The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Mountain rescuers in call-out for exhausted couple on Lochnagar
Two exhausted hillwalkers had to be rescued after dark on the King’s Balmoral Estate.
The husband and wife were on a camping trip, but got into difficulty on Lochnagar.
Twelve members of Braemar Mountain Rescue Team and six from Aberdeen MRT were sent to reach the pair who had been walking on Balmoral.
The couple, in their 30s and from the Glasgow area, raised the alarm at around 10.10pm on Friday and were found just before midnight about 3,000 feet up the peak.
They were eventually taken safely off the hill by 2.45pm on Saturday.
“They could have been better equipped – they had no head torch for example,” said Malcolm MacIntyre, operations manager of Braemar MRT.
“They had camping gear and had spent the previous night in one bothy and were heading to another which involved going over Lochnagar.
“But they were overcome by the conditions and were very tired. They had the bare minimum of equipment for the conditions.
“It is a timely warning that whatever the conditions on the hill be well prepared.”
King Charles is patron of the mountain rescue team, taking over the role from his late father.
Such is the King’s affection for Lochnagar that he immortalised it in his illustrated 1980 children’s book, The Old Man Of Lochnagar.
It was originally written by the then prince to entertain Prince Andrew and Prince Edward as children. The book was later made into an animated short film by the BBC.
The Duke of Edinburgh was a particularly keen supporter of the patronage, having taken up the role in 1966. Queen Camilla also enjoys walking on Lochnagar.
But Lochnagar has become a dumping ground for some walkers, sparking fury.
In 2018 Balmoral Estate blasted litterbugs who left nearly 43lb of rubbish on the mountain.
The estate posted a picture of the garbage on its Facebook page – with the comment “disgusting” – with followers also condemning the desecration of 3,789ft Lochnagar. The haul of rubbish included plastic bottles, wrappers and plastic containers.