Rescuers faced driving rain and squally winds. Photo: DSRT Ashburton

Rescuers who were called out to find a lost Dartmoor walker said she was very lucky to have been found when she was, as her condition was deteriorating in bad weather.

The woman was scared and mildly hypothermic when members of Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Ashburton located her in the early hours of Tuesday.

The team was called out shortly before 3am, after the walker called 999 about midnight saying she was lost, wet and cold. It is believed she had been geocaching.

A team spokesperson said: “Unfortunately our conversation with the woman in her 20s was cut short as her mobile phone battery went dead.

“From the brief phone call we established that she was likely to be at ‘Heap of Sinners’ on Huntingdon Warren.

“Two field teams were deployed from Shipley Bridge in driving rain and squally winds tasked with searching the Huntingdon Warren area north of the Avon Dam Reservoir.”

She was found about 5.20am at the Heap of Sinners. The spokesperson said: “She was scared, wet through, mildly hypothermic and very relieved to see us. She was placed in our storm shelter, given some dry warm clothing and hot drink before she was walked off the moor to Ludgate.

“We are quite confident that the young lady from Hertfordshire has learnt a valuable lesson from her ordeal.

“She had no map or compass, no spare clothing, was dressed in jeans which were totally inadequate for both the terrain and weather conditions and certainly contributed to her situation and mild hypothermia.

“When walking on Dartmoor, you need to be properly protected against the weather conditions; not rely on electronic devices to find your way, and have some spare clothing should things go wrong.

“She was very lucky we found her when we did as her condition was deteriorating in the poor weather.”

The walker was handed over to police who took her back to her car, and the team’s volunteers returned home about 7am to prepare to go to their jobs.

Footage of the rescue