The pair turned up at Wasdale Head after a night on the mountains

A grandfather who crawled to safety after spending the night on the Lake District fells has been praised by mountain rescuers.

The man and his grandson were reported overdue after going for a walk in the central fells on Tuesday.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was alerted at 10pm but a spokesperson said the pair’s route was not clear.

“As they were both fit and well, and well equipped, a decision was taken to leave any action until the morning.”

Team members gathered at 7.45am today and a dog handler and a navigator set out to Seathwaite in Borrowdale to start the search for the pair.

Three other search dog handlers and their animals had also mustered along with 10 Keswick team members, when they received a phone call from Wasdale Head to say the pair had arrived at a farm in the hamlet after spending the night on the mountain.

A Keswick MRT spokesperson said: “It has to be said that they made every effort to get themselves to safety, with the elderly gentleman actually crawling a long distance to ensure he got off the hill without assistance.”

• Later that morning the Keswick team received another call for help after a walker slipped on wet grass and broke his leg.

The 61-year-old was setting out for a walk in Mosedale when the slip happened.

The team’s doctor and a paramedic from the North West Ambulance Service treated the man at the scene and he was then stretchered down to the ambulance and taken to Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle for further treatment.

The 1¼-hour rescue involved 11 volunteer team members.