‘One long black nightmare’: Missing hiker, 76, found alive after eight days in Scottish wilderness

A hillwalking man just survived getting lost for eight days in the Scottish Highlands. The pathless trek is notorious for its ever-shifting terrain depending on the weather. Ian Currie managed to get lost in it and survived to tell the tale of one long black nightmare. And somehow, he managed to do it all at the age of 76.

Edinburgh resident Currie had a fairly achievable plan. As an experienced hiker who has seen his fair share of what could go wrong when hiking, he figured he could walk the 30-mile distance from Glenfinnan to Knoydart over two days, covering 15 miles a day. The pathless mountainous terrain is full of rivers and muddy ground. Getting off path while hiking is one of the hardest things to recover from, and some don’t always make it.

But a drastic weather change delayed his plans severely. Currie explained that he would usually use the dotted lines on his map to stay on course, but he found six-foot waterfalls and thigh-high mud puddles he hadn’t accounted for.

Things go from bad to worse

Then the roar of the river and the night wind meant he couldn’t get the rest he needed to trek effectively the next day, forcing him to walk the path exhausted. Soon, all the winding around rivers and mud puddles meant he had to spend an extra night in the terrain. His friend, who was waiting for him in Knoydart, called for help at this point, kicking off a search party.

Still missing: Ian Currie, 76, was last seen 6 days ago on the Cape Wrath Trail.
Search teams remain active near Glenfinnan.
Were you walking in the area on 16 Sept?
Every detail matters 👇https://t.co/6AcoRnu8l5#TheHighlandTimes #Lochaber #MissingPerson #CapeWrathTrail

— The Highland Times (@ththighland) September 22, 2025

As for Currie, his tent had soaked through by then, rendering his phone and backpack wet and useless. So he was isolated in the hills alone, in bad weather, with barely any rest. Currie stayed under the soaked tent for two days recuperating. When the sky cleared up a little, he decided his best chance was turning back the way he had come.

By Sep. 24 — his eighth day in the mountains — Currie found a Mountain Rescue car. But it was empty; the people who had been in control of the car had already made it into the mountains in search of him. That’s when Sir Patrick Grant, the owner of a nearby estate, bumped into him. Reportedly, once Sir Patrick asked if he was indeed Currie, the old man just burst into tears.

Sir Patrick took him back to his home, where his wife nursed Currie with a cup of tea and some fresh clothes before the authorities could reach them. Beyond being the hero of the story, another positive thing Sir Patrick got to experience was being the bearer of good news to Currie’s daughter. According to the BBC, when she was told her father was still alive, she was screaming and sobbing.

Currie now looks back on his experience with a little bit of regret. He shared that he now knows his limits. When asked why he never gave up, Currie said, “I kept thinking, if I’m dead, I’ll never know how things turned out with my grandson’s exams and how my friends are doing.”