Meet the couple who swapped their ‘loud and busy’ life in Edinburgh for a ‘slower way of life’ on the Isle of Skye
A couple who swapped their ‘noisy and busy’ lives in Edinburgh for a ‘slower way of life’ on the Isle of Skye said they would never return to the city.
Elopement photographers and filmmakers Joanna and Nathan Gull said they were ‘moving from flat to flat’ in Edinburgh and felt they ‘never had room to breathe’.
After visiting the Isle of Skye for work it was love at first sight. The two ‘instantly knew it was their home’ and found an idyllic rural cottage to rent on the Strathaird Peninsula on the south coast.
The pair, originally from Nottingham, moved in August 2023 and now spend their days exploring the island and waking up to ‘beautiful scenery’.
Joanna posts snippets of her daily life on the Isle of Skye on her TikTok account (@joannaelizagull), where she has received over 130,000 likes. She told MailOnline Travel: ‘We will always love Edinburgh, but especially as a two-day trip, knowing we can go home to the mountains.’
Joanna and Nathan Gull left their ‘loud and busy’ lives in Edinburgh for the Isle of Skye. The pair “immediately knew it was home” and don’t see themselves returning to the city
The couple live in a rented cottage on the Strathaird Peninsula and spend their days waking up to ‘beautiful scenery’
Although she said it takes them almost an hour to ‘go to the shops’ on the island, as opposed to a ten-minute return trip in Edinburgh, she explained: ‘We like to be slow and much prefer to take our time things to enjoy. than that you feel rushed.’
The pair have been able to continue their work on the island, using the beauty of the Isle of Skye as a backdrop for couples photo shoots.
On shoot days, Joanna said they would wake up before sunrise and go to “wherever on the island we are working.”
Joanna posts snippets of her life on the Isle of Skye on TikTok. She said she “enjoys the slowness” of life on the remote island
The couple work as elopement photographers, taking advantage of the beauty of the Isle of Skye. They will enjoy a ‘slow morning’ and explore the island when they are not at work
But when they’re not at work, she says they usually have a “slow morning” and “go for a walk to get some fresh air.”
The 27-year-old said: ‘Life is naturally slower in the Highlands, which works well for our brains and the way we work.
“Skye just feels so much safer too.”
What’s more, they have had no trouble meeting people and even claim that more friends visit their remote cottage than ever visit their city flat.
Joanna said the Isle of Skye feels ‘much safer’ than Edinburgh
Joanna claimed she had more friends visiting her on the Isle of Skye than in her city flat
Joanna added: ‘Skye is full of kind-hearted people, and there is a real sense of community, unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in Edinburgh.’
Although Joanna said they “already had a lot of friends on the island,” she has been able to connect with “other photographers and artists who all have the same values.”
Most of whom, she claimed, have also moved from cities.
She said: “The area we live in is such a lovely community too. It was so nice to meet the locals and hear their stories!’
Joanna’s favorite aspect of living on the Isle of Skye is the ‘scenery’ and ‘the mountains and beaches on your doorstep’.
The couple spend their holidays visiting other outlying islands such as Harris and Lewis, where Joanna is pictured above
Nathan is pictured above exploring Harris and Lewis, which Joanna claims has ‘some of the most beautiful beaches in the world’
She added: ‘In Edinburgh my favorite place to go was the beach, but the beaches of Skye are so much more beautiful and peaceful. There is also so much to explore, and we plan to try a new trail or walk every week.”
They even spend their free time exploring other Scottish islands such as Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, which Joanna said must have ‘some of the most beautiful beaches in the world’.
For those fancying a trip to the Isle of Skye, Joanna recommends taking a walk on the Old Man of Storr, a rocky hill on the Trotternish Peninsula, before heading to the beach.
She also suggests heading to the colorful town of Portree to enjoy the restaurants and shops.
To see more of Joanna, visit her at TikTok bee www.tiktok.com/@joannaelizagull or visit her website www.joannaeliza.com.