Offering cash incentives to entice young professionals to live in rural Scotland could just solve the depopulation crisis and should be considered, argues Herald columnist Alan Simpson.

Rural Scotland is rightly lauded across the world and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year to enjoy the history and the all-round splendour.

Most of us urban dwellers will say that we enjoy regular trips into the ‘countryside’ for a bit of R&R as often as we can.

There is nothing better than breathing in the clear, fresh air in the Scottish countryside to reinvigorate the soul after all.

Most of us probably have a wee pipe dream too about buying a house somewhere and living out our lives in splendid isolation.

But in reality could we city dwellers really hack it in a rural setting?

The answer to that is undoubtedly no and partly explains why rural areas suffer from chronic depopulation issues.

We like the convenience of things being nearby if we’re honest, and the thought of travelling for hours just for a hospital appointments is one that would fill us with dread.

I guess, the only people that can really feel totally comfortable living in remote areas are those that are born and raised there, but even a lot of them leave at a young age for better lives in cities.

And who can blame them?

All of which, of course, leaves the serious problem of depopulation which threatens the very existence of some - how do you beat that?

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