Rescuers worked out the group was below Three Tarns, between Crinkle Crags and Bowfell. Photo: Bob Smith/grough
Rescuers pointed out the limitations of the What3words application after a group of walkers called for help when they got lost on the Lakeland fells.
The party of eight rang 999 on Saturday evening to say they were in difficulties in the central fells.
Police contacted Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team at 9.20pm to say the walkers had lost their mobile phone signals, leaving them unable to navigate.
An initial What3words location supplied by the group placed them at Green Hole near the upper reaches of Lingcove Beck. The walkers said they were experienced and uninjured but were wet and cold and did not have enough food and water.
They told police they would attempt to make their way back to their car in Langdale.
A team spokesperson said: “Then the call to the police cut out and the team leader was unable to contact them, so no further information was available.
“Numerous PhoneFinds and texts did not reach them, so with such a lack of information about their abilities and wellbeing, a limited callout was made.
“The party made a second call to the police to say they had found a path. That second What3words put them outside the UK, but with some experimenting with the words by a team member, a second location put them 50m up the hill towards Three Tarns.”
The Langdale and Ambleside team, which was just returning from another callout, was alerted and the Wasdale team were stood down.
The lost walkers finally made it back to Langdale about 2.30am on Sunday.
The incident lasted just over five hours and involved eight Wasdale MRT volunteers.
What3words is a proprietary application that divides the world into 3×3-metre squares and assigns a three-word code to each square. Unlike the OS grid system, the words are not sequential and are allocated using a fixed algorithm.
Tinnishill
13 September 2020Is it possible to make things even more complicated ?
SL
13 September 2020Definitely a couple of contradictions here:
"the walkers had lost their mobile phone signals, leaving them unable to navigate"
And then it says
"The walkers said they were experienced"
What3words,,,, for God sake, why can't people just learn how to use a map properly instead of relying on their phones and this type of technology to get them out of trouble. Some of us have been using the OS grid system for decades and I know it'll come as a shock to those who like to reinvent the wheel, it really does work. No batteries or signal required.
As long as you don't drop your map down the grating it'll never fail you.
Tom
13 September 2020Ogwen MRT member Russ Hore developed SARLOC − if your phone has GPS, it works. And it's as simple as clicking on a hyperlink in a text message! what3words seems wholly unsuitable for emergency services use (despite their current TV advert), verbally relaying 3 utterly random words to an operator is ridiculous and backfired here; if the casualty is injured, it's blowing a hooly or reception is poor, those 3 words can easily be misinterpreted.
SARLOC/PhoneFind is idiot proof, which is handy given most call-outs!
jon harris
14 September 2020There is a lot here that doesn't add up... "with some experimenting with the words by a team member, a second location put them 50m up the hill towards Three Tarns"
You can't "experiment" with the W3W words, the order is extremely important. The app will show your location in a form that is accurate and extremely easy to relay.
You don't need a mobile phone signal to navigate. You need to be able receive a GPS signal to get a latititude/longitude. Walkers who rely on a mobile phone signal in remote and hilly locations can't be that experienced.
Either they needed rescuing or they didn't. They should have just reported the problem and continued to find their way and there expected arrival.
Gwyliwr
14 September 2020Never mind three words - three letters will do: MAP
Mike Phillips
14 September 2020Maybe use OS Locate to get a Grid Ref next time!
Alison
14 September 2020Re "You can't "experiment" with the W3W words,"
I think the point is that words can be misheard, especially when people speak with different accent.
tommy
15 September 2020SL
What's with the "grating." I've noticed you've used it a few times now and it's still not funny. Is there an injoke somewhere??
On a serious note, the group can't have been that experienced if all they had was technology to guide them. Is what3words a 'new' app for the 'new' breed of walkers since lockdown restrictions ended?
J25
15 September 2020(You can't "experiment" with the W3W words, the order is extremely important. The app will show your location in a form that is accurate and extremely easy to relay.)
You can actually experiment with W3W. A MRT member at base with a laptop/desktop version would be able to click on surrounding squares to the original location or along paths until a square with two or three similar sounding or matching words were found. It would be tedious detective work but it is possible.
Personally I always carry a paper map in the hills and unfamiliar areas but I also have W3W and OS locate on my phone just incase.
You never know when you might bump into an incident involving others reasonably local to home and need an accurate fix on the location and you don't have your local map with you.
Jeff
15 September 2020Bring back the “Mountaineering Association”
Ruth Mason
26 September 2020What3Words? Useless.Load.Crap
Ever since this came out people within MR Teams have been pointing out its limitations. It is not a wonderful new tool. It is not fit for purpose for emergencies in the hills. Instead of downloading their app, please download one of the simple, basic and excellent grid reference apps. Even if you can't navigate, and the seemingly random sequence of letters and numbers make no sense to you, they make a lot more sense to anyone who might be trying to find you.
James Dean
17 January 2022The UK revenues for this "must-have" app are pitiful, suggesting that nobody really wants it. Just go and look at their feeble accounts.
Yes it's "free" for individuals to use and similarly for emergeny services but this parasite of a business doesn't stand a chance unless they charge for their service which already nobody wants for free.
waste.of.time