³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

A sheep spotted at the foot of steep cliffs on the shores of a Scottish firth has been dubbed Britain's loneliest sheep.

Jill Turner, from Brora, said she first came across the ewe while kayaking along the Moray Firth's east Highland coast.

She believes she has seen the same sheep again, with a very overgrown fleece, on a recent trip this year.

Ms Turner told it bleated out to her and fellow kayakers.

National newspapers have since picked up the story, leading to the ewe being nicknamed Britain's loneliest sheep.

Animal welfare charity, the Scottish SPCA, said it was aware the sheep was stuck, but added that it had plenty of available food.

Ms Turner said she has tried contacting a number of organisations about helping the animal back up the cliffs. She hopes it might still be possible to get it to safety.

It is not known who owns the sheep, but it is understood a farmer has looked at how it could be retrieved from the sea shore. However, any rescue would require specialist equipment due to the difficult terrain.

Ms Turner was on a kayaking trip between Balintore and Nigg and was about to paddle from the Moray Firth into the Cromarty Firth when she first spotted the sheep in 2021.

It was felt at the time the sheep would be able to find its own way to fields above the cliffs.

But the same animal is believed to be still there - it looks similar and its fleece has overgrown due to not being sheared for two years.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said the charity was aware of the sheep being stranded at the bottom of a cliff.

He said: "The sheep has ample grazing in the area but we have not been able to ascertain who the sheep belongs to.

"We will continue to have further checks when the weather allows and it is safe to do so."

All images copyrighted.