From New Zealand to Skye with Sonja Bolger
Ten years ago Sonja, who is a New Zealander, moved to Edinburgh on her overseas experience.
She now lives on the Isle of Skye with her husband and two children.
Sonja blogs about her adventures and she also runs the Scottish Scran facebook community and website.
“I think that we will start in the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye, which makes sense because that's where I'm actually living now after moving here from Edinburgh at the end of last year.
“Recently I went up into the Cuillin Hills for the first time and they are really amazing because they're the only mountain range that's really like that in the UK.
“They are super tall and a really long mountain ridge that is made of like a kind of really tough rock that they have more in places like Switzerland.
“So it's really cool, hill climbing with a bit of scrambling and that kind of thing. And the views that you get up there are absolutely stunning.
So I think that we should start there and have a bit of a walk for the sunrise.
From up there you can see the whole Isle of Skye, all the way across the mainland and out to the Outer Hebrides.
There's just like all the mountains around you and the sea and it's really beautiful. So I thought we could go up there and then on the way back down again, we'd stop in one of the mini waterfalls for a bit of a morning swim.
It is quite refreshing. It is very refreshing, obviously. Well, do you know what? I have gone swimming in the winter on Skye and it's not too bad as long as you've got wetsuit boots and gloves, you're okay.
You can only stay in for maybe a few minutes, up to maybe like five minutes, depending on the day, but it's actually really refreshing and it makes you feel really good to start the day.
So I think we'll do that.
The thing is that it's interesting because when people talk about visiting Skye, they don't really mention the Cuillins.
I think that's because they're quite intimidating to actually go for a hike in, and you do need to have navigational skills and that kind of thing.
So most people just kind of see them and they can be seen from almost everywhere on the island, to be honest, because Skye's made up of lots of different peninsulas and every time you go out on one, you can look back and see the Cuillins.
“I really think they're just so iconic to Skye, even though people don't actually talk about them that much.”
Sonja’s perfect day:
Where: Cuillin Hills (Skye), Edinburgh, Shetland, Glenelg, Dumfries and Galloway
Food and drink: Haggis eggs benedict from Rose Leaf, afternoon tea (sandwiches, scones and cakes), venison stew, langoustines
