The pair were stuck in the gully at the south-western end of Wasdale Screes

Two mountain rescue teams worked for almost eight hours to free two walkers stuck on a Lake District hillside.

One of the men had been injured in a fall in the gully on the Wasdale Screes, overlooking Wast Water.

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team members were joined in the rescue by colleagues from the Duddon and Furness team and the crew of the North West Air Ambulance at the site, described by rescuers as one of the most inaccessible in their area.

The Wasdale team was alerted at 3.15pm by ambulance staff who received a call to say the two men were stuck in a ravine.

A team spokesperson said: “After some discussions with the casualties it became apparent they were in Great Gully on the Wasdale Screes, one of the most inaccessible and difficult places to operate in the Wasdale area.

Richard Warren of the team said the two men had mistaken the gully for a descent route and after getting about 100m down, one of them fell 8m (26ft), injuring his hand and arm.

“The North West Air Ambulance was on scene and able to spot the casualties on the crags.

Mr Warren said they were in a very exposed, inaccessible and dangerous location about 400m above the valley bottom.

The spokesperson said: “They then ferried team members and equipment to the top of the gully.

“Team members rigged a fixed rope system to move people and equipment down the crags until team members were able to get on scene.”

Rescuers used 600m of rope and crag gear.

Because of the location of the cragfast walker and his injured companion, 50m below him on a ledge, team leader Paul Cook called in support from the Duddon and Furness team with a further six team members attending and bringing up more ropes to provide fixed lines down the gully.

Despite his fall, the injured man had been fortunate to sustain only minor wrist injuries, the spokesperson said. His companion was brought to safety using the rope system and the injured man was then hauled up the gully.

Both men were able to walk, accompanied, back to their car.

The rescue ended at 11pm and involved 19 Wasdale team members and five from the Duddon and Furness team.

Mr Warren added: “Grateful thanks go to the North West Air Ambulance and Duddon and Furness MRT for their assistance with this technically very difficult and physically demanding rescue.”