Creative RetreatISLE of SKYE
SCOTLAND
in
CREATIVE
RETREAT 2026
DATES:
April 25-May 1 (7 days/6 nights)
May 3-9 (7 days/6 nights)
HOSTED BY: Lizzy Gadd & Kris Andres
PARTICIPANTS: 6 maximum
PHOTOGRAPHY LEVELS: All levels
PHYSICAL RATING: Difficult
(participants must be able to hike on average 10km per day on uneven, rocky, muddy terrain with up to 600 meters of elevation gain)
COST: $5900 USD
(payment plan available)
Why Isle of Skye?…
The Scottish highlands truly have some of the most magical, raw, rugged, and wild landscapes in the world. It’s a timeless land where you can feel its ancient history… where you can walk the terrain of medieval times, discover the legends of the local faeries and folklore, and let your imagination soar with storytelling ideas and possibilities.
For me (Lizzy), Scotland has been my home away from home for 15 years now. I find myself pulled back to this country yearly, and have spent many weeks trekking and exploring across the highlands through mud, rain, wind, sun and snow - and yet I find myself falling more in love with the wild weather and this mythical land every time I visit - and the Isle of Skye in particular holds a special place in my heart. With its enduring mountains and unique rocky features, beautiful beaches and seaside cliffs, rivers and pools and mountain lakes, intimate faerie glens, crumbling stone walls and highland cows, ancient bridges and paths, old seaside towns with good pub grub and cute cafes serving coffee and cakes… how could I not be drawn back at every opportunity?
The end of April/early May has become my absolute favourite time of year to be in the Scottish highlands. The days are long, everything is starting to burst with new greenery, the weather isn’t as brutally cold/wet/windy as usual, there’s baby sheep everywhere, and it’s just before the dreaded midges (tiny biting flies from hell) come out for the rest of the summer. Sounds pretty perfect, eh? After re-visiting and hiking all over Skye earlier this year with my partner Kris, we came away with the realization that we’d love to share the magic of Springtime in this place with our little creative community of friends and photographers. So, we started researching and planning, narrowing down the best home-base, favourite hiking locations, plan B’s and C’s in itineraries, and so on… and in the end, this is what we came up with:
Read on to learn more about our first ever SCOTLAND creative retreats!
This “hikers edition” creative retreat is open to anyone in any level of photography.
In fact, you don’t even have to be a photographer. You could be a painter, a writer, a musician. You could simply be a nature-loving human looking to hang out and be inspired!
This particular creative retreat is a more of a “hikers edition” compared to our previous retreats in other places. All of our favourite locations on the Isle of Skye involve hiking anywhere between 5-15 km roundtrip each day - often over rocky and boggy “pathless” ground with significant elevation gain (up to 600 meters), and possibly in very windy and rainy weather. We highly encourage anyone who applies for this retreat to be aware of these facts and to prepare yourself physically to be able to reach these stunning places.
Although this retreat is not technically advertised as a “photography workshop”, our goal is to still help you achieve the dream experience or images you want to create. We will be thrilled to help you out however we can: Whether by demoing how we shoot, helping you set up your own shot, modelling for you, having props available (yes, I’ll be bringing lots of props and dresses!), and even image editing sessions together back at home base. We want this retreat to be an inspiring experience and collaborative effort, so if there’s anything you want to learn from us, please just ask. We’re here for YOU!
RETREAT INFO
MEET YOUR HOSTS
Partners in photography, love and life, we are:
LIZZY GADD
Retreat creator/host
Lizzy is a self portrait artist/photographer from BC, Canada, but now based wherever her suitcase happens to be (which is currently in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta). She feels most at home in the mountains, forests, fields and ocean - all of which are heavily incorporated into my photography.
With her calm and grounding demeanour, Lizzy strives to create ethereal images that evoke peaceful solitude and portray the beauty of matching one's heartbeat with the beat of nature.
When she’s not creating or immersed in the depths of nature, you can usually find Lizzy on a couch somewhere, lost in a fantasy book while eating too much chocolate.
