A woman has praised her husband’s vigilance for saving their lives at the weekend after a Highland river burst its banks and submerged an entire holiday park and nearby pub.
The couple were rescued in the middle of the night by boat from their holiday home at Aviemore as the Spey flooded more than 100 lodges yards from the swollen river.
They were among 22 adults, three children – including a baby boy – and seven dogs, who were all ushered to safety.
After stepping off torchlit boats, the pyjama -clad residents and holiday-makers were ferried by a hotel minibus to the nearby Macdonald Aviemore Resort in the centre of the village where they were offered hot food and beverages.
Many of the 103 lodges were waist-deep in water, along with more than a dozen vehicles.
Some occupants had been woken by a torrent of water that suddenly burst through their doorways.
But Bob Aikten was the first to raise the alarm – as he had been unable to sleep as he was so concerned about the heavy rain and nearby river.
The 64-year-old, from Fife, rescued his sleeping wife and then raced to the site manager’s office to alert the emergency services.
He said: “I told Isobel ‘we’d better get out of here’. We congregated at the reception and the fire brigade came.
Pointing to snaps she had taken on her phone, Mrs Aitken, 59, said: “It was dangerous. We had noticed the high water level on Saturday evening. Bob had said he wasn’t happy about it.”
With a lump in her throat, she added: “If it hadn’t been for Bob…
“I went to bed at the back of 11pm and the next thing I knew was the light was on and he’s saying ‘come on Isobel, we’re surrounded by water, we’ve got to get out’. He threw some shoes in a bag and he dragged me out.”
There had been heavy rain overnight Friday and into Saturday. It is understood that the site manager had slept in the office to be on hand if needed because she, too, was concerned about the high water.
Another victim of the flood was 44-year-old Jason Dobbie who, with his fiance Elaine Swann, rents a static caravan at the site and works at the nearby Old Bridge Inn, which is downstream and ended up under several feet of water.
“Elaine had said the water was rising, I’d told her not to worry,” he said. “The next thing, I was woken up and there was a boat at the front door.”
The couple and their two dogs escaped unhurt. It is unclear how long repairs will take at the Old Bridge Inn.
Les Hudson, 60, who retired to his static caravan home on the site last April after a career in the water industry and building sea and river defences.
But despite his experience, he said it had been “frightening” to see the water rise so quickly.
“I’m lucky, my place is up at the back, under the railway bridge,” he said.
“I went out to let the dog out and was told to get out. Everybody seems to have worked together.”
Highland Council spokesman David Haas said: “We couldn’t have asked for more from the management of the Macdonald resort who offered refreshment to those who were rescued and also to the emergency services.”
The council, which handled local roads information in the wake of the flood, has funded emergency temporary accommodation at another local hotel for three evacuees and a dog.