Hay's Way at Gretna Green: The enduring allure of getting married at Scotland-England border village

After nearly three centuries of hosting weddings, the small Scottish village of Gretna Green sees more than 3,000 weddings a year

There are many reminders of the history of division between Scotland and England when walking through the Scottish Borders.

I went through multiple towns where communities were gearing up for the annual Common Ridings, which can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries when the border lands were in constant upheaval during the long wars with England.

Meanwhile, crossing over into Berwick-Upon-Tweed by accident, residents said they feel the town is independent from both countries all together after a turbulent history saw it passed between English and Scottish hands at least 13 times.

But a few miles into Dumfries and Galloway, along the England and Scotland border, the atmosphere was a little different. It was all about unity.

One of the many couple-themed works of art dotted about Gretna Green

Not political unity as such, but rather unity between two people - marriage.

Gretna Green is well-known for being the place where young couples eloped to tie the knot after the 1754 Marriage Act came into play in England and Wales. The legislation meant anyone under 21 had to get permission from their parents to get married, which resulted in some lovers travelling across the border into Scotland where it was supposedly easier to wed.

The Welcome to Scotland sign sits about a 15 minute walk from Gretna Green on the River Sark

While legend has it these young couples would travel miles in horse and cart with angry parents chasing them to the border, reports show many of the marriages were local, with many coming from Carlisle, about ten miles walk over the border.

A couple who just got married at the Famous Blacksmiths Shop

As part of Hay’s Way, I ventured where some of these couples would have walked hand in hand, anxious for their Gretna Green wedding day ahead. To walk there and back in a day was standard when travelling on foot was the norm.

Now, 270 years on, it was clear the allure of this place as a wedding venue was still going strong. I arrived to a crowd of selfie sticks and tourists posing with one another next to a myriad of couple-themed statues dotted about the grounds. Among them were couples who were, that day, getting married at the Famous Blacksmith’s Shop, said to be the first building the eloping pairs would get to over the border into Scotland.

I tried to catch the celebrant for a chat, but he was in and out of the venue with back-to-back weddings. One member of staff on site said there can be up to seven ceremonies in a day during busy weeks. Gretna Green Ltd, which runs a range of businesses in the area, said 3,500 weddings happen at the site each year. Dumfries and Galloway Council confirmed some 17 per cent of Scotland’s weddings happen in the village.

David Muir and Julie Flint Muir after tying the knot at Gretna Green

I managed to catch up with one couple who had tied the knot while I was there. Julie and David Muir, from Hull, met on a night out organised by the hospital they both worked at 30 years ago.

When I asked them why they settled on a Gretna Green wedding, David said “because of the history”. Despite the venue becoming such a magnet for tourists, Julie said the ceremony itself was very private.

“Marriages nowadays cost so much money, lots of people, and what’s the point?” she said. “The most important bit is the union of us.”

I approached another couple dressed in wedding outfits only to find out they were already married and posing for pictures to promote the venue. We later joined up in the Queen’s Head in neighbouring Springfield, a pub with friendly staff and residents and that seemed to be the place to gather whether you were local, a visitor, married or not married.