KRIS ANDRES
Retreat assistant/energy booster
Based in the Canadian Rockies, Kristopher considers the mountains (along with everywhere he travels) to be his home. Kris is always up for endless adventures with a smile, no matter how "atmospheric" the conditions are. He will be overly excited in almost everything he does in life, capturing each story with the click of a shutter, in any and all genres — from adventure to landscapes to portraiture to food and more!
With a passion for teaching photography and sharing incredible moments with others, Kris also leads photography workshops around the globe through his company OFFBEAT.
When he’s not adventuring or creating, Kris is a full-time yogi working to refine himself every day.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
-6 NIGHTS ACCOMMODATIONS
We will have our very own private lodge in the heart of the highlands on Isle of Skye. 2 people will be sharing each bedroom - we will pair you with a partner, friend, or a participant of the same sex.
-DAILY BREAKFASTS, SOME LUNCHES & SNACKS, SOME DINNERS
We will keep a large selection of breakfast foods and coffee/tea at home base for you to help yourself to, as well as some snacks and sandwich materials for you to make your own lunches to bring on our adventures! We will also cover a couple of home-cooked dinners during the retreat.
-ALL GROUND TRANSPORTATION WITHIN ICELAND DURING RETREAT
We will choose a pick-up point in Inverness for the start of the workshop, and then you’re riding with us in our 8-passenger van for the rest of the retreat! We will also drop you off in Inverness (or at INV airport) at the end of the retreat.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?
-ALL FLIGHTS
-TRAVEL INSURANCE
Participants must have trip cancellation/interruption insurance, as well as emergency medical/illness insurance and rescue coverage.
Please note that we cannot offer refunds for emergencies and trip cancellations (you can read more about our cancellation policy near the bottom of this page).
-SOME SNACKS AND MEALS
Although we will supply breakfast foods at the lodge, and some basic build-your-own sandwich materials and snacks to take with us on our hikes, we will also plan to eat out for some meals. You will be expected to buy your own meals when we eat out.
We will also stop at the local grocery store almost daily during the retreat, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to pick up any other food items that you’re particularly fond of.
-ACCOMMODATION BEFORE OR AFTER THE RETREAT
We cannot cover any accommodations outside of the dates of the retreat - however, we do recommend that you arrive to Inverness at least a day early to avoid possible flight delays on the day the retreat begins.
HOME BASE
During this retreat, our home base will be at the Sligachan Lodge, which is set in a beautiful location in the heart of Skye and nestled right below the Cuillin mountain range - one of the most magnificent sights on the island.
The lodge includes 4 bedrooms (2 beds and a private bathroom in each), a fully equipped kitchen, a large sitting area, free WIFI, laundry facilities, and a beautiful back garden with views overlooking the mountains.
This home base is perfectly central to our favourite places on Isle of Skye, which are all within an hour’s drive in any direction from our lodge.
The lodge is also literally on the doorstep (or, trailheads) of our favourite hiking trails, providing lots of opportunity to explore directly from our home base. It is also only a 3 minute walk to cross the charming Sligachan river and Old Bridge to reach the local restaurant/bar for some hearty Scottish pub grubs (vegan & gluten free options also available)!
ITINERARY
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH WEATHER, TIMING AND EVENTS.
THE BEST MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN WE KEEP A FREE FLOWING MINDSET!
WHERE WILL WE GO?
We will plan to do one “hike of the day” location everday, allowing ourselves several hours to hike, shoot, create and explore around that particular location. Depending on participant energy levels on some days, we will also add a second “easy” location in the later part of the day.
Most days will involve leaving our lodge relatively early (anywhere between 4am to 8am depending on location and weather each day). This ensures that we will get the best possible conditions for sunrise light or foggy atmosphere, as well as providing time to have places to ourselves ahead of other tourists. A few of our locations (such as the Old Man of Storr and the Faerie Pools) can get extremely busy later in the day, so we will start those locations early to give ourselves lots of creative time ahead of the crowds. We also have some lesser known (but even more beautiful) “secret” locations, where we can spend many hours far away from crowds!
Some of the locations we plan to spend time at include:
-Old Man of Storr: 6 km round trip, 400 meters elevation gain, an endless playground for photographers. May be worth coming back to twice.
-The Quiraing: Up to 8km round trip, over 400 meters elevation gain. Worth coming back to at least 2-3 times to explore in different directions and different light.
