Happy New Year, Everyone! I hope this year brings you wonderful times. I’m excited to bring in the new year with a beautiful blog showcasing some of the places close to where I live in Wester Ross.

A wild wedding isn’t for everyone but if you are planning an outdoor ceremony in the Scottish Highlands, somewhere away from the beaten track, then Wester Ross is an ideal location.

This remote northwestern corner of the Highlands boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland and is far less busy in peak season than the usual ‘go-to’ Scottish elopement destinations such as Glencoe and Skye. From sandy beaches and ancient forests to dramatic sea lochs and mountain ranges, there are many beautiful and secluded places that are perfect for an outdoor wedding.

Can I legally get married anywhere in Scotland?

In Scotland, it is possible to make your legally binding Marriage vows to one another in any location – even if that location is simply a sat nav reference. Provided you have the landowners permission in areas where it is required, this means the entire landscape opens up to you.

For those who prefer an accessible spot, you can choose any one of the epic viewpoints scattered across our beautiful country. Walk less than 50 metres from a quiet road or car park and you can feel like you are in the heart of the wilds. The above photograph, for example, has been snapped at a spot that is a few minutes and a short scramble from a single-track road above Loch Torridon, and yet it has the same breathtaking wonder and dramatic views of a secluded place one might have discovered after a long hike.

Accessible weddings in the outdoors

Depending on your wedding party, it may be necessary to have wheelchair access, or a relatively flat surface leading to your ceremony location. It is absolutely possible to find locations that might suit your needs. I’ve highlighted four beautiful spots that might be suitable.

Gairloch Beach

Gairloch Beach is a calm, sheltered beach with a backdrop of dunes and woodland and stunning views of the nearby islands. There is a wooden boadwalk from the car park to the beach, making it easier for wheelchair access. There are also community toilets in the car park. For those wishing to climb above the beach, there is a gorgeous view point overlooking the bay and Gairloch that is especially lovely in autumn when the woods and heather moorland are aflame with russets, ochres and golds.

Torridon

Torridon is a small, pretty village nestled beneath the epic Beinn Eighe, Beinn Alligin and Liathach mountain ranges. A short walk from the cafe at the heart of Torridon is the sacred open air church of Am Ploc, on the banks of a sea loch. This is a place steeped in local history and you can feel its quiet hush as soon as you enter. Am Ploc is a perfect setting for a private elopement or an intimate family ceremony and, while not wheelchair accessible, it is a low-level walk of less than ten minutes from the village.

When we met you spoke of the feeling of familiarity you had when you connected through that first kiss. The feeling of a love between two old souls being renewed, rekindled. It was as though you had found each other again, and you were meant to be together. You have since shared a deep knowingness in the rightness of your connection. Today, you are choosing to affirm your love and deep connection by making sacred and eternal vows to one another.

Florentine and Roy – married at Am Ploc, Torridon

Mellon Udrigle Beach – Camas a’Charaig

The crystal clear, turquoise waters and silver sands of Mellon Udrigle make it a firm favourite. A perfect swim and nature-watching spot, this beach has big skies and panoramic views of the Assynt and Coigach mountains, and the Summer Isles. There is a wooden boardwalk leading from the car park to the sandy beach. Here you could make your life promises on a narrow spit of land encircled by the beach on one side and the crystal waters of Gruinard Bay on the other, with the Highland mountains stretched out all around you.

For those up for a wedding wander

Rather than choosing one location, you might prefer your ceremony to unfold along a beautiful hike with your closest family and friends. A kind of magic happens on these wedding wanders; all the conversations, laughter, scenery and exhilaration of the day are threaded into the ceremony, creating an authentic and memorable wedding adventure.

We might begin your ceremony in one of the remnant ancient woodlands that populate the west coast, then walk on to pause by a lochside and reflect on the journey you have shared as a couple so far. We could journey on to witness you making your Marriage promises to each other beneath the boughs of an ancient tree, then share in your first toast as a married couple on a hill top (or even a mountain top for the adventurers). The options are limitless and can be adapted to the skills and hiking experience of the wedding party.

Some stunning suggestions …

Red Point Beach

It is hard to not be awed by the pink sands of Red Point South beach and panoramic views of the Torridon mountains, the isles of Rona, Skye and the Outer Hebrides.

