“Disaster” struck for a group of 16 Scots pensioners when they were stranded in the snow during Storm Bert before they were “unexpectedly” rescued by selfless strangers.

On Saturday, November 23, the elderly Edinburgh women – between the ages of 50 and 80 – were en route to Pitlochry to celebrate one of their 70th birthdays when the inclement weather derailed their plans. The friends boarded a coach from St Andrew’s Square, but traffic and poor road conditions meant it took over two hours just to travel 3.5 miles to Queensferry Road.

However, due to the snow, the bus driver informed passengers that the coach was only able to travel as far as Perth. The women decided to disembark but found themselves at the bottom of the steep Corstorphine Hill – with three of their group limited in mobility.

Margo Blyth, one of the women, said that what might have been a “disaster” ended up being “an unexpectedly wonderful day thanks to the kindness of strangers.” She told Edinburgh Live that she and her friends planned to walk nearly a mile uphill to the Leonardo Hotel for refuge. However, some of the women who used walking sticks encountered difficulty.

They made their way through the snow
They made their way through the snow (Image: Edinburgh Live)

Margo said: “Some of our group started to panic a wee bit. One of ours fell in the snow.”

Residents began to take notice and selflessly intervened after seeing the women stranded on the side of the street in heavy snow. A man named Michael who was driving with his wife and son pulled over. The ladies were astounded when he offered to shuttle them up the hill to the Leonardo Hotel.

Michael’s wife even waited on the pavement with the women as Michael drove car-fulls of the women to safety. Another local named Brian was passing by at the time and returned with his own car to help shuttle the women up the hill.

The pensioner’s luck was not yet over, for they were met with even more goodwill upon arriving at the Leonardo Hotel Edinburgh Murrayfield on Clermiston Road. Despite being fully booked, the hotel staff found a room for the 16 friends where they could wait out the weather. They even brought Prosecco for the birthday girl, all free of charge.

Margo said : “The hotel was fantastic. They were like a refuge. We had a laugh. There’s never a dull moment with us pensioners.”

Celebrating the birthday
Celebrating the birthday (Image: Edinburgh Live)

She also expressed her and her friends’ gratitude to the locals and hotel staff for making their snow day so memorable.

Margo continued: “Complete strangers went out of their way to help complete strangers struggling in the snow. It was just us ladies with walking sticks and cases falling about in the snow up the hill. It was so nice. All of us were astounded by it.”

She took to social media praising the hotel for going “above and beyond,” adding: “Despite our unplanned arrival, they made sure we had everything we needed and helped us celebrate my friend’s milestone birthday in style.

“A special shout out to Bryony and John Macdonald who truly pulled out all the stops to make it a day to remember.”

Leonardo Hotel staff responded to the post saying: “We are so glad to have been able to step in to help your special day!”

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