The women strayed on to cliffs on Black Darren. Photo: Graham Cole CC-BY-SA-2.0

Two walkers on a long-distance trail had to be rescued after straying on to cliffs when they got lost.

The women, from Leicester and the West Midlands, became cragfast on a narrow ledge on Black Darren in the Black Mountains on Wednesday.

They were trapped 550m (1,800ft) up on the mountain near Abergavenny after straying from the Offa’s Dyke Path.

Abergavenny-based Longtown Mountain Rescue Team was called out by West Mercia Police to rescue the two women aged 40 and 60.

Luke Lewis, deputy team leader of Longtown MRT, said: “The two women had been walking Offa’s Dyke Path in stages from Chepstow to Hay on Wye.

“They lost the path and had tried to cut across the mountain and found themselves on a cliff edge unable to go any further or retrace their steps.

“We were guided to the women’s location by the police helicopter which was hovering overhead.

“Team members abseiled down to the women and then abseiled with the two women to the bottom of the cliff.

“The women were cold and tired but uninjured and we dropped them off at their hotel in Hay on Wye.

“They did the right thing in raising the alarm. They were in a dangerous location with a sheer cliff below them.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to the skill of our members in a difficult rescue.”