Child airlifted to hospital after 16-foot fall at Scottish beauty spot

A child has been airlifted to hospital after falling from a “significant distance” at a Perthshire beauty spot.

The incident happened about 11.30am on Wednesday morning at The Hermitage near Dunkeld.

The Hermitage is located just outside Dunkeld in Perthshire | Canva/Getty Images

The child, who was understood to be seven years old, fell about 5m (16ft).

Tayside Mountain Rescue Team volunteers attended the incident, alongside police, paramedics and four fire appliances.

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Rope was used to rescue the child, who was subsequently taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

The medical condition of the child remains unknown.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 11.20am on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, officers received a report of a child having fallen at The Hermitage, near Dunkeld.

“The child has been taken to hospital.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 11.27am to attend an incident in Dunkeld. We dispatched a number of resources to the scene, including our trauma and special operation teams, and airlifted one child patient to Ninewells Hospital.”

A spokesperson for Tayside Mountain Rescue said: “The volunteers of Tayside Mountain Rescue were called out this afternoon to The Hermitage as part of a multi-agency response. We initiated the rescue of the injured party, who was the handed over to the Ambulance Service.

“We wish the casualty a speedy recovery.”

The Hermitage, which is managed by the National Trust for Scotland, is situated in Perthshire forest near Dunkeld, and was originally designed as a pleasure ground in the 18th century for the Dukes of Atholl. The location includes a waterfall and Ossian’s Hall, built in 1757 as the location’s focal point.