A Highland postie was hailed a hero yesterday after the dramatic rescue of a pensioner from a fast-flowing river.
The 71-year-old tourist was out walking near Loch Ness when he plunged 15ft into the water and was swept over rapids into a deep pool with sheer sides.
He managed to grab the rock wall and held on while his wife ran to get help.
He was on the banks of the River Moriston when he fell.
His wife alerted staff at nearby Invermoriston Stores – and local postie Lyndsey Holt, her dad Frank and 14-year-old nephew Lewis Eastment launched a rescue mission.
Ms Holt said that after seeing the precarious position the elderly man was in, her father, who runs the store, ran back to the shop for a rope.
She clambered down as far as she could towards the stranded pensioner.
The 30-year-old said: “I think I got down about 15ft of a pretty big drop by clambering down the rocks.
“I just know it was quite steep and then there was a big drop to the water if I went any further.
“My father made a loop at the end of the rope, tied the other end to a tree, and threw it down to me.
“Somehow, I managed to work the loop first through one of the man’s arms and then over his head and under the other arm.
“It was then just a case of holding him so that he did not float away.”
Ms Holt added: “I could not say how long it took for the emergency services to arrive.
“I just kept talking to the man and comforting him and saying help was coming. He told me he was passing through while on holiday from Australia.
“He told me about his two sons and two daughters and all his grandchildren.
“He also said he had not been hurt going over the rapids, but I was a bit worried when he said he was feeling tired and very cold, but then the paramedics from the village arrived and the firefighters weren’t long after that.”
The lucky tourist was last night recovering at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Mr Holt said when the man’s wife asked for help, he told a company rep in the shop to dial 999 as he rushed out to the scene.
He said: “He had gone down white water rapids used for canoeing, and had come out the other end and was hanging on to rocks. We ran back to the store and got the rope.
“Lyndsey climbed down the rocks and managed to secure the rope around him and then all we could do was wait for the emergency services to arrive.”
The fire brigade was full of praise for the Invermoriston Stores rescue party.
Incident commander Derek Wilkie said: “He had been swept into an area which was very difficult to access and there was a 15-metre (50ft) sheer drop right beside where he was hanging on.
“The members of the public should be praised for their initial actions by providing him with a rope.”
He added: “Once we got there we made sure the area was safe upstream as well as downstream in case anyone else fell in.
“Our crew from Fort Augustus and the water rescue team were then able to properly secure the man and safely recover him from the water.
“We also contacted Scottish and Southern Energy and asked them to prevent as much water being released from the dam upstream, which really helped us.”
Crews from Fort Augustus, Fort William, Inverness and the water rescue team from Inverness were all involved in yesterday’s early afternoon rescue.