Loch Lomond incident: Lockdown rule-breaker who travelled from England rescued after getting stranded on island without paddle

A man who broke lockdown rules by travelling from England to Loch Lomond on a camping trip had to make a desperate call to police – after getting stuck on a secluded island without a paddle.

The traveller had pitched up on Inchtavannach island over the Easter weekend – but after going for a stroll, he discovered the paddle for his kayak had gone missing, leaving him stranded.

The man made a desperate call to Police Scotland on April 6 to tell them he was trapped and the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat was soon dispatched.

Inchtavannach island, also known as The Monk's Island, is one of the larger islands that lie within Loch Lomond.

Under the current lockdown rules in Scotland, you can only leave your home (or garden) if you have a reasonable excuse – unless for essential purposes.

Travel within mainland Scotland will be allowed from April 26, when tourist accommodation can also reopen with restrictions in place.

Crossing borders between the different UK countries is also banned.

Under coronavirus travel restrictions for people living in England, holidays to any other part of the UK will not be allowed until at least April 12.

Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond Rescue Boat (LLRB) said it was contacted by Police Scotland at 1.50pm on Tuesday and went to the scene to transfer the man to Luss on the mainland.

In a Facebook post, LLRB said: “The rescue boat was launched and located the person on the island and safely transferred himself and his equipment over to his car at Aldochlay.

“LLRB then returned to Luss and stood down. This person had travelled from England to camp on the island for the Easter weekend.

“Please could we remind all to stick to the Covid rules and keep people safe.”

A police spokeswoman said: "We were made aware of an incident on Tuesday 6 April, at 1.40pm, whereby a member of the public had no paddle and was stranded on an island at Loch Lomond.

"The local lifeboat service were contacted and the incident handed to them – the man was rescued safe and well."

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