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We might be forgiven for thinking that the scattering of ashes is a simple and self-explanatory concept — and in many ways, it is — but there are a range of cultural, legal, and environmental considerations to make. We also have to think of the best time, place and method for scattering ashes. In this article, we are going to explain how to scatter ashes, telling you everything you need to know.
It may be that you’re reading this article simply because you are starting to get your own end-of-life plan together. Or you could find yourself in a difficult situation, having just lost someone and needing to scatter their ashes. Whatever the reason you’re here, we want to reassure you that you’re in the right place. Aura is the top-rated national ‘Cremation Services’ provider on Trustpilot, with a score of 4.9/5 stars from the families we’ve had in our care. We offer our services in the shape of our prepaid funeral plans or our direct cremations for those looking to arrange a funeral now. We can also hand-deliver ashes back to the family within 21 days in one of our durable scatter tubes.
Key Takeaways
In the UK, there are no rules specifically preventing the scattering of ashes anywhere. However, you must always seek the permission of the owner of any land where you want to scatter ashes. In theory, this means that you can scatter ashes anywhere, but in practice you will need to secure permission for most places.
The only places you don’t need permission to scatter ashes are your own property, and bodies of water. With that being said, certain stretches of moving water, and many lakes or lochs across the UK are owned by individual private landowners, which means you may need to secure their permission to access them.
Aside from rules relating to access, there are also environmental considerations to make when scattering ashes. Whilst it’s a popular cremation myth to say that cremation ashes are dangerous or toxic, it is true that they can impact the environment. Ashes, through the chemical make-up of our bones, contain high levels of phosphate; when scattered in large quantities, this phosphate can damage the surrounding ecology (i.e., plant and animal life).
For that reason, it’s often a good idea to notify the local authority of your plans to scatter ashes in a given location so that they can help you to avoid causing unnecessary environmental damage when scattering ashes. It’s also true that certain public and private landowners may only grant you permission to scatter ashes on the condition that you observe certain environmental guidelines.
Depending on where you intend to scatter ashes (for example in international locations), or whether you want to organise an ash scattering ceremony, you may want to make sure that doing so would not contravene any local customs or traditions. There are many different beliefs on death and funerals in religion and culture, so cremation (and ash scattering) are not always necessarily practiced or accepted.
In theory, it’s possible to scatter ashes anywhere so long as you have the landowner’s permission. With that said, there are some typical places where people prefer to scatter ashes, such as cemeteries and churchyards; public parks and the countryside; and over bodies of water. The golden rule for all three examples is to secure the permission of the landowner where relevant.
Many people like to scatter the ashes of a loved one in a cemetery or church yard. There has been a decline in religion in the UK in recent decades, but religious funerals, or religious themes in end-of-life celebrations are still popular. For that reason, scattering ashes in a churchyard or cemetery is still a desirable choice. However, it needs to be borne in mind that a church may not want ashes to be scattered within their grounds, so you will always need to check that it is okay first.
You may have a family grave upon which you’d like to scatter ashes. Assuming the church is generally okay with the practice, there shouldn’t be any problems with scattering ashes over a family grave. However, you may need to satisfy the church that you have the rights to the grave, by proving your connection to it first.
Public parks and natural beauty spots around the country are very popular choices for ash scattering; it can bring comfort and closure to scatter the ashes of a loved one somewhere that was dear to them in life. With that said, just make sure that you know who owns the location in question, and where relevant, have sought their permission. They will likely provide guidelines for where and when to scatter ashes in order to minimise any negative environmental impact.
In general, when choosing a location, you’ll want to be as discrete as possible, choosing a place that is out of the way of businesses, buildings and people as far as you can.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to scatter ashes over bodies of water, but depending on how accessible it is, you may want to run it by any connected landowners before doing it. Try to use common sense as far as possible when scattering ashes in aqueous spots: Choose a calm day if by the sea so that the ashes don’t blow back onto you, or into the path of nearby people. Be mindful of scattering ashes directly onto footpaths leading to water, and near / in nature reserves or water-extraction points.
There are different methods for scattering ashes which may be preferred depending on what location you have chosen. You may also wish to organise an ash-scattering ceremony to commemorate the act more fittingly and to make it more special.
Some of the different ash-scattering methods are ‘casting’, ‘trenching’, ‘raking’, and ‘water scattering:
Casting
Perhaps the most common form of ash-scattering, done for thousands of years, is the practice of casting them into the wind. It’s usually done at a special spot, into the wind. Make sure that any other mourners are standing up-wind of the scatter point, so that they don’t get caught in the path of the ashes. Hold the scatter-tube at waste height and shake the ashes out into the wind. If up-ending the tube or urn, you will likely need some means, like a rake, of dispersing the ashes from the spot at which they have fallen and gathered.
Trenching
Trenching ashes is the act of digging a shallow, thin, and reasonably long grave for ashes to be scattered within lengthwise. Once they have been scattered from their tube or urn, they are covered over with the displaced earth or sand. People tend to do this near water sources, or at the beach near the sea, so that the ashes can be gradually washed away and dispersed by the natural progression of the water. As ever, please observe the guidance for ash-scattering by water when doing this.
