A search was launched for a French family feared missing on the Isle of Mull this evening after they set out in gale-force winds to visit a local landmark.
Stornoway Coastguard was alerted by the owners of the guest house where the visitors had been staying when they failed to return from a planned trip to MacKinnon’s Cave, near Gribun.
But just as the coastguard was about to launch a helicopter to search the island, the family were located at Tobermory, where they had decided to visit after ditching their original plan because of the bad weather.
A spokeswoman for Stornoway Coastguard said it received the call around 7.25pm.
“We had a mobile number for them, but it continued to ring out which is never a good sign,” she said.
“Around 45 minutes later, we managed to make contact with them, just as we were about to launch a helicopter to help the search.
“They had seen what the weather was like and decided to drive to Tobermory, where they were having their tea.”
