A FRENCH walking holiday turned into a nightmare for Devauden hiker Jane Castle when she slipped on an isolated path and broke her leg in three places.

A dramatic helicopter rescue saw Mrs Castle winched off the mountain and taken to a nearby hospital.

Mrs Castle, semi-retired, and her husband Jack, both keen walkers, were spending three weeks in Bourg D'Oisans to the south-east of Grenoble last month.

On the day of the accident they set off at 9am on a difficult trek to Lac Lauvitel when Mrs Castle slipped.

Speaking from their home in Churchfields, Mr Castle said: "I was in front of Jane on a path covered with smooth dirt and tiny stones when I heard her yelp. I looked around and saw her sitting down - her right foot was hanging over to one side."

Mrs Castle said: "I knew I'd broken my leg immediately but I wasn't in too much pain because my walking boot was holding my ankle straight like a splint.

"I was very scared about how we were going to get back to safety as we'd walked for about six hours and were at a height of around 5,000ft."

A French walking group helped raise the alarm and called the emergency services who sent a helicopter which winched up Mrs Castle to safety.

She said: "I watch a lot of emergency services dramas on TV and often wondered if anything like this would happen to me."