunity to keep the property either as their own private getaway, or to diversify and extract some money through offering exclusive use, unique stays with high-end accommodation. There is also the option of reopening the pub to offer something for people sailing up and down the West Coast.”
It still has an alcohol licence, should the next owners wish to revive the tavern, and it has a registered farm code too. The island previously had a small farm and a flock of 55 black-faced sheep still call the island home.
“The sheep look after themselves, they’re the island lawn mower and require little management,” says Stewart-Moore. “They are included as part of the sale.”
There’s wildlife as well as livestock: Bird-watchers can delight in the colonies of puffins, kittiwakes, cormorants, shags, razorbills and many more feathered residents.
If the whole thing wasn’t charming enough, Sanda is also known locally in Argyll and Bute as “Spoon Island,” due to its resemblance to an upturned spoon. It’s also one of a few Scottish islands to print its own stamps.
The island comes with seven residential buildings. (Courtesy Knight Frank via CNN Newsource)
The island is 23 meters tall (75 feet) at its highest point and on a clear day you can see Northern Ireland’s Antrim Hills, some 20 miles away across the North Channel. Campbelltown, in Scotland, is the main access to the island by boat, and has a large marina, several whisky distilleries and Scotland’s oldest cinema.
Knight Frank says the vendor is looking for offers in excess of £2.5 million (US$3.1 million). A couple of extra islands are being thrown into the sale too: 31.72-acre Sheep Island and itty bitty Glunimore Island (4.41 acres).
Most of the accommodation on the island is recently refurbished, with new double glazing added. “Energy is currently generated on the island by three generators,” says Stewart-Moore. “however there is the opportunity for the next owners to explore renewable energy sources to supplement or enhance the electricity on the island.”
He says they’ve already received “a large number or viewing requests.” As for the profile of the kind of people who can throw a few million at an island purchase, Stewart-Moore says, “The potential buyers will predominantly fall into two categories; either a wealthy individual will purchase it to use for themselves and keep private. Or it will be someone who will look to commercialize the pub and the buildings, enhance or increase the farming operation over the ground and potentially go down the route of being self-sufficient.”
If this year has you yearning to tend your sheep and go off-grid, start checking the back of the sofa for pennies. The island of Sanda is waiting.
Even if your genetics put you at greater risk for early death, a healthy lifestyle could help you significantly combat it, according to a new study.
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
You would be forgiven for thinking Christina Lauren's latest romance novel stars a hunky reimagining of Loblaw chairman Galen G. Weston.
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the league's player assistance program.
Frito Lay Canada is recalling two of its most popular snacks due to a possible risk of salmonella contamination.
Ellen DeGeneres is reflecting on how her talk show came to an end in her newest Netflix special, 'Ellen's Last Stand ... Up Tour.'
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'