The Northumberland team vehicle at the rescue scene. Photo: NNPMRT
Two walkers were rescued after getting lost in the Cheviot Hills.
The pair had ascended The Cheviot on Saturday and became disoriented while descending in poor visibility.
Two rescue teams were called out and a local gamekeeper used an all-terrain vehicle to help some of the volunteers reach the walkers in the remote position near the England-Scotland border.
Northumberland National Park and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Teams were alerted late on Saturday night and used mobile phone technology to pinpoint the pair’s position in the North of the Northumberland national park.
A team spokesperson said after getting lost the two walkers called Northumbria Police, who alerted the teams.
Northumberland National Park team leader Iain Nixon said: “Given the poor mobile signal, we only had limited information about their intended route.”
Both mountain rescue teams were put on standby.
The teams were able to establish a fix using the smartphone location tool PhoneFind, which placed the pair between Wooler Common and the College Valley below Broadhope Hill.
“Once we knew their location, we set about deploying a hasty team in one of our team vehicles to Commonburn House while North of Tyne Team sent one of their Land Rovers towards the College valley,” Mr Nixon said.
The gamekeeper helped by transporting team members in an all-terrain vehicle. Photo: NNPMRT
“We were very grateful to have the assistance of the head keeper from the Lilburn Estates who helped us move to the walkers’ location in one of their ArgoCat vehicles.”
After an initial medical assessment, the pair were given some additional warm clothing and taken back down the valley to a waiting rescue vehicle and then on to their car.
Mr Nixon said: “In poor visibility it is easy to take a wrong turn. Once they realised, they did exactly the right thing by dialling 999, asking for police and then mountain rescue. This meant there was a relatively swift and successful outcome for the pair.”
Both NNP and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue teams said they are keen to encourage people who are going out into the hills to follow the AdventureSmart advice when planning a journey.
Throughout the incident, Covid 19 protocols were adhered to and personal protective equipment was worn by team members.
On returning to base, the vehicle was cleaned outside and decontaminated on the inside in accordance with the protocols.
The incident involved six NNPMRT members for just over three hours with another 12 members on standby.
