5-day all inclusive mindful photography retreat on Scotland’s relaxing coastline

26th - 30th April 2026

£1485 (£375 deposit)

Space to breathe, connect and create

Join Kim for an all inclusive 5-day spring Coastal Photography Retreat on the beautiful Moray Coast. Born and raised in the area, Kim combines her local expertise with her mindful approach to create a relaxing, calming and immersive experience.

Be inspired by the sights and sounds of the sea

Retreat Details

Dates: 26th - 30th April 2026

Investment: £1485 (Deposit £375)

Duration: 5 days/4 nights

Small group size

Fitness level: Easy - Moderate

This retreat incorporates a mix of guided photography exercises and space to explore your photographic interests, offering a balance between solo time and group connection. Kim has carefully chosen locations to allow the opportunity to explore the coastal gems that North East Scotland has to offer, including long sandy beaches, rocky coves, traditional seaside villages and picturesque harbours.

As well as photographing the coastal beauty, mindfulness practices, journaling and rest will be weaved into the retreat to deepen creativity and self exploration.

When we are not on location, you can enjoy your own private en-suite room at the Royal Oak Hotel in Cullen. This traditional family-run hotel offers comfort and privacy. Delicious cooked meals will be prepared by the hotel each day to keep you fuelled and hydrated throughout your stay. The hotel is positioned right beside Cullen Beach, allowing the freedom to breathe and enjoy the sea air whenever you need to.

Retreat Includes

4 nights bed and breakfast at the Royal Oak Hotel in Cullen

Lunch, Dinner and Refreshments

On location mindful photography sessions

Welcome presentation

Private group taxi between locations

Experienced local photography guide

Retreat resources including notebook and pen

Welcome goody bag

Post-retreat group image sharing Zoom session

New friends, connections and memories

Not Included

Travel to and from retreat

Any food or drink out with meal times

Alcoholic Drinks

Insurance - including travel, camera and health insurance

Person sitting on a pier with a camera, photographing a traditional Scottish harbour, with fishing nets and crates nearby during mindful coastal photography retreat

“I’m so grateful for the truly wonderful days in Scotland. The retreat was a beautiful blend of stunning nature, mindful presence, and warm community. Kim is a gifted teacher in mindful photography – I loved the way she guided us with grounding mindfulness exercises and creative photography prompts. We explored textures, patterns, and movement through our lenses, and I completely fell in love with the landscape.

What made the retreat even more special was the care and thoughtfulness in every detail: the welcoming hotel, delicious food, the surprise gift on arrival, and even the kind and helpful taxi driver. It was all so well planned and perfectly executed. Thank you, Kim – I appreciate it deeply.”

— Eli Brager, April 2025 Retreat Guest

Deepen your Observational Skills

Guided Photography Sessions

Silhouette of birds flying against a golden sunset with scattered clouds.

Sky and Light Workshop - Monday 27th April

  • Feel a sense of guidance and inspiration as you witness and create with the vast coastal skies

  • Mindfully observe the light and how it interacts with the coast

  • Explore the relationship between the sky and sea

  • Observe the clouds as they move and change

  • Witness how the light and sky shift throughout the day, bringing new ideas and photographic opportunities your way

Seascape with ocean waves and a bird flying, forest in the background.

Sea and Movement Workshop - Tuesday 28th April

  • Tune into the sense of flow and rhythm by curiously observing how the sea and birds move along the coast

  • Experience how your body moves and feels in nature

  • Explore movement in the landscape, whether freezing motion in images or experimenting with creative photography techniques such as Intentional Camera Movement (ICM).

  • Breath and move in unison with the waves

Close-up of barnacles attached to a rock surface, showing their textured shells and compact formation.

Rocks and Textures - Wednesday 29th April

  • Feel grounded and held by the timeless rocky shores

  • Witness and create with the patterns and textures of the coast

  • Use the sense of touch to connect with your subjects

  • Observe the creatures that call the rocky shores home

  • Photograph coastal features up close (macro photography)

  • Witness how the shifting tides erode and shift the landscape

Self-Guided Photography Sessions

Rocky beach with large rock formation and blue sky. Cullen Beach in Scotland. The Three Kings rock formation

Morning Meditation Beach Walks (Optional)

Each morning before breakfast, you are invited for a walk along the beach to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the new day. This is a great opportunity to allow stillness and reflection before the day begins. You may wish to find a quiet spot to sit and observe the sea or close your eyes and tune into the coastal sounds. This time is also a good opportunity to journal. You may wish to write down your intentions for the day ahead or note down your thoughts and ideas on paper. While this time is not centred around photography, you are welcome to take your camera with you and create images.

Sunset over a beach with reflecting water and rippled sand. Roseisle Beach in Moray, Scotland

On Location Evening Sessions

Each evening, we will head out for sunset. During this time, you can explore what you’d personally like to photograph. You may wish to weave what you learnt during the guided sessions into your practice or use the time for your own exploration and reflection. Kim will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and offer guidance if needed.

Breathing Space

Accommodation and Meals - Royal Oak Hotel Cullen

Logo for Royal Oak Cullen featuring stylized acorns and oak leaf.

The Royal Oak is a traditional family-run hotel located only a stone’s throw from the beautiful sandy beaches of Cullen Bay. It is nestled in between the famous viaduct and the historic fishing village of Seatown. The retreat includes 4 nights bed and breakfast and a tasty dining experience in the hotel restaurant. Everyone will enjoy their own private en-suite room, with a warm drink, shortbread and goodie bag to greet them on arrival.

The hotel comes with free parking and WiFi.

Weather permitting lunch will be enjoyed on location each day. The hotel will provide us with a healthy packed lunch to take out with us so we can enjoy eating while immersed in the coastal scenery.

