Gwenda Merriot

A body, believed to be that of missing fellwalker Gwenda Merriot, has been found by mountain rescuers.

A walker reported finding a rucksack thought to belong to the 60-year-old woman on Monday on Stone Arthur, the 500m (1,640ft) peak overlooking Grasmere.

Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team, aided by animals and handlers from the Search and Rescue Dogs Association Lakes, mounted a concentrated search in the area and a body was found on Stone Arthur at 10.45am yesterday, Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Cumbria Constabulary said the body was believed to be that of Ms Merriot, of Wilton, near Marlborough, Wiltshire.

“Gwenda Merriot’s next of kin have been informed and police are now working to formally identify the woman,” the spokesperson said.

“Her family is very appreciative of all the efforts that the police and rescue teams have made in searching for Gwenda over the last two weeks.”

Ms Merriot had last been seen by family members in the Rydal Road car park in Ambleside on 1 December.

The experienced fellwalker had been rescued three days earlier on Bowfell after she was found collapsed and unconscious on the mountain’s summit.

Kendal Mountain Rescue Team joined 19 colleagues from the Langdale and Ambleside team in stretchering the woman from the 902m (2,959ft) fell. Rescuers requested helicopter evacuation because of the treacherous weather and the walker’s life-threatening condition but, despite three attempts by three different aircraft, none could reach the site and she was stretchered from the fell in a rescue that took nine hours.

A quantity of alcohol and painkillers was found at the site.

A specialist dog and handler from the Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team were at one point called in to try to trace the woman using a scent trail. Normal search and rescue dogs are trained to find single walkers or small groups by air scent.