A pair of American tourists were rescued by firefighters after they found themselves trapped inside a 13th century castle while holidaying in Scotland.
Niki Ghofranian and Ritta Nielsen, from Manhattan Beach, California, were so engrossed by Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban in Argyll, on Scotland's eastern coast that they didn't realise staff from Historic Environment Scotland had locked up for the day and gone home.
There was no escape from one of Scotland's oldest stone castles, with its impregnable walls that are up to 10 ft (3m) thick and 60 ft (18m) high.
Niki Ghofranian and Ritta Nielsen, from Manhattan Beach, California, were so engrossed by Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban in Argyll, on Scotland's eastern coast that they didn't realise staff from Historic Environment Scotland had locked up for the day and gone home. They were rescued by fire crew (pictured)
On realising they couldn't get out, the pair called the police and firefighters.
Fire crews managed to open one lock and force another to open a gate and free the unfortunate captives.
Niki said on Facebook during Wednesday's incident: 'What a nightmare this is.
'It's still fun, but I can't believe the mess we're causing.'
This was followed up by: 'What a day. We just got rescued.
'We somehow got locked in the castle and had to call the police and fire brigade to get us out.
'I walked the walls for hours thinking of how many hundreds of years this castle was defended from invaders and how impenetrable it was.'
Fire crews managed to open one lock and force another to open a gate and free the unfortunate captives
Niki said on Facebook: 'What a nightmare this is. It's still fun, but I can't believe the mess we're causing.'
Niki said in a video posted online: 'They mentioned they might have to break down the castle door and I was not going to let them ruin it.
'I would rather have slept there.
'What an experience, rode home in the back of the police van.'
Scottish Fire and Rescue
