Conditions on Pen y Fan are still wintry, rescuers said

Rescuers are appealing to walkers to take extra care as wintry conditions and unseasonably cold temperatures continue despite the official start of spring.

The warning comes after south Wales mountain rescue teams were called out three times in four days.

The most recent was to two walkers stranded in icy conditions on Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the region.

The two 22-year-olds from Hertfordshire set out Tuesday morning on a two-day walking and camping expedition in the Brecon Beacons national park.

But by 8 o’clock that night they had called emergency services after weather conditions deteriorated and they feared for their safety.

More than 26 members of south Wales’s mountain rescue teams were called to the mountain, near Brecon.

The two men gave an accurate location and rescuers reached them on the 886 m (2,907ft) peak within an hour of the call being made.

They were walked to safety by team members, who also retrieved their equipment, in a rescue lasting four hours.

Penny Brockman, of the South Wales Search and Rescue Association, said: “Since the cold snap began last week mountain rescue teams in south Wales have been busy with callouts.

“On this occasion the two men started their walk from Merthyr Tydfil, carrying extremely heavy rucksacks, and had already walked a long way before they got into difficulties.

“They were concerned not only about the cold conditions and the snow but the fog that was severely limiting their ability to find their way.

“These men made the correct call in the deteriorating conditions by asking for help.

“For anyone planning a walk in the mountains we would ask them to remember that the current cold weather conditions make any high-level walks more difficult.

“All walkers should carry spare warm clothing, gloves, a hat, food, drinks, map, compass and torch. They should also factor in the extra energy expended by carrying this weight in their rucksacks.”