Two people were rescued as they clung to tree roots 165ft up a Black Isle cliff yesterday.
The UK Coastguard received a 999 call at about 2.50pm reporting that two people with a dog were stuck on the steep rock face by Rosemarkie beach, and were cut off from the tide.
The Inverness, Dornoch and Portmahomack coastguard rescue teams, the coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Inverness, along with the Kessock lifeboat were all sent to the scene.
Kessock Lifeboat spokesman Dan Holland was the helmsman of the boat when it arrived at the cliff, near to an area called Eathie.
He said that the crew was tasked by the coastguard at about 3.20pm and upon arrival, two crew members went ashore to assist as the rescue 951 helicopter lowered a winchman to take them to safety.
Mr Holland added: “The helicopter took them to the top of the cliff and they were met in a field by the Inverness Coastguard.
“They were cut off by the tide and I can only assume they tried to find a route out up the cliff but became stuck, and that’s when they raised the alarm.”
A spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “They were unable to climb down as the tide had come in beneath them.
“The two people were airlifted to safety and were thankfully uninjured after their ordeal.”
The spokeswoman also reminded people to be properly equipped while walking the coastline by wearing sturdy shoes or boots, checking the weather forecast and tidal times and carrying a mobile phone.
She added: “Do not attempt to climb cliffs as a short cut back to the top and do not attempt to self-rescue yourself or your dog if you get into difficulty.”
“The cliffs along the UK coastline are continually eroding, with pieces falling from them that can be just a few small rocks or as large as a car. It’s impossible to predict when the next piece might fall or how big it will be.
“Periods of intense rainfall will often make cliff edges more vulnerable. We’ve seen a number of cliff collapses around the UK coastline in recent months. It’s very clear that cliffs are very unstable in places and we really can’t stress enough how important it is to keep back from the edge.
Use the designated paths, take notice of any warning signs and fences in place, be responsible and don’t take an unnecessary risks.”
