Coleraine and Ballycastle Coastguard rescue team members crawling across the field on Saturday.
The scenic Causeway Coast turned perilous this afternoon, Saturday 12 October, as extreme wind gusts exceeding 70mph wreaked havoc, stranding walkers and necessitating a dramatic rescue operation.
The Coleraine and Ballycastle Coastguard Rescue Teams were dispatched to the Giants Causeway after reports came in of three walkers trapped by the ferocious winds on the upper cliff path. The conditions were so severe that the rescue team and the walkers had to crawl through an adjacent field to escape the danger posed by the cliff edge.
Linden Chambers, one of the walkers caught in the ordeal, shared her harrowing experience.
"It was impossible to stand up," she recounted, detailing how she and her dog, Nikki, were forced to hug the ground to avoid being blown over the cliffs. "I had set off from Dunseverick at noon, and by 1pm, the winds had turned dangerous," Chambers added.
Freak weather on the Causeway Coast made for treacherous conditions .
The situation escalated when two other women walkers appeared, struggling against the wind, falling repeatedly, and clinging to the fence for safety. With Linden‘a phone dead, it was up to these women to call for help.
"The rescue was like something out of a movie," she described, noting the unique land-based 'river rescue' technique the coastguard employed.
Eight men, equipped with body cameras for what might become a future episode of Coastguard Rescue, battled the elements to save the group. They had to cut through a fence to facilitate the rescue, with one rescuer injuring his hand in the process.
The rescue teams, seasoned as they were, admitted they had never encountered such conditions. The wind's strength was so overwhelming that standing was impossible, leading to a slow, crawling retreat to safety. Chambers expressed her gratitude towards the rescuers and the two women, without whom, she believes, she might not have survived the ordeal.
Following the incident, the Coastguard has issued a stern warning for all visitors to exercise extreme caution along the cliff paths, particularly advising against accessing the upper paths above the Giants Causeway while these winds persist. They remind the public to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard in any coastal emergency.