A ST HELENS climber and his companion are recovering after being stranded overnight on the Cairngorms.

Neil Chapman, from Meliden Gardens, Sutton, and Michael Riddell of Runcorn were rescued on Saturday. Police had launched a search after the pair rang from a mobile phone on Friday night.

An RAF spokesman said Mr Chapman, a 22-year-old fitness instructor, was found just before 11am and computer analyst, Mr Riddell (27) was rescued three hours later near Loch Etchechan by members of the Braemar mountain rescue.

They were flown by RAF helicopter to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Both men were released from the hospital on Sunday, where a spokesman described their condition as satisfactory.

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