I have another fabulous in-depth and informative honeymoon post for you today. With images provided by the honeymooner, and photographer, Lucy Stendall and another photographer Lynne Kennedy. Lynne captured adorable images of Lucy and her husband Tom, at the beginning of their marriage together, looking so very much in love…
Tom and I were married in August 2010 at home and we honeymooned on the Isle of Skye.
Originally, like many couples, we contemplated the thoughts of warmer climes for our honeymoon, maybe somewhere with a beach and some history… and we filled our heads with the idea of Morocco. We whiled away the hours on i-escape and thought of the exotic adventures we would have. Then I found out it was Ramadan and we heard that this would write off any daytime public displays of affection… and, well, that seemed a bit of a non starter for a honeymoon! So we have shelved that trip for another time instead.
We went back to the drawing board and both mooted the idea of Scotland. I suppose it came to mind because it’s somewhere we’d been saying we’d visit for a while but the highlands and islands are just so far away from us we had never seriously thought of it as a viable holiday destination before. We always found a reason not to go that far north. After all, to get there we would be passing through Yorkshire and the Lake District which are both great places for UK holidays.
But with 2 whole weeks ahead of us and a special reason for the trip we decided to go that extra {thousand or so} miles and take a trip to the Isle of Skye. The thing that sealed the deal was partly the fact it would be an adventure for both of us as neither of us had been there before – and also we love the outdoors and couldn’t wait to see that stunning scenery for ourselves. There was also the thought of all the magnificent roads Tom had spied on Top Gear. You see, Tom’s other love, his sports car, would be coming along for the drive.
So this is how we ended up on a 10 hour road trip to Skye with 2 weeks worth of honeymoon wardrobe crammed into the nooks and crannies of our tiny car emblazoned with our Just Married sign. We felt very much the newlyweds, with people tooting us and children waving at us on our way. It felt lovely and old fashioned… and I could take my bouquet with me which was a bonus!
Where to stay
Whilst in the area we stayed at these fabulous places:
Ashtree House Hotel: the perfect stop to break the long journey on the way to and from Skye.
Balmacara Mains is just off Skye in a small hamlet near to Kyle of Lochalsh.
The Spoons: luxurious gastro B&B located to the north of the island with possibly the prettiest presented poached egg I have ever seen.
Tigh Dubh (pronounced “tie doo”): a traditional and homely rustic croft.
A honeymoon shoot
We also hired a local photographer, Lynne Kennedy, whilst we were there for some portraits. I found Lynne through some elopement photographs she had put on her blog. This is really a speciality of hers and her photography is beautiful. Honeymoon photography is a brilliant idea for capturing all the newlywed bliss without any of the pressures of an actual wedding day. Not only does Lynne have a huge talent and enthusiasm about her craft she is just a genuinely kind and funny person.
A highlight of the shoot was when she saw an opportunity for a photo of us on the wall of a small bridge and boldly announced “Right, I’m going in!” before marching into the river below the bridge, soaking her trainers and jeans right through in the process – this is a lady who will stop at nothing in search of the perfect composition. Lynne’s passion for photography is infectious and she became one of the people who encouraged me to go for it with my own wedding and portrait photography business, which I set up in Autumn last year.
Awesome images above courtesy of Lynne Kennedy Photography
When the Mister and I weren’t gallavanting around having our pictures taken(!) or indulging in the new found delights of the extraordinarily deep bathtub at the Spoons we journeyed around the different parts of the island and the surrounding area…
What to do
A whisky tasting tour at Talisker, the island’s only distillery – this included a round table tasting of several whiskeys and lots of banter with a handful of others.
Claigan Coral beach near to Dunvegan Castle.
Armadale Castle.
SkyeSkins – yup all our family got sheepskin rugs for christmas last year!
Edinbane pottery.
Dolphin/whale/shark spotting at Neist Point- we saw a family of basking sharks and I did my crazy excited face!
The road to Applecross – if you or your other half like roads, this one will scare and exhilarate you in equal measure. Plus, there’s a lovely pub by the water when you get to the other end.
Walks around the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing.
Good grubberies
We are total foodies and the restaurants on Skye did not disappoint. It’s a gourmand’s dream. Highlights included…
A ridiculously extravagant birthday meal at the Michelin starred Kinloch Lodge
A gastronomique meal at the renowned Three Chimneys Restaurant
We didn’t have one bad meal whilst we were on honeymoon which is certainly saying something and we’d also recommend…
Red Skye Restaurant
Greshornish House Hotel
Harbour View
Loch Bay
Plockton Shores
Yes, we ate pretty, pretty well whilst we were there.
A honeymoon close to home
Honeymooning in the UK is vastly underrated. I think in part this is because of the compromise on the weather. But in certain places, like the Scottish highlands and Islands I don’t think the weather matters as much. I know, I know, you’re probably looking at these photographs and thinking it’s ok for me to say that – as you can see we were ridiculously lucky with the weather! Having said that we were fully expecting misty moody weather and that wouldn’t have stopped us from enjoying anything the island has to offer. In fact, I’m imagining it would be just as romantic to tootle around in the mist all wrapped up cosy and warm as to bomb around with the roof down soaking in the rays.
UK Honeymoons are not always great budget options especially if you share our love of boutique places to stay and eat. We were very lucky in that our guests treated us to our honeymoon and the quality of the accommodation, hospitality and food we enjoyed would take some beating. And the scenery? Unforgettable. The Isle of Skye was a gorgeous newlywed adventure and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for the perfect UK honeymoon or elopement/wedding destination. I for one can’t wait to return.
Awesome image above courtesy of Lynne Kennedy Photography
Debs & Lucy
Photographer Details:
Lucy Stendall Photography
Contact Lucy
Photographer Details:
Lynne Kennedy Photography
Contact Lynne
Phone: 01599 530080
