Is this the loneliest sheep in Britain? Drones are being sent to check on animals stranded on a cliff beach in the Scottish Highlands for TWO years

They naturally feel at home as part of a herd. But Scotland’s loneliest sheep has been stuck at the foot of a cliff in the Highlands for two years.

Jillian Turner spotted the animal in 2021 during a trip from Balintore to Nigg with the East Sutherland Canoe and Kayak Club.

But recently she made the same trip again and noticed that the sheep was still stuck on the small stretch of beach. Now drones have been sent to check on the animal.

Mrs Turner, from Brora, Sutherland, said when she first saw the sheep she assumed it would manage to climb the cliff face. When the canoe club returned, they were shocked to see that the animal was still there.

She said: ‘She called our approach and followed the group along the coast again, jumping from rock to rock, calling to us all the way.

The rugged coastline where the sheep have been stranded for more than two years

A kayaker passes the rocky coastline where a sheep is stranded

‘The poor ewe has been alone for at least two years – for a herd animal to be tortured, and she seemed desperate to contact us the two times we passed her.

‘It’s heartbreaking. We honestly thought she might come back that first year.

‘After the storm at the weekend I’m worried about whether she survived. With huge seas rushing in and a torrent of water rushing through the channels, it must have been traumatic, if not fatal, for her.”

The ewe’s coat highlighted its time in isolation. Mrs Turner said: ‘Her fur was a normal one year growth the first time, but on the recent trip the fur was huge and was touching the ground at the back.’

The sheep is not the same breed as that of local farmers.

Mrs Turner has appealed to anyone she can think of who could help in a rescue effort, but so far she has done nothing.