Man rescued after getting into difficulty near Wailing Widow Waterfall in north-west Sutherland
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Assynt Mountain Rescue Team were called out around 4pm on Friday to assist with the extraction of the hiker who got into difficulty at the Wailing Widow Waterfall - located just south of Unapool, beside the A894.
Tim Hamlet, leader of Assynt Mountain Rescue Team, said the two-and-a-half hour operation saw the Scottish Ambulance Service first locate the man, who was in his 60s.
"He was on his own and was luckily found by passers-by near the stream in the gorge. It was getting darker. He had fallen off the path, it is unclear how far, but he had suffered a lower limb injury. The phone signal in that area is patchy too," said Mr Hamlet.
"The Stornoway Coastguard search and rescue helicopter extracted him from the gorge and then a Helimed took him to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. We wish him a speedy recovery."
The accident occurred at a beauty spot, which is a magnet for tourists, on the North Coast 500 road trip route.
The Wailing Widow Falls is a spectacular waterfall that can be viewed from both above and below. The near-100ft falls spill out over the cliff from Loch na Gainmhich, crashing into a narrow canyon at the bottom.
Sometimes known as Hanged Man Falls it is one of the easiest waterfalls to visit in Sutherland, lying a 300 yard stroll from a car park on the A894.
There are a number of theories behind the name of the Wailing Widow. The one that fits its name best tells the tale of a deer hunter who fell over the top of the falls while hunting on a rainy day. The story goes that, filled with grief, his mother threw herself from the same spot the following morning.
