By Alexander Lawrie
NEWLYWEDS KT Tunstall and her drummer husband Luke Bullen shunned a celebrity-style honeymoon – by renting a small, secluded cottage on Skye for the week.
The Scots-born pop star chose to stay in one of four private cottages in the tiny crofting and fishing village of Elgol.
The rock star couple were recently married at Skye’s Flodigarry Country House Hotel on the north east of the island, and their banns were posted in the island’s capital, Portree.
Owned by locals Andrew and Mary Sim, the four cottages have been in their family for six generations, and are based on the traditional island ‘black house’ or thatched cottage.
KT and Luke hired ‘Tigh Lachie’, the newest of the four cottages, and went totally unnoticed by the other guests during their stay.
The cosy cottage features underfloor heating and oil burning stoves, while a traditional veiled box bed added a further touch of romance to the already beautiful surroundings.
The view from the jetty at the bottom of the village, looking across Loch Scavaig into Loch Coruisk and the magnificent Cuillin Hills mountain range, is arguably one of the finest in the country.
After a wonderful week’s stay, kind-hearted KT left a thank you note for owners Andrew and Mary.
She wrote: “Skye is my favourite place in the world, and Elgol is my favourite place on Skye. Staying at Mary’s Cottages and meeting Mary & Drew enriched the experience all the more. All the best, KT.”
Mary and Andrew decided to keep the couple’s location secret throughout the course of their stay, but couldn’t wait to share the news once they said their goodbyes to the couple.
Mary said: “We feel very privileged that KT and Luke chose Mary’s Cottages as the place they wanted to spend the beginning of their honeymoon.
“We also very much appreciate the support they have shown to the island, as by choosing Skye as their wedding venue they will encourage many more visitors to come and enjoy the island’s unrivalled scenery, attractions and hospitality.”
“The cottages really are the perfect romantic getaway, and we very much enjoyed having them with us.”
The 33-year-old singer-songwriter has also just announced she is to take part in an expedition to the world’s biggest glacier as part of an initiative to highlight climate change.
Also aboard the research vessel Grogory Mikhev will be Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and comedian Marcus Brigstocke.
The ship will travel along the west coast of Greenland to Disko Bay, then sail on to the Jakobshavn Glacier which is estimated to be losing 20 million tonnes of ice each day.