-Fairy Pools: Up to 5km roundtrip, 200 meters elevation gain.
-Neist Point: Easy, oceanside cliffs and lighthouse - perfect sunset spot.
-Talisker Beach: 3.5 km walk, easy straight path.
-Loch Coruisk & Sgùrr na Strì/The Peak of Strife. Biggest day - involves taking a 20 minute boat ride from Elgol to the trailhead (your tickets are included in the retreat cost). We will hike at least 8km roundtrip with 600 meters of elevation gain for stunning views over the mountains, ocean and Loch Coruisk. Participants will then have the option to hike from this viewpoint all the way back to our lodge (12km down the stunning Sligichan valley, right to where our home-base is located on the trailhead), OR to take the boat ride back to Elgol/drive back to the lodge.
And of course, there will also be plenty of random stops for magic light, sheep and highland cows!
-DAY 1
11am: Pickup time! This retreat officially starts in INVERNESS. About a 3 hour drive away from the Isle of Skye, Inverness is the closest city with an airport. We will choose a pickup point in the city to meet everyone before we begin the drive to Skye.
Note: We highly encourage you to arrive at least a day ahead of the retreat to avoid any possible travel delays, which can happen frequently. We will not be able to wait for you if your flight is delayed, since we have a 3 hour drive ahead of us to reach our accommodations on Day 1. Arriving a day early gives you a great opportunity to explore the charming Inverness city!
12pm: Hellos, introductions, begin the 3 hour drive to Skye. We will stop at a cafe along the way for lunch.
4pm: Arrival at Sligachan Lodge, our home base for the week. Unpack, settle in, explore our beautiful home base/Sligachan valley at your leisure!
5pm: Gather around for our official welcome speech, safety talk, itinerary for the next day, and to learn more about what YOU hope to get out of this week. :)
6:30pm: Dinner at the local pub (3 minute walk across the Sligachan Old Bridge).
Evening: We will stay around home base for the evening. Feel free to relax or explore and shoot at your leisure! We will have options to shoot around Sligachan river, the Old Bridge, and the surrounding valley trails during the evening light (sunset is at 9pm).
(Please note that locations and timing for Days 2-6 could be rearranged depending on weather and participant energy levels)
-DAY 2
Morning: Wake up between 4-6 am (we’ll let you know the night before what time we plan to leave). Enjoy coffee and breakfast, pack snacks.
We’ll plan to head to The Quiraing for the entire morning! Expect to spend anywhere between 4-6 hours here. There’s lots of options to shoot and places to explore on the trail.
Midday: We will stop in Portree (the main town/fishing village on Isle of Skye) for a couple of hours to have some lunch and enjoy the sights of town. There are some great cafes, fish & chip joints and gift shops to explore before meeting back at the van to return to home base.
Afternoon-Evening: Hang out and edit at the lodge. We will make a home-made dinner for everyone. Feel free to stay up and shoot the sunset, or head to bed early so you’re rested for our earliest start the next day!
-DAY 3
Morning: Wake up between 3-4am. This will be one of our earliest starts. Have some coffee and breakfast, pack your snacks/lunch, and then we’re off to hike up to Old Man of Storr for sunrise (5:30am). You can expect to spend anywhere between 4-7 hours here.
Midday-Afternoon: Return to home base to relax, edit, hang out.
5pm: Early dinner at the pub across Sligachan Old Bridge.
7pm - sunset: Drive/walk to Talisker beach (this might be swapped to the next night depending on weather & participant energy levels)
-DAY 4
Morning: Wake up between 4-6 am (we’ll let you know the night before what time we plan to leave). Enjoy coffee and breakfast, pack snacks.
We’ll plan to head to the Fairie Pools for the morning! Expect to spend anywhere between 3-5 hours here. Follow the river-side path up the valley, with lots of beautiful little waterfalls and pools with a stunning mountain backdrop. It’s easy for everyone to spread out and shoot and explore at their own pace along this 2km trail.
Midday-Afternoon: Back to home base to relax, hang out and edit.
6pm: Either a home-cooked dinner, or eating at a local restaurant.
7pm - sunset: Possible sunset at Talisker beach (if we didn’t go here yesterday).
