The walkers got lost on Cadair Idris. Photo: NotFromUtrecht CC-BY-SA-3.0
A couple who got lost on a Snowdonia mountain as darkness fell were brought to safety by rescuers.
Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team said the man and woman from London were lightly equipped for a day on the mountain.
The pair, who called for help from Cadair Idris, were unable to tell team co-ordinators their current position of their starting point.
The rescue team was alerted shortly before 9pm on Saturday.
An Aberdyfi SRT spokesperson said: “The pair were uninjured, but having run out of food and water, were complaining of cold and fatigue. The woman reported feeling faint.
“Fortunately, the team was able to fall back once again on using the PhoneFind smartphone protocol to quiz the casualties’ phone for location information.
“They were found to be located on the lower sections of the Fox’s path, and were encouraged to keep moving downwards as best they could in order to keep warm, and to speed up their rescue. A party of two team volunteers made their way up to intercept the pair, and further members followed up as they arrived.”
The walkers were met and assessed, given food, water and warm clothing.
Other team members had been placed on standby in case a stretcher carry was needed, but the couple were able to walk off the mountain under their own steam.
The incident ended a short time after midnight.
Team volunteer Graham O’Hanlon, who was part of the rescue operation, said: “On a hot, clear, sunny day such as we enjoyed on Saturday, it can be tempting to cut back on carried equipment, such as maps, torches, extra clothing, food and water, in order to save weight.
“However, emergency equipment and supplies are exactly that: there for when things do not go according to plan and you are out longer or later than intended. Simple preparations can make a huge difference to the outcome when things go wrong.”
“There are some great ideas about making your day in the mountains a safer and more enjoyable experience on the Adventure Smart website.”
