Three hikers sustained serious injuries after falling on a rocky section of the West Highland Way that's often considered the most demanding section of the famous long-distance path.
The hikers were reportedly navigating the trail along the eastern bank of Loch Lomond near Ivow Island on July 22 when they fell down a steep drop. The stretch of trail, which is characterized by a rocky path with crags and boulders before dropping steeply down to the loch, is only accessible by foot or boat.
Loch Lomond Rescue Boat was paged at 3:55pm and launched immediately, administering casualty care to two hikers while the third left the scene.
"Both patients had fallen from height landing on rocks," writes LLRB in its incident report. Arrochar Mountain Rescue joined the crew to help with extrication, using rope techniques to lower and load the first patient onto the rescue boat and transport them across the loch to the waiting ambulance. This operation was then repeated for the second hiker.
The West Highland Way is a 96-mile footpath that stretches from just outside of Glasgow to the foot of Ben Nevis in the Scottish highland town of Fort William. It's extremely popular in the summer months, attracting as many as 40,000 walkers each year from all over the world.
It's generally a straightforward path with a total elevation gain of only 12,800ft (3,900m), but in the trail's Cicerone guidebook, the stretch is described as a "tortuous up-and-down" route where care is required. As always with rocky paths, proper hiking boots are recommended, as well as trekking poles to help with balance.
You can learn more in our article on hiking the West Highland Way.
