The Ewden Valley walker is transferred to an ambulance from the RAF Sea King. Photo: Woodhead MRT

A walker was winched from a ravine in the eastern Peak District in a rescue described as ‘exceptionally difficult’.

Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team was called out at about 6.10pm yesterday, Wednesday.

Team members arrived at the incident site in the Ewden Valley, near Stocksbridge, about half an hour later.

Two men, both aged 46 and from the Chesterfield area, were found 150m down a ravine, 1½km (one mile) from the nearest road.

A team spokesperson said: “Following a location survey it was found the only way to access the walkers was via rope and subsequent abseil.

“Team members quickly erected a technical belay system in order to lower team medics down to assess the condition of the walkers.

“Following a treacherous 150m decent by rope, team medics found one of the walkers had sustained an injury to his lower leg after attempting to climb a dry stone wall which collapsed causing the man to fall with some of the wall falling on top of him.

“The second man was uninjured but cold and concerned for his friend.

“The area where the men had been found was exceptionally inaccessible driven by the steep ravine and overgrown vegetation, including rhododendrons which would have proved almost impossible to extract the casualty using normal techniques.”

Veteran Woodhead team member Ian Winterburn said: “This has probably been the most inaccessible location of any rescue I have ever been involved with.”

Woodhead team leader, Keith Wakeley called in air support to winch the casualty to safety and an RAF Sea King from Leconfield arrived on scene about 9pm.

In the meantime the medics treated the casualty for his leg injury and packaged him using a team stretcher and casualty bag.

The helicopter crew manoeuvred the helicopter into position and successfully lifted the injured walker, who was then taken to Sheffield for a handover to the Yorkshire Ambulance Service which took him to hospital.

The second walker was walked to safety by team members through a nearby stream bed and on to the road head from where he was taken home to Chesterfield by South Yorkshire Police.

Mr Wakeley said: “It was an exceptionally difficult rescue given the location, weather conditions and terrain we had to cover.

“Thankfully, both men were well equipped and we managed to get to them fairly quickly allowing us the opportunity to reassure them in what must have been a frightening experience for them.

“I would like to say thanks to the RAF, South Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service as we all worked together to get the men to safety as quickly as possible.”