A Scotland elopement and honeymoon itinerary, for 7 or 10 nights

Most of our couples fly a long way to get married here, and almost none of them fly home the next morning. The elopement is the middle of the trip, not the whole of it. These are the routes we’d plan if it were us, for a week or for ten nights, married in Edinburgh or in Glencoe.

They’re the same routes our cost calculator recommends, written out day by day. If you want the money side as well, put your dates and your home airport into the calculator and it’ll price the route for you, flights and hotels included.

A few things that shape every version

Get married on day 2 or 3. Not the day you land, because bags go missing, flights get moved and nobody looks their best after a night on a plane. But not at the end either. Get it done early and the rest of the trip is the honeymoon.

If it’s legal, the paperwork picks a day for you. One of you has to collect the Marriage Schedule in person from the registrar, on a weekday, in the seven days before the ceremony. For Edinburgh that’s the Edinburgh registrar. For Glencoe it’s Lochaber, in Fort William. If your elopement is on day 2, that means collecting it the day you land, so legal couples are better adding a night at the start. We’ve written up how collecting the schedule works, or go symbolic and skip it.

Leave the car until you leave Edinburgh. You don’t want one in the city. You walk most of it, and on an Edinburgh elopement we walk and jump in Ubers. Pick the car up the morning you head north. You’ll be driving on the left, and some Highland roads are single track with passing places, so leave more time than the sat nav says.

Mind the calendar. Edinburgh in August is the festivals, which is fun for a honeymoon and chaos for an elopement. Glencoe in July, August and early September is midges and crowds. Our month by month guide goes into it properly.

7 nights, married in Edinburgh

City, Highlands and coast. The longest drive is about three hours.

Day 1. Land in Edinburgh. Check in, have a shower, wander up the Royal Mile and eat somewhere small. Early night. Have a look at where to stay in Edinburgh before you book, because the hotel is where you’ll get ready. The Witchery is our favourite. Prestonfield and The Scotsman aren’t far behind.

Day 2. The elopement. Hair and make-up in your room, then out into the city with us. We plan the spots around the light and the crowds. Finish with a long dinner. Our Edinburgh elopement page will give you an idea.

Day 3. North to Glencoe. Pick up the car and allow about two and three quarter hours, plus stops. Stay at Glencoe House (book a suite), the Glencoe Inn or one of the Aos Sí lodges.

Day 4. Glencoe. Glencoe Lochan in the morning, Glen Etive in the afternoon, hot chocolate at the Glencoe Mountain Resort on the way back.

Day 5. Across to St Andrews. About three hours coast to coast. A walk on the West Sands, then fish and chips.

Days 6 and 7. Back to Edinburgh. It’s only an hour and a quarter. Drop the car and spend your last two days doing as little as possible. Brunch in Stockbridge, then a pub with a fire. Fly home the next morning.

7 nights, married in Glencoe

Highlands and coast, with the mountains first.

Day 1. Land in Edinburgh. One night in the city to sleep it off.

Day 2. North to Glencoe. Pick up the car and head straight up. Check in and have a quiet evening. You make your own way to Glencoe, and on the day we drive you between spots.

Day 3. The elopement. Getting ready at your hotel, then out into the glen with us. We bring a Dryrobe, towels and hot drinks for when the weather does what it does. Our Glencoe elopement page has more.

Day 4. Across to St Andrews. About three hours to the east coast. The beach, then a good dinner.

Days 5 to 7. Edinburgh. Drop the car and finish in the city. Three nights is plenty to see it properly without rushing. Fly home the next morning.

10 nights, married in Edinburgh

We call this one the big loop. The city, Glencoe, Skye and Loch Ness, then back to Edinburgh.

Day 1. Land in Edinburgh. Walk, eat, sleep.

Day 2. Settle in. A slow day. If you’re marrying legally, this is collection day, which is why we like three nights here at the start.

Day 3. The elopement. The ceremony and the city, then dinner somewhere good.

Days 4 and 5. Glencoe. About two and three quarter hours north. Two nights, so one of the days is just yours. If you’d like more photographs, this is where a second elopement day in the mountains fits.

Days 6 and 7. The Isle of Skye. About two and three quarter hours on from Glencoe. Skye is one for sightseeing rather than the elopement, because it’s too busy, but it’s a fine place for a honeymoon. We’ve written about why we don’t elope there.

Day 8. Inverness and Loch Ness. About two and a half hours from Skye. One night is enough.

Days 9 and 10. Back to Edinburgh. About three and a quarter hours down the A9. Drop the car, have a last couple of easy days and fly home.

10 nights, married in Glencoe

The same loop, with the wedding in the mountains and more time in the city at the end.

Day 1. Land in Edinburgh. One night to recover.

Day 2. North to Glencoe. Pick up the car and drive up.

Day 3. The elopement. In the glen, with us driving you between spots.

Day 4. Glencoe, slowly. Three nights here means a whole day with nothing planned the day after the wedding. You’ll be tired in the nicest way.

Days 5 and 6. The Isle of Skye. Sightseeing, not shooting.

Day 7. Inverness and Loch Ness.

Days 8 to 10. Edinburgh. Drop the car and finish with three nights in the city. Fly home the next morning.

Marrying legally in Glencoe means collecting the schedule in Fort William on a weekday before the ceremony, so on this route add a night up north first rather than collecting it on the drive up.

Don’t try to see everything

Every couple who tries to do Edinburgh, Glencoe, Skye, Loch Ness and St Andrews in a week spends the week in a hire car. If you’ve only got seven nights, pick the short loop and stay put. If you’re marrying in Edinburgh, the calculator will also show you a version with no driving at all.

Where we come in

Planning is part of every elopement with us. That means the locations, the timings, the weather plan, where to stay and how to get about, built round your dates. You book your own flights, rooms and suppliers. We tell you which ones, and we find out which hair and make-up artists and celebrants are free before we introduce you.

Before you book flights

Check your date with us first, because the date decides everything else. Run the trip through the cost calculator for the whole budget, and the pricing tool will give you our exact price in seconds. You can book and pay securely online without a call, or have one at a time that suits you if you’d rather talk it through.

Jodie & Matt

Got dates in mind? Check your date, then get in touch and tell us how long you’ve got. We’ll tell you how we’d spend it. Or go straight to pricing.