Corrieshalloch Gorge path rescue mission launched after casualty collapses on path near Wester Ross visitor attraction
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A rescue mission was launched when a woman collapsed on a path near a major outdoor Ross-shire visitor attraction.
There was a full team call-out of Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team after the alarm was raised over the incident at Corrieshalloch Gorge.
The team was asked to assist the Scottish Ambulance Service whose staff were treating the casualty when they arrived on scene.
The casualty was placed onto a stretcher before being carried to the new Corrieshalloch Gorge Visitor Centre and the waiting ambulance.
The team posted: "We wish the casualty a speedy recovery.
"A big thank you goes to the Corrieshalloch Gorge Visitor Centre staff who supplied refreshments to the team. They went down a treat."
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WATCH: Bird's eye view of Corrieshalloch reveals transformation of jewel in crown attraction
The new ‘gateway to nature’ at one of Britain’s most spectacular gorges and National Nature Reserves opened to the public in April after construction of the visitor centre.
The works undertaken at the Corrieshalloch Gorge, which is owned and managed by conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland, include the creation of "low-impact" visitor facilities and over 800m of new pathways to allow visitors to discover previously unseen parts of the nature reserve, while also protecting the flora and fauna around the site.
The NTS says the site has seen a surge in visitor numbers with upwards of 140,000 coming a year. It has seen a 60 per cent increase in visitor numbers since 2012.
One highlight of the project is the creation of four new viewing points within the reserve, with their positions carefully chosen by the local team to enable visitors to enjoy the stunning scenery from different perspectives.
The Corrieshalloch Gorge Gateway is one of the key projects delivered through the National Trust for Scotland’s 10-year strategy to deliver Nature, Beauty & Heritage for Everyone, and its objectives to enrich Scotland’s protected heritage, allow nature to flourish, and enable a greater diversity of people and communities to access its properties to improve their health and wellbeing.
Alongside the unique geology of the mile-long canyon, which is around an hour from Inverness and just 15 minutes from Ullapool, visitors can gaze 100m down at the crashing waterfalls of the River Droma from the site’s Victorian suspension bridge which was built by Sir John Fowler in 1873.
Sir John went on to design the Forth Bridge and was heavily involved in designing the London Underground. The suspension bridge has recently undergone £10,000 of maintenance works.
The bottom of the gorge has its own microclimate which can be one to two degrees warmer than ground level. This enables unique species, including cranefly, to thrive and is a contributing factor to the gorge’s SSSI status (Site of Special Scientific Interest).
