The walkers had strayed over to Dow Crag. Photo: Michael Graham CC-BY-SA-2.0
Two walkers were rescued after getting lost in low cloud on the Lake District fells.
Coniston Mountain Rescue Team was alerted about 3.05pm after the couple rang for help on Sunday.
Two team members who were already walking on the hills made their way to the man and woman, after the team used the Sarloc smartphone system to pinpoint their positions.
The pair had ascended The Old Man of Coniston but became disoriented in the poor visibility and rain. They believed they had followed the ridge to Swirl How but had actually dropped down to Goat’s Hawse and over to Dow Crag.
The rescuers found them slightly west of Dow Crag, cold and wet but uninjured. The two rescuers accompanied them off the fell to meet other Coniston MRT members making their way up the mountain from Walna Scar.
The couple were then taken back to Coniston in a team vehicle.
The two-hour rescue involved 17 volunteers from Coniston MRT.
Adam
20 February 2017If you cant navigate in cloud then you have no business walking in the mountains, enough is enough!
Mick
21 February 2017Little harsh Adam, whilst I agree you should be able to keep yourself safe at least they had the sense to call MRT before getting into a more difficult or dangerous position.
Nigel
21 February 2017Must be great knowing everything and not making mistakes???
I'm sure the people in question will take stick of the situation and make sure it never happens again. Glad the MRT doesn't have the same outlook as Adam
Sr. Pedro
21 February 2017It is easy to become disorientated in low cloud that's why you should always carry a map and a compass and know how to use them. From someone who learned the hard way.
Margaret
21 February 2017The ability to navigating in poor visibility on the hill is a basic skill.
Rescue teams should not be used in place of that skill.
heidi
21 February 2017well said Margaret- totally agree
Nigel
21 February 2017Yeah and a harsh lesson has hopefully been learnt , but to say people who's map & compass skills aren't the best shouldn't be allowed on the hill smacks of ignorance and really need to step back and take a reality check .
John
21 February 2017There should be no excuse for getting lost or disorientated these days with gps to fix your position. Then use map and compass to set a new course. Basic!
Rant
21 February 2017Ahh Grough comments section - The Daily Mail of outdoor websites.
Margaret
22 February 2017Rant - you have just joined, welcome.
Margaret
22 February 2017Nigel, not talking about the level of navigation needed to cope with a proper winter white-out on the Cairngorm plateau.
It's about learning simple, basic navigation that allows you to identify the correct direction down after lunch at a summit.
Adam
23 February 2017To be honest Nigel it's you that needs to step back and take a reality check. The operation to get these two people out of the hills required 17 people to take 2 hours out of their busy schedules and exposed them to risk all because two people couldn't be bothered to learn to read a map or program a GPS.
Take a look at the other headlines and see how often this is happening. I concur with other posts well done to the MRT.
Nigel
24 February 2017Don't think so , people make mistakes & others have to spend their time and at times risk their lives in order to rectify these mistakes I get that , but all I read is they should pay for rescue , shouldn't be allowed on the hills, map reading / navigation should be better blah blah blah . People seem to assume that it's a case of individuals taking a jolly into the hills with a carrier bag full of ginsters and mars bars and wearing a pair of Dunlop green flash then "lunch at the summit" and take the wrong way down but maybe just maybe in some cases they had a map and compass, experience in the hills but on this occasion they just made a mistake as happens from time to time . It's called human error
Margaret
25 February 2017Yes we can all make mistakes, but with a map, compass, ability to use them and experience, it should be possible to sort yourself out. Even if that means a descent into the wrong valley with a long walk back to the car or an expensive taxi.
Adam
25 February 2017Nigel you wouldn't happen to be one of the people who had to be 'rescued' would you?
Nigel
25 February 2017No, just a little more sympathetic to others
Ian512
27 February 2017Self-Reliance - "Reliance on one's own capabilities, judgment, and resources."