A female hillwalker has been rescued after crawling for “a number of hours” with an injured ankle down a mountain in one of the UK’s most isolated regions.
The woman, believed to be in her late 20s, slipped and hurt her ankle while tackling the Fisherfield Five route near Dundonnell in Wester Ross with her partner.
Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team leader, Donald MacRae, confirmed the woman managed to descend about 655ft to reach a safe point to bed for the night.
Her partner subsequently rose at first light on Saturday morning and walked for five hours to reach the roadside in search of a mobile signal to raise the alarm.
The woman was airlifted by Stornoway rescue helicopter on Saturday, more than 19 hours after her accident.
Mr MacRae said: “It was simply a slip on their descent.
“She spent a good number of hours descending down the mountain side to the valley floor before spending the night there. The accident happened at about 750 metres (2,460ft) and they came down about 200 metres (656ft).
“They said it was quite a challenge to get down, but they managed it and decided to spend the night there.
“The couple did the right thing and were both well equipped.
“We were very grateful for the air assistance received as it would otherwise have resulted in over a 10-hour stretcher carry, given the truly remote location.”
The hillwalking couple are from outwith the Highlands and on holiday in the area.
They set out on Friday to tackle the five Munros in the Fisherfield Forest, an area south-west of Ullapool known as the “Great Wilderness”.
Mr MacRae described it as probably the remotest part of the UK.
After receiving the first call at about 8.30am on Saturday, 15 Dundonnell MRT members convened at their base along with a rescue helicopter from Stornoway.
The casualty was quickly located and airlifted to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness for medical treatment.
The team then assisted in the collection of the couple’s camping gear from Shenavall bothy.
Another hillwalker was rescued on Friday after getting lost in thick fog and strong winds near the top of Braeriach in the Cairngorms.
Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team leader Willie Anderson said the man was 65 and from Middlesborough.
About a dozen members of his team were called out at 5.30pm on Friday to help the walker on the 4,252ft-high peak.
He was found at about 11.30pm on Friday.
