RNLI and Coastguard in Black Isle cliff-side rescue after teens trapped by tide
RESCUERS were scrambled to a cliff side on the Black Isle after two teens got cut off by the rising tide.
A Coastguard helicopter from Inverness and the Invergordon RNLI lifeboat "Douglas Aikman Smith" were launched after the 16 and 17-year-old boy and girl got into difficulty between Eathie and McFarquhar’s Bed at 7.15pm yesterday.
Despite low sunlight hampering the search, rescuers spotted the two walkers perched on a rocky outcrop just to the west of McFarquhar’s Bed.
The girl was 30 feet up the cliff and was winched aboard the rescue helicopter, while the boy was picked up by the lifeboat crew using an inflatable craft.
Neither of the teens were injured. The girl was transported to the search and rescue base at Dalcross, while the boy was taken to Cromarty harbour where he was met by local coastguard teams.
Invergordon Lifeboat Coxswain, Andrew Murray said: "In the light of this call-out, and the pleasurable weather conditions, always remember about safety and ensure when our walking along shorelines, you take into consideration tides and accessibility as part of your route planning."
The RNLI crew were back in Invergordon by 9.20pm.