The three got stuck on Jack's Rake on Pavey Ark
Three people were rescued from a Lake District scrambling route by other walkers in the area after getting stuck.
The trio, who were with two others on Jack’s Rake on Pavey Ark, became cragfast on the lower section of the grade-one scramble and called for help.
Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team was called out about 1.50pm today and 15 members were involved in the operation.
A team spokesperson said: “Before we could get to them, other people in the area went to their assistance and got them off.
“A reported ankle injury proved to be very minor and didn’t stop the group from walking off the hill without any further assistance from us.”
In June last year, Howard Gladwyn, of Menston, West Yorkshire, and Susannah Cox of Lancaster both died in falls from the route in Great Langdale and the following month 13-year-old Tom Lister was seriously injured after falling 200ft on Jack’s Rake.
john bleakley
12 August 2013while ever ego maniacs class it a grade 1, people will carry on getting killed and seriously injured, it invites trouble in such a popular area with newbies and tourists
Megabreakfast
10 August 2014Good on those who helped. I was at Stickle tarn with my 2 kids and could see the group on Jack's Rake - I had wondered that they were static for a while, especially given the fine conditions, and wasn't completely surprised to meet the first of the mountain rescue team as we headed down.
I don't see though that disassociating the the route from 'scrambling grades', or even inflating the grade, would dissuade the unskilled and inexperienced (and, let's not forget, the sheer unlucky: the number of incidents reflects its popularity, not necessarily the foolishness of mountain users). The numerical grade is a sensible way to communicate a sense of what can be expected.
What may be lacking is an understanding of what is entailed by the designation 'Grade 1', which only has any meaning if you have plenty of mountain experience as a reference point and have read a guidebook description. The '1' does not equate to completely straightforward or basic. Jack's Rake is a scramble, and a big and serious-looking one at that, the upper continuation especially. The ease of ascent is only revealed close up. This apparent difficulty itself should deter 'newbies and tourists'.
J D Noble
12 August 2014Having descended it in pouring rain and and ascended it in light snow I regard it as a maneagable grade 1. However the middle part feels exposed and the very top is actually exposed for a few tens of metres so I might take a walkers confidence rope if with an inexperienced party. Scrambling is essentially more dangerous than roped rock climbing but walkers sometimes don't realise