Nine per cent of households in Scotland have no access to the internet. Whether through poverty, geography or lack of skills, this makes it hard for them to get basic services that the rest of us take for granted.  

In the Citizens Advice network we have long campaigned to raise awareness of this issue and help those affected. 

But even for those of us who advocate on their behalf, it is hard to understand what it means to be truly excluded from digital services. 

So recently I decided to gain some personal perspective on what it is actually like. I put my phone and laptop in a drawer and took myself "off-grid" for 24 hours.  Here’s what my day was like. 

I started off trying to book a GP appointment,........

© Herald Scotland