A rescue operation was launched yesterday after a walker fell down a gorge in the Cairngorms.
The 20-year-old man is believed to have slipped and hit his head whilst trekking in Garbh-Allt-Shiel, near Lochnagar, at about 1.25pm.
The UK Coastguard helicopter, Rescue-951 from Inverness, was called after local rangers at the Balmoral Estate raised the alarm.
The man is understood to have fallen “several feet” and suffered head injuries which were “not life-threatening”.
The police and ambulance services were also notified of the incident.
The man was winched to safety from the gorge and was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
A police spokeswoman said: “We got the call at about 1.25pm. A 20-year-old walker fell at Garbh-Allt-Shiel.
“Basically they have fallen down a gorge, I don’t think it is a particularly big fall. He has a head injury. It is not life-threatening or life-changing.
“They had to call for a helicopter, it was rescue-951. The helicopter got there at 2.55pm.
“The casualty has been winched, and after he was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.”
An Aberdeen Coastguard spokesman added that although one of the service’s helicopters was involved in the incident, they were merely “assisting police”.
Garbh-Allt-Shiel neighbours Ballochbuie Forest, at the foot of Lochnagar – one of the most iconic mountains in the Cairngorms.
The Falls of Garbh Allt, neighbouring the River Dee, are popular with walkers in the area.
