A COUPLE chose a festive date for their wedding and decided to tie the knot at an unusual location.

After seeing each other for 20 years, Jim and Angela Lindop, wanted their big day to be unique and thought it would be different to get married on top of the Ailsa Craig.

They organised their wedding in just five weeks, telling only Angela’s sons and Jim’s daughters about their plans, and climbed to the top of the cliff on Wednesday, December 20 for the ceremony.

Jim explained: “I was having a break about five weeks ago. We had to get wed in a unique way and thought why not take a boat out? Angela was away at the time but when I told her she said ‘lets do it’. 

“We spoke to the registrar who said he couldn’t marry us until 2018 but I told him it had to be this year. So we arranged it in four weeks. We had to get permission from the marquis of Ailsa. It was wonderful.”

Last Wednesday, the couple, from Sheffield, arrived at the Ailsa Craig at 10am and climbed to the top of the 340 foot cliff for the ceremony before motoring back on the Glen App Castle boat to Girvan Harbour.

It was the first official wedding to have taken place on the rock, which was organised along with Glen App Castle and conducted by Caroline Agnew from South Ayrshire Registrars Office.

Witnesses were Roddy Leitch, former Girvan Harbour Master and John Orr, General Manager of the castle. 

Angela added: “The ceremony was beautiful. I wouldn’t have wanted to get married any where else.

“We could sea seals and it was warm. It is Jim’s friend Paul, who owns Glen App Castle, who gave us the idea.”

Caroline Agnew, Assistant Registrar, said: “I have never conducted a wedding on top of the Ailsa Craig before

“It was lovely and a wonderful experience. It was different altogether as I have never worn walking boots to a wedding, its usually a suit.”

Once they left Girvan Harbour, Jim and Angela, headed back to Glen App for a romantic dinner and to tell their friends they had tied the knot.

Congratulations from us all.