Edinburgh pensioners stranded in Storm Bert 'disaster' rescued by selfless locals

A group of 16 Edinburgh pensioners were rescued by selfless residents after being stranded in the snow during Storm Bert.

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.”

The women - between the ages of 50 and 80 - were en route to Pitlochry on Saturday, November 23 to celebrate one of their 70th birthdays when the inclement weather derailed their plans.

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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.

Due to the weather, 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 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.

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

Upon seeing the women stranded on the side of the street in heavy snow, residents began to take notice and selflessly intervened.

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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 told Edinburgh Live : “The hotel was fantastic. They were like a refuge.”

Photos from the day show the ladies sitting in the cozy Leonardo Hotel dining room and holding champagne flutes while snow blanketed the ground outside.

Margo added: “We had a laugh. There’s never a dull moment with us pensioners.”

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

Margo said: “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.”

Margo 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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