-DAY 5
Morning: Wake up by 6 am (we’ll let you know the night before what time we plan to leave). Enjoy coffee and breakfast, pack lots of snacks and lunch.
8am: Catch our Misty Isle boat ride from Elgol to Loch Coruisk, where we’ll be dropped off to hike in the more isolated and rugged highlands for the next 6-8 hours (with our goal to reach the Peak of Strife - 8km round trip with 600 meters elevation gain with incredible views over the ocean, mountains and Loch Coruisk).
Afternoon: Hike back down to catch the Misty Isle boat ride back to Elgol. OR, for those who prefer to keep hiking, you can hike directly from the Peak of Strife all the way down the stunning Sligachan Valley, ending right at our home base. This option adds 12km extra to your day.
Evening: Sit back, relax, eat, rest those legs! We will plan to either make a well deserved home-cooked dinner or eat at the restaurant across the bridge, depending on what time we all return to home base.
-DAY 6
Morning: We will give ourselves a later start today for those who need to catch up on sleep! If you still want to catch sunrise, now’s the perfect opportunity to do so from the Sligachan valley area at our home base.
Late Morning/Afternoon: We will likely return to The Quiraing to explore in the opposite direction as last time, or to return to repeat locations to shoot in different weather/light.
Early Evening: We’ll start the hour-long drive toward Neist Point, stopping at a restaurant along the way for dinner.
7-9:30pm: Shoot with sunset light at the stunning ocean-side cliffs of Neist Point lighthouse.
-DAY 7
Morning: Wake up, have breakfast, clean out the lodge, pack all belongings and load up the van.
10am: Checkout of home base and begin the journey back to Inverness, stopping along the way to see new sights and to have a final lunch all together.
3-4pm: Final goodbyes and drop-offs. We can drop you off at your hotel in Inverness or take you directly to INV airport if you’re flying out that evening.
WHAT TO EXPECT
FOR WEATHER / PHYSICALITY
The average temperature in Iceland during midsummer is between 9°C (48°F) to 15°C (59°F), though of course it may feel cooler overnight and with wind-chill, so we suggest bringing warm layers so you can maximize your comfort during the long hours of shooting and exploring. Weather in Iceland can vary greatly day to day (as they say there, if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes), so you should expect some of everything - hot sun, cold rain, wind, hail, fog, or magical moments of stillness between it all!
As for physicality levels, we have rated this retreat as “moderate” because there will be a couple locations that involve between 5km-10km (3-6 miles) of hiking roundtrip on uneven terrain (with 200-300 meters of elevation gain). Please make sure you are prepared with good hiking shoes! The rest of the locations are an easy walk from the car park.
COST / PAYMENT PLAN
TOTAL COST: $5900 USD. We will send you an invoice for each payment the week before it’s due.
1ST DEPOSIT OF $2000
DUE WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS ACCEPTED
2ND PAYMENT OF $2000
DUE BEGINNING OF JANUARY
FINAL PAYMENT OF $1900
DUE BEGINNING OF APRIL
CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY
No one wants to miss out on a trip of a life time… but we understand these things do happen. In those situations, the following applies…
The first thing to note is that deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable if we can find someone else to fill the vacancy. In addition, all cancellations are subject to a $200 service charge to cover transaction fees.
Any cancellations within 90 days of the retreat cannot be refunded since it is extremely difficult to fill a spot on such short notice. However, IF we DO find someone to fill your spot last minute, only then would you be entitled to receive a refund (minus the $200 cancellation processing fee).
*By submitting your application to attend this retreat, you are acknowledging that you accept these conditions.
APPLICATION TO ATTEND
This retreat is different from most photography events because not just anyone can sign up. We like to be very careful about who and what kind of energy we surround ourselves with, especially for such small retreats where we’ll all be very close together for the duration of the week.
In particular, we are looking for kind, easygoing humans who can hold a level of empathy for those around them, and who are willing to go with the flow with plans/weather changes (which happens frequently in Scotland). If this sounds like you, we would LOVE for you to fill in this application to attend!
*Please only submit an application if you’re serious about attending. If we approve your application, we will reach out to you within the week! Please note that we might not be able to respond to everyone due to the volume of applications.