A major rescue operation was launched on the Fife coast on Wednesday when a woman fell and injured herself after falling at a popular walking spot.
The incident happened just before noon at the chain walk near Elie on the Fife Coastal Path.
The woman is understood to have suffered broken bones but there is no further information on her condition at present.
The woman had been with someone else when she slipped and fell with the alarm then quickly raised.
Two coastguard teams from St Andrews and Leven, along with lifeboat crews from Anstruther and Kinghorn, went to her aid.
A spokesman for HM Coastguard said they were alerted that a woman had slipped and fallen while crossing the chain walk.
He said: “We sent two coastguard teams and two lifeboats.
“The woman had fallen on to rocks close to the shore but she was not in the water.”
He said the woman was taken on to the safety of one of the lifeboats.
She was then taken to the beach at Earlsferry where she was then transported by the waiting coastguard team who transferred her to a waiting ambulance.
The spokesman said: “It seems the woman broke bones when she fell. She was taken to hospital for treatment.”
Safety concerns
Safety concerns were also raised about the chain walk two years earlier after a weekend that saw four people needing to be rescued.
The Elie Chain Walk is described by tourist books as one of Scotland’s best-kept coastal secrets, but it is repeatedly stressed that the route is not so much of a walk but more of a scramble — with a head for heights required.
Solidly planted steel chains, rocks and footholds help those who decide to traverse the route, but walkers are advised to allow themselves between an hour and two hours to complete the route.
Visitors are also urged to check tide times, wear appropriate footwear and also consider wearing a helmet for safety reasons.