Crinkle Crags presents navigational challenges in poor visibility. Photo: Philip Hallling CC-BY-SA-2.0

A man has died in a fall from a Lake District fell.

The walker was with a group making their way down from Crinkle Crags yesterday when the man fell to his death.

Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team was alerted about 1.05pm and initial reports were that someone had fallen on The Band, the long spur leading from Great Langdale to Three Tarns, between Crinkle Crags and Bow Fell.

A Langdale Ambleside spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the group were off route due to a navigational error and were located on horrible steep ground on the east face of Crinkle Crags.

“The man’s injuries, sadly, were fatal.

“His body was recovered, and his companions were assisted from the hill in a protracted and difficult rescue.”

The seven-hour operation involved 19 Langdale Ambleside members.

Crinkle Crags rises above The Band, right, in winter conditions

At the same time as the team was called out to the incident on Crinkle Crags, it was alerted to another walker in trouble on Wansfell, overlooking Ambleside.

The team requested the help of Kendal Mountain Rescue Team, which sent some of its members to the incident, where a woman had suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder.

A Kendal MRT spokesperson said: “Our second vehicle went to assist the Langdale Ambleside team on what turned out to be an extremely difficult incident in the vicinity of Shelter Crags on the Crinkles.

“It seems that a navigational error resulted in a group trying to descend on to very steep, craggy and difficult ground.

“The rest of the group were helped down and the man’s body was recovered in a long and difficult operation in deteriorating weather conditions.”

A Sea King helicopter from RAF Valley on Anglesey flew to the site to help with the rescue.

The Langdale Ambleside MRT spokesperson said: “A helicopter from RAF Valley made valiant efforts to assist, but cloud base and wind condition meant it was of limited use.”

The spokesperson added: “These few words to little justice to the difficulty of this rescue.”

Crinkle Crags is an undulating ridge at the head of Great Langdale, rising to 859m (2,818ft) at its highest point.

In poor visibility, the fell can present navigational difficulties and there are steep crags all along its eastern edge. Shelter Crags lie at the northern end of the ridge, about 500m south of the Three Tarns col.