The Isle of Skye in Scotland is with its dramatic landscapes surrounded by water and easy approachability from the mainland, one of the most popular areas in the UK. To avoid the crowds at the iconic sites and to enjoy Skye’s extraordinary landscape, you can choose a lesser known, beautiful hike to the Macleod’s Maidens.

Sandwood Bay is a remote and unspoilt beach in Highlands of Scotland. What makes this beach even more special is the wonderful walk across peat moorland and through dunes to reach it.

This nature’s treasures offers a 1.6 km of pink sandy beach backed by large dunes and freshwater Sandwood Loch with views out to the high cliffs, the famous tall sea stack Am Buachaille (The Herdsman), and towards the Isle of Lewis.

If you are looking to escape from it all for just a little while, then Scotland’s most easily accessible islands, the Slate Islands, is the place to come.

The Slate Islands were the centre of the Scottish slate mining industry from the mid-18th to the mid-19th century. Today you can see a post-industrial landscape of water-filled quarries, slates, and dramatic coastal scenery. It is also a place of peace and tranquillity, where you will be inspired by the singing of the birds, the sound of the sea crashing on the shores, and the howling wind.

I started my travelling in Costa Rica and then continued to Nicaragua, a charming country relatively untouched by tourism. The highlight of my trip through both countries was three days in Los Guatuzos, a protected area consisting of tropical wetlands, forest, and wildlife refuge on the southern border with Costa Rica.