This beach is a fifteen-minute, muddy walk from the car park at Red Point, ten miles south of Gairloch. For those happy to embrace the mud, it is well worth the effort. Great northern divers, dolphins and sea eagles are frequent visitors to this dramatic double-crescent beach. At low tide, there is a grassy knoll dividing the beach that makes for a fabulous ceremony location and picnic spot. It is also possible to walk to Red Point South from the northern beach at Red Point, incorporating a stunning headland walk of around two hours into your day. Here’s a shimmering seas clip with views of the beach taken along that walk.

A quicker route takes you from the car park directly through the dunes to Red Point North beach, which is also beautiful.

The Fairy Pools at Badachro

Three miles above the pretty bay by the Shieldaig Lodge Hotel, near Badachro, are a series of lochans: Na Lochan Sgeireach, known as the Fairy Pools. While the walk up is steep and can be very boggy, this is an ethereal place that feels almost otherworldly in its beauty. Even in summer this is a quiet destination (possibly because of the rugged path) and it’s possible to discover you are the only person walking among these lochans.

Being in nature is perfect. Here we are invited to respond to the shifting moods of the world around us, to be authentic and free. There is an ancient Celtic expression: thin places: places where the veil between two worlds is gossamer thin, places that bring you closer to the divine, the spiritual, where thought falls away and only a luminous feeling remains. Places where we can be our true, essential selves. This Wester Ross landscape, with its enchanting wilderness of water and rock, is surely such a place. The perfect place for you to make your sacred and eternal vows to one another.

Loch Maree and the Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve

Another glorious ceremony location is beside Loch Maree; the fourth largest freshwater loch and arguably the most dramatic in Scotland. Here you could make your vows amidst the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest overlooking the loch, nestled beneath the towering Beinn Eighe mountain range.

There is a steep waymarked three hour trail at Loch Maree, the Beinn Eighe Mountain Trail, which is an easy route to follow, and one that brings great rewards in both adventure and views, for those who do fancy a hike.

There are pretty spots all along the lochside for those who prefer to stay at ground level.

The Kernsary Loop

The Kernsary Loop by Poolewe is a picturesque 10km low-level walk of around three hours that takes in some breathtaking scenery. While permission would be required for a ceremony to be held here, this walk showcases some of the very finest of Wester Ross scenery; lochs, mountains, ancient trees and red deer! There are so many places like this across Wester Ross.

For the outward bounders … Glen Torridon hikes

Of course, Wester Ross is renowned for the mighty Torridons; mountains considered to be among the most dramatic peaks in the UK, made of some of the oldest rocks in the world.

While scaling a munro might not be everyone’s idea of a fun wedding day, there are gorgeous locations across Glen Torridon for those who are keen to incorporate a lower level hike into their wedding day … Some with the welcome option of a post-ceremony freshwater swim.

This pretty spot by the river (below) is a short, gradually inclining hike of around 30-minutes along a well-established path from the car park above Torridon.

Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair

A longer hike up the valley leads to the breathtaking Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair, an impressive corrie with a lochan enclosed by three almost vertical giant rock buttresses, including Beinn Eighe’s Triple Buttress, and with awesome views over the valley below.

The walk is longer – around 9 miles or 5 hours in total – but, on a good day, this is an awesome setting for a ceremony, a wedding picnic and a swim. Check out this clip of the loch from a recent walk here.

Get married in Wester Ross

I hope this has given you some insight into why Wester Ross is known for having some of the finest mountain and coastal scenery in the UK. Whether you are looking for a location that is a short stroll from the car, or are up for scaling the nearest hill, if you are keen to elope to the wilds of Wester Ross, I’d be delighted to chat with you. Please do get in touch.

Thank you to the lovely couples who gave their permission for their photos to be used in this blog, and thank you to the photographers for the fab pics.

Things to consider – the small print

In Scotland, it’s important to be mindful of the weather and always have a back up plan in case it’s blowing a hoolie. All hiking or wedding wanders are enjoyed at the couple’s discretion and risk. While I can help with recommending kit, provisions and clothing, it is essential that hikes undertaken match the level of expertise and experience of those involved. For anyone wishing to enlist a mountain guide (I always suggest this for the more epic munro hikes) then I can put you in touch with some excellent local guides. And, for anyone considering an outdoor ceremony in Scotland, you do need to be aware that on damp days with no wind during May-September midges can be an issue. Being near the coast or choosing a more elevated position will make all the difference in keeping midges at bay, if they are about.

Wester Ross has some beautiful venues too

In addition to all these fabulous outdoor locations, there are some incredible wedding venues for larger gatherings and so many excellent places to stay. I hope to share details in a future blog post.

I hope to welcome you to Wester Ross soon!