Five walkers had to be led to safety in a day of drama for Tayside mountain rescue teams on the Angus and Perthshire hills.
Late on Sunday night, two men and a woman were set to be brought down from Glen Isla in Angus after losing their bearings as darkness fell.
The three hillwalkers raised the alarm using their mobile phones and both a Tayside Police search and rescue team and a Tayside mountain rescue civilian team were scrambled to their rescue.
The walkers were advised to stay where they were. They were able to give their co-ordinates and keep in touch with the teams using their phones.
A spokeswoman for Tayside Police said, “They sought assistance immediately they lost their way back down.
“We were able to speak to them but the danger was trying to keep a balance and for them not to use their phones too often in case their battery power ran out.”
The call out for the mountain rescue teams followed a successful rescue in Perthshire.
A Glaswegian couple had to contemplate sleeping on one of Scotland’s best known mountains on Sunday night after losing their way.
Tayside Police launched a full-scale rescue operation shortly before 6pm after receiving a worried call from a female hillwalker who was near the summit of Schiehallion.
Disaster was averted and the pair, both in their early 30s, made a successful descent-but Chief Inspector Lorna Robbie warned it could have been more serious.
The woman had become separated from her partner and was becoming increasingly disorientated when she dialled 999, CI Robbie confirmed.
The force’s mountain rescue team was mobilised and rushed to the scene, 10 miles north of Aberfeldy. The woman was encouraged to shout for her partner and with a bit of luck they were reunited.
She had become separated from her partner and was becoming increasingly disorientated when she dialled 999, CI Robbie confirmed.
The force’s mountain rescue team was mobilised and rushed to the scene, 10 miles north of Aberfeldy. The woman was encouraged to shout for her partner and with a bit of luck they were reunited.
Together they slowly made their way back down the slope, using the patrol vehicles’ flashing blue lights as a guide.
They were met by the rescue team near the foot of the mountain at 8.30pm and given survival blankets as a precautionary measure.
Both were uninjured but tired and visibly shaken by their ordeal.
CI Robbie said, “They were reunited after a short period but unsure of their exact location. We were able to track them and advised on how best to get down, calling a number of times to reassure them.
“Luckily both were fairly experienced hillwalkers and they got most of the way down themselves, before being met by our rescue team.”
“We would advise anyone who is planning to climb one of the region’s Munros to prepare themselves for changing weather, to carry a mobile phone in case of emergencies and, importantly, to leave enough time.”
At 1083 metres, Schiehallion, Gaelic for Fairy Hill, is popular amongst walkers. It boasts views across Loch Tay, Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel. Although there is a well constructed path, large boulders litter the final approach.