Three sheets to the wind

A couple on the swally had to be rescued from a mile out into the Forth near Edinburgh at the Bank Holiday weekend.

Cramond island, so named as it sits just off the picturesque village of Cramond, is a favourite destination for the casual walker, as it can be strolled to quite easily.

You have to time it right, however, as access is dependant on the tides. If you wander across, and sit about while the water flows across the causeway, you'll be there for a bit. And this is exactly what faced a pair of Edinburgh residents this Sunday past. Following an afternoon on the drink, they didn't realised that the tide had come in and they were stranded. (There aren't any amenities on the island, no Costa, Pret or even a Greggs. What made it worse this weekend was despite it being sunny, temperatures were severely lowered by a force five wind. )

Facing the prospect of re-enacting some of the scenes from Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohue's Castaway, they elected to get into the water and swim for it.

They were picked up by a lifeboat shortly after and were said to be "heavily under the influence of alcohol".

The watch manager at the Forth Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre said: "The sea and alcohol do not mix."

UPDATE: The Scotsman on Tuesday 27 May ran a story entitled "I fell in: Cramond rescue man denies drunk swim attempt".

He said he was attempting to walk back when he slipped and fell into the water. So that's all right then!