Injured man rescued from Smoo Cave
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An injured man has been rescued from a Sutherland sea cave.
Durness, Melness and Kinlochbervie coastguard rescue teams assisted the Sottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Ambulance Service with evacuating the injured man from Smoo Cave in Durness in Sutherland.
It is believed the elderly man slipped and broke an ankle as he descended the steps down to the cave.
The alarm was raised at around 10.20am on Thursday, and the casualty was evacuated by the teams and transferred into the care of the ambulance service. His condition is unknown.
The iconic coastal cave is at mainland Britain's most north westerly village.
Smoo Cave is the largest coastline cave in the British Isles and has provided shelter for thousands of years. It is a major attraction in the Far North and is on the popular North Coast 500 route.
It is believed to have been a Stone Age home more than 5,000 years ago with Norse settlers later gathering to repair boats and fish for herring.
Sir Walter Scott visited on September 19, 1814. Noting his lamp on the dew-covered stalactites, Scott described it as the “effect of ten thousand birthday candles.
The cave boasts one of the largest entrances to any sea cave in Britain at 50 feet high. It was formed by a burn that runs down into the rear chamber, as well as erosion caused by the sea.
