But they were caught out by poor weather around Loch Brandy, east of their destination.

Fortunately, mobile phone contact was made with police, whose own search and rescue unit was mobilised along with the Tayside civilian volunteers, and the party was found, cold but unhurt, in the early hours.

The musicians regularly play at Clova and one of their number, Malcolm Nicoll, said the incident had been a sharp reminder of how quickly the apparently picturesque Angus glens could bite.

“We’ve had sessions at the Clova Hotel for years. This was the first time for several years that we’d decided to walk over — and it will probably be the last for some time,” he said.

“It was a situation where two or three things went wrong and the weather was terrible. We realised we could be there for hours and we had a couple of kids with us so we were lucky to get a mobile phone signal.”

A collection in Malcolm’s local, the Brechin Arms, generated cash for the rescue team and more money is set to come in from donations made by regulars at the town’s Commercial Hotel.