Raking
Where families want to scatter ashes somewhere intimate, such as their own garden, but where it’s not practical to simply leave the ashes on the surface of whatever location has been chosen, they may opt for raking as a disbursal method. In this case, ashes are scattered somewhere special to the person who has died, and then a rake is used to carefully mingle the ashes with the soil / grass upon which they have been scattered. This allows them to be absorbed by the land, and become a part of the place that was special to the person who has died.
Water scattering
The scattering of ashes upon water is a common practice that appeals to religious and non-religious people alike. Indeed, it is especially common for Hindus to scatter the ashes of loved ones over the River Ganges (if possible), as it symbolises the passing of the soul out of the cycle of reincarnation.
As noted, you don’t need permission to scatter ashes over water, but there are some common-sense guidelines to observe, such as picking a temperate day (observing the direction of the wind), and avoiding scattering them near marine-life reserves, water-extraction points, or areas where people tend to gather.
Holding an ash scattering ceremony is a great way to personalise the act of remembering a loved one. Nowadays, more than ever, there is a growing trend towards personalisation, as seen through the increasing popularity of direct cremation and other forms of alternative funerals.
Such a ceremony could be themed and customised around the interests and passions of the person who has died, and it can be as simple or complex; as formal or informal as preferred. They can even be led by a minister if you secure permission to hold it in a churchyard. Some people like to involve symbolism which can help them to heal, such as lighting candles or releasing butterflies at the moment the ashes are scattered. It’s also possible to have readings of the favourite words of the person who has died, for instance from stories about death, or music to play from among the best funeral songs or the most popular funeral hymns, as preferred by the family.
As noted, it is not against the law to scatter ashes anywhere in the UK, so long as you have the landowner’s permission. With that said, many places prohibit the scattering of ashes altogether, like very famous landmarks such as Edinburgh Castle.
It might be the case that, in seeking permission, having it denied, but pressing ahead and scattering the ashes anyway, you may end up ensnaring yourself in legal trouble. The same could possibly be said for instances in which you ignore or misapply environmental guidelines, causing the local ecology to be irreparably damaged. That’s why securing permission beforehand is so important. As long as you find out who the landowner is; secure their permission first; and, once granted, follow their guidance, you can’t go wrong.
Connected to these concerns is ethical consideration. The reason it’s important to secure permission is that many people don’t like the idea of having ashes scattered in places which are actively important to people in the here and now. Scattering the ashes of someone in their habitual stand at their favourite football stadium during a match might be a meaningful gesture in their memory, but it’s likely to upset the club and the spectators nearby. Always aim to be discrete and respectful of others, not imposing the scattering of ashes on them.
If scattering ashes doesn’t appeal to you for yourself, or you think it wouldn’t have been the first choice of someone who you’ve recently lost, there are alternative ways of handling their ashes once received. Have you thought about burying ashes instead? Or keeping them in a memorial of some kind? There’s also the option of transforming them into keepsakes.
The burial of ashes (otherwise known as the interment of ashes) is the practice of placing them in the ground, whether a grave, or a special natural burial site. An increasingly popular practice is to infuse ashes with the roots of tree or plant saplings, burying them in a biodegradable urn, allowing the spirit of the person who has died to symbolically live on. Alternatively, it’s not only crematoria which have Gardens of Remembrance: many sports teams, like football clubs, recognise the big desire among their supporters to scatter their ashes somewhere connected to the team, and have therefore opened supporters memorial gardens.
Otherwise, urns containing the ashes of loved ones can be buried within cemeteries or churchyards at grave sites. But, naturally, there will be a cost for this that could become quite expensive depending on whether you need to commission a headstone and rent / buy the grave plot.
Another popular cremation ashes idea is to hold ashes, within an urn, at a columbarium. In such places, families can pay for a niche where the urn can be displayed, around which candles could be lit and flowers could be laid. Otherwise, an urn could be held at a family mausoleum within the grounds of the columbarium — a private, family tomb usually made of stone.
If this doesn’t appeal, it has always been a popular practice to display an ashes urn in a prominent place at home, for instance on the mantlepiece in the living room.
Some of the more creative ideas for cremation ashes relate to the transformation of ashes into keepsakes, such as paperweights, jewellery and pieces of art. There are lots of companies out there these days which will convert portions of the ashes of a loved one into things which can become nice keepsakes and be passed down. Whilst it’s not for everyone, many find the idea of wearing earrings, necklaces, and rings which bear gems partly fashioned from the ashes of a loved one to be a really powerful way of remembering them.
With that being said, the practice of putting cremation ashes in a tattoo is also growing in popularity. There are certain companies which can infuse tattoo ink with cremation ashes, and then send them to a parlour where a tattoo using the ink can be made. People often like to choose an image of the person they’ve lost themselves, or perhaps the words of special advice they’d given them in the past.
We hope you have found this article on how to scatter ashes useful. It can be a daunting subject, and with the increasing array of different options out there for remembering someone, we want to make sure that we’ve got the particulars right.
If you’re looking to get a funeral plan sorted out so that you can start to think about connected matters like what you’d like to happen to your ashes, why not download Aura’s funeral plan brochure today to see if we can help?
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