Scotland was battered by 70mph winds on Tuesday that led to travel chaos across the country.
The winds, which followed Monday’s 121mph Storm Brendan, was responsible for ScotRail services grinding to a halt in Glasgow... thanks to cows on the line.
Schools and roads were closed, buses were cancelled and surging seas saw ferry routes thrown into chaos.
The worst affected area was the Highlands and Islands, where the Met Office issued a yellow weather alert warning of strong winds, high waves and potential flooding.
Services on nine of Caledonian MacBrayne’s 28 ferry routes were cancelled for the day, with a further six routes being disrupted, including sailings from Gourock to Dunoon and Wemyss bay to Rothesay, while Northlink Ferries told passengers to expect disruption on services to Orkney and Shetland.
On the railways, ScotRail tweeted about “reports of a couple of Highland cows on the railway line at Busby”, in East Renfrewshire, at 8.48am.
READ MORE: Scotland's weather: 87mph gust recorded as Storm Brendan batters country
A collapsed fence had allowed cows to escape from a park on to rail way tracksl.
At least one of the animals, described as an “absolute unit”, was spotted on the tracks at Pollokshaws West, which is on the same line and near Pollok Country Park.
In a series of tweets, ScotRail said: “Absolute unit spotted on the track at Pollokshaws West. Sorry if you’re being delayed due to this.
“@NetworkRailScot track staff on their way to attempt to encourage these coos to mooove back to the park.”
The organisation then posted a video showing the animal being enticed off the line with a bucket of food.
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said the cow had been “retrieved safely” by staff from the park just before 10am.
This imagery shows that whilst it's a dry start for many, there are some sleet and snow showers for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 14, 2020
Watch out for ice ⚠ pic.twitter.com/cSruUgVGi0
Elsewhere, power lines were brought down in Ayrshire, forcing trains to be cancelled.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency released a statement during the day, saying the storm had brought the highest sea levels seen in decades.
It said: “The effects of Storm Brendan continue to be felt by Scotland’s coastal communities with an unusual and dangerous combination of high tide, storm surge and inshore waves.
“Overnight we have seen the highest sea levels in 15 years along parts of the west coast, bringing property flooding and road closures.
“Today we are placing a particular focus on communities around the Ayrshire coast, Orkney, the Moray Firth, and along the east coast of Aberdeenshire and Angus. There is also risk of coastal flooding of road and rail routes in all coastal areas.”
The harbour at Fort William was swamped by floods when the winds arrived on Monday night, with the Crannog restaurant, which sits on the town’s pier. badly affected.
All schools in the Uist and Barra area were closed, while all bus services there were cancelled. Moray College UHI in Elgin was also closed due to storm damage.
In the Highlands, a mountain rescue team leader criticsed an injured walker who sparked a major operation in the Cairngorms during the early hours.
After battling 60mph winds, sleet, snow and rain in a 16-mile round trip, members of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team found the man, who was in his 20s from Edinburgh, with his two friends snugly wrapped up in McCooks Bothy
on the Ben Alder Estate having failed to call and ask emergency services to stand down.
The rescue team later tweeted to criticise the walker and described their search for him as “a total abuse of our resources”.
Snow also affected the A9, causing difficulties for drivers.
The Met Office has forecast the high winds will give way today to wintery showers, though the worst of the weather would be confined to the Norh East.
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