Body recovered from gorge near Tomintoul
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The body of a man has been recovered from a gorge near Tomintoul.
Rescuers recovered the man at Ailnack Gorge at around 1pm yesterday (Wednesday).
A Police Scotland spokesperson said that mountain rescue team members managed to retrieve the remains.
"There are no suspicious circumstances and next of kin have been informed. A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal," said the spokesperson.
At 600ft wide, 300ft deep and six miles long, the Ailnack Gorge is Scotland's largest glacial melt water channel.
The Water of Ailnack runs through the gorge.
To the south lies the remote valley of Upper Glenavon while a short distance to the north is Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands.
A coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Inverness was sent to the scene. Braemar Mountain Rescue Team also attended.
It has been a busy period of rescues and fatalities on Scotland's hills.
Among them was a hillwalker and his dog who tragically fell together almost 100 feet to their deaths.
The body of Kyle Sambrook and his beagle Bane were found in Glencoe on Saturday after a massive three-day search.
A fund raiser in their memory has already topped £12,000 in just three days.
The 33-year-old from West Yorkshire - who travelled to Glencoe in the Highlands the previous weekend with his dog - was found in a gully about 2625 feet (800 metres) up on the 3632 feet (1107 metre) high Stob Coire nam Beith.
After a spate of deaths on Scotland's hills, police have warned over a 'false sense of security' among walkers and climbers.
An unseasonal lack of snow in some places has led some mountaineers to believe that that was typical cover elsewhere on the hill.
Inspector Matt Smith, Police Scotland lead for mountain rescue, said:“Our volunteer and Police mountain rescue teams have dealt with a number of tragic incidents in recent weeks. It’s still winter, despite what it may look like further down.
"I’d urge anyone setting out to plan for all eventualities."
A number of walkers are also missing – some for many months.
Among them is hiker Harvey Christian from Peterborough, who is still missing on the UK's highest mountain.
Hopes over finding Mr Christian alive have disappeared - and it is feared his body may be buried under snow, making it difficult to find.
He went up Ben Nevis on January 27 but failed to return.
His car, a black Vauxhall Crossland X, was found parked in a layby in Glen Nevis.
