The wedding marchers: Couple trek 220-miles to get hitched on Skye
It can be a nerve-racking walk down the aisle for any couple but not many last four weeks and stretch to 220 miles.
Silke Muys, 30 and Kieran Shannon, 28, are walking from Girvan to the Isle of Skye on what they call a “wedding pilgrimage,” which will take them around a month to complete.
The couple, who work as models and dancers, decided to embark on the epic trek as a way for Muys – originally from Belgium – to see the beauty of Scotland up close.
“It was Silke’s idea, and at first I thought she was just joking,” said Shannon. “But Scotland is a special place to us, Skye especially, as that’s where we got engaged, so the more we talked about it the more it seemed like an amazing plan.”
Setting off last week, the couple had to cope with some torrential rain in the first few days.
“We’re currently doing the West Highland Way, and will then walk
and camp west through Glenfinnan and Mallaig to get the boat to Skye as we thought that was a little more romantic,” said Shannon.
“It’s been incredible so far, but walking on average seven hours a day with a 22kg and 16kg backpack is pretty tough going. It’s definitely harder than we thought it would be.
“We had planned to hike up Ben Lomond and Ben Nevis, but we’ve decided to leave that out of the schedule to give ourselves a bit more time to reach Skye.”
After tying the knot on August 30, the happy ramblers then plan to embark on a 10-year honeymoon, spending the next decade travelling the world.
The free-spirited couple have 40,000 followers on social media and strive to promote body positivity by posting pictures where their clothes are often notable by their absence.
“We aren’t strangers to living out of a backpack, as we spent a lot of our relationship travelling and working throughout Asia and Europe before
Covid hit,” said Muys. “We’ve spent lockdown living in Scotland with Kieran’s family and being mostly in one place, so to be able to be out travelling and camping and going back to that lifestyle we love so much has been really amazing.”
The couple, who met three and a half years ago in Spain while working for a dance company, got engaged at the Quiraing on Skye on April 29 this year, with the surprise proposal being captured by Belle
Art Photography.
“We’re also getting married at the Quiraing,” said Muys.“i’m really hopeful my parents can make it over from Belgium for the wedding, and Kieran’s parents will bring my dress and our wedding clothes as they were just too heavy for us to carry the whole way.
“We’re just so excited we can do something so unique and ‘us’ ahead of our wedding day. The journey has been hard, but so special.
“Every day has been an adventure and we’ve met so many kind people along the way who have offered to help us or just chat. We’re so looking forward to being married and all the future adventures still to come.”