Cozy bedroom with a neatly made bed, plaid cushions, and folded towels. A small bedside table with a red lamp is on each side. Three framed pictures adorn the light green wall, and a window with curtains allows natural light.
A bowl of creamy Cullen skink soup topped with parsley, served on a napkin with a slice of whole grain bread on the side.
A dining room with wooden tables and chairs, green walls, framed artwork, and pendant lights. Royal Oak Hotel Cullen
Two people with photography backpacks standing on a sandy beach looking at the ocean. Hopeman, Moray, Scotland on coastal photography retreat

“Along the shifting light and sea of the Moray Coast, we arrived as strangers and left as a connected, supportive group. With Kim’s calm, thoughtful guidance, we slowed down, tuned in, and discovered not just the beauty of the landscape, but a deeper connection to nature, to one another, and to ourselves.

The retreat offered a balanced mix of mindful and photographic practices, creating space for creativity, reflection, and personal exploration. Kim’s steady presence, combined with the energy of the group and the ever-changing coastal landscape, nurtured a sense of stillness and insight. Her deep knowledge helped us see the world, and our place within it, with renewed clarity.

I highly recommend this retreat to anyone seeking to deepen their creative practice, reconnect with the natural world, and experience a greater sense of peace and presence.”

Teresa, USA - April 2025 Retreat Guest

Itinerary

A sandy beach with shallow water, ripples, a solitary rock, and a cloudy sky. Landscape photography. Scotland Coastal Image

Sunday 26th April

3pm - Hotel check-in and settle

4pm - Welcome presentation and sharing

6pm - Welcome dinner

7.30pm - Evening beach walk and grounding

Sunset over the ocean with birds flying and a rocky shoreline.

Monday 27th April

7am - Morning meditative beach walk (optional)

8am - Breakfast

10 am - On location sky and light workshop

2/3pm - Afternoon break

5.30pm- Dinner

7pm - Evening on location

Abstract blue gradient design with smooth, blurred shapes. ICM Photography. Intentional Camera Movement

Tuesday 28th April

7am - Morning meditative beach walk (optional)

8am - Breakfast

10 am - On location sea and movement workshop

2/3pm - Afternoon break

5.30pm - Dinner

7pm - Evening on location

Three smooth gray stones on brown layered rock surface

Wednesday 29th April

7am - Morning meditative beach walk (optional)

8am - Breakfast

10am - On location rocks and patterns workshop

2/3pm - Afternoon break/image editing

5.30pm - Dinner

7pm - Evening on location

Close-up of a boat's blue hull with white stripe, reflection in water, and two green ropes.

Thursday 30th April

7am - Morning photography walk

9am - Breakfast

10 am to Midday - Round up and farewells

Pebble beach with wooden groynes extending into the sea, waves washing ashore, and an overcast sky in the background. Findhorn Beach in Moary Scotland.

Post Retreat Image Sharing

2 weeks after the retreat, we will arrange a date and time to meet online via Zoom as a group to catch up and share our images.

Please note - As this is a retreat, to ensure adequate sleep, we will aim to be back at the hotel by 10pm each evening. While this may mean we miss some of the sunset, we will still have the opportunity to photograph most of the golden hour.

What to take with you

Camera or smartphone (all cameras welcome)

Any accessories you wish to use, including tripod and filters

Batteries, chargers and memory devices to store images

Laptop or tablet to edit images (if you wish to)

Warm and waterproof outdoor clothing to suit the changeable Scottish weather

Sturdy footwear to accommodate outdoor weather (walking boots recommended)

Sturdy backpack to carry equipment, extra clothes, and lunch

Flask and water bottle

A curious mind and willingness to learn

Possible Locations

As a local, Kim knows all the best spots and will carefully choose the locations each day to reflect the weather and opportunities available. Throughout the retreat, you will explore a diverse range of coastal gems, including beaches, coves, estuaries, harbours, and picturesque seaside villages. Each location will offer its unique charm and photographic opportunities. Whether you want to photograph vast seascapes, coastal wildlife, patterns in the sand or get creative with long exposures or ICM, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so. While Kim cannot guarantee what locations we will visit, some possible locations can be seen listed below.

Sea arch rock formation in ocean with cloudy sky at sunset. Bow Fiddle Rock, Moray, Scotland at sunrise. Landscape photography. Seascape Photography

Bow Fiddle Rock

A small coastal village with traditional whitewashed buildings and slate roofs situated on a green hillside. A hotel is visible, with several homes clustered together. The landscape is illuminated by warm sunlight. Pennan Aberdeenshire

Pennan

Small fishing harbour with moored boats, a stone pier, a clear blue sky, a calm sea, a lighthouse in the background. Cullen Harbour in Moray, Scotland

Cullen

Sunset over a pier with calm water and grassy foreground. Burghead pier landscape photograph in Moray Scotland. Seascape photography.

Burghead

Beach at sunset with two people walking, distant mountains, and cloudy sky reflecting sunlight on water. The Moray Coast, Scotland.

Lossiemouth

Sandy beach with wooden posts and a signpost, with two people walking in the distance by the ocean. Finhdorn Beach in Scotland.

Findhorn

Two people taking photos on a stone pier in Hopeman, Moray with lobster traps and ocean in the background during photography workshop

Hopeman

Calm riverbank with pebbles, branches in water, and distant horizon at sunset. Spey Bay Scotland

SpeyBay

A non-refundable deposit of £375 is required to reserve your place.

The remaining balance is due 6 weeks before the retreat commences.

Please ensure you read the full booking terms before booking.

By booking this retreat, you will be supporting small local businesses.

If you have any questions, please email me directly. I will respond as soon as I am able: info@kimgrantphotography.co.uk