High winds and low cloud over the Cuillins on the Isle of Skye left the Skye Mountain Rescue Team unable to call in helicopter assistance from Stornoway in recent days.

On Thursday afternoon the team were called to rescue a walker who had fallen in Fionn Coire and suffered multiple lower leg injuries, the ream report on Facebook.

High winds and low cloud meant that no helicopter assistance was available as 22 MRT members made their way from Sligachan to the casualty’s reported location at around 800m.

After an assessment and some pain relief, the casualty was then stretcher-carried for several hours off the mountain to the closest road at Glenbrittle where an ambulance was able to transport them onwards to hospital.

Many thanks to Minginish for the loan of their community mini-bus which was made available to transport the team back to the Sligachan base.

Yesterday (Saturday May 14) at 12:30 we were called out again after reports to the police of an unconscious 60 year old on Blaven.

Despite the best efforts of the Coastguard helicopter, high winds and low cloud made a helicopter recovery unfeasible and 16 MRT made their way up the mountain to a location close to the Great Prow.

The casualty was now fully conscious but unable to walk, was carefully packaged onto our stretcher and lowered down into Fionna Coire where he was then carried a further km down into Choire a Caise and below the cloud from where R948 was able to transport them on to Raigmore Hospital.

Many thanks to R948 for their efforts and to Mrs Mack's Farm Shop plus Cailtin for sorting out the returning team with a lot of tasty burgers – much appreciated.

Also, we’d like to praise the two walkers who made the initial call to emergency services and stayed with the casualty until we arrived.