A rescue helicopter crew had to feed a parking meter after being grounded by fog in the Highlands.
The Inverness-based Coastguard chopper landed in a public car park at Fort William after being involved in a recent rescue of an injured climber who dislocated a shoulder in icy conditions in Glencoe.
The alarm was raised at 1.33am on January 23 by the man’s three climbing companions who were 2300ft up on Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor.
Six members of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team were sent to help, but the injured man – who was in his 60s – and his three male friends were airlifted by the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter to the Belford Hospital in Fort William.
Never let it be said that Giles doesn’t pay for his parking when he lands somewhere with a ticket machine. Now how many spaces is that….#coastguard #ringgo_parking #SARfamily
But the weather closed in and meant the helicopter was grounded. Now an image of the unusual park-up has been released and has been reached over 65,000 people.
“The helicopter stayed in a car park in Fort William until the fog lifted. The crew paid for the parking spaces it took,” said a spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Coastguard buy parking ticket after landing in car park
