A mountain rescue team in England's Lake District National Park has urged hikers and campers to prepare properly after a non-stop weekend of call-outs.
Rescuers from the Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team (LAMRT) were called to multiple incidents from Friday, June 27, to Sunday, June 29, including three involving student groups.
Youngsters completing their Duke of Edinburgh award expeditions got into trouble in unforgiving, unclear weather conditions.
The first two student groups became disorientated near the 2,960ft (902m) summit of Bowfell at around 1pm on Friday, and the third reported that they were "lost, cold and wet" some five hours later. Volunteer rescue teams were quickly dispatched and soon located the groups, whom they guided to safety.
"Team members helped the groups pack their tents and walked them down to the valley floor, where they were met by the minibus to take them to Patterdale," explained team on the LAMRT Facebook page.
The rescue volunteers' busy weekend of rescues continued in the early hours of Saturday morning, when they received a call from nine young men in the Cochdale Tarn area, who had "succumbed to the weather in the middle of the night, with tents flattened around them", according to an incident report.
Six volunteers, three of whom had been out on the previous rescue, scrambled to the scene, where they helped pack away the collapsed tents and escorted the group back to their vehicles.
Rescuers, said they were forced to "dig deep", after being called to a further three incidents over the next two days, prompting LAMRT to issue an advisory statement via Facebook.
"Planning and preparation is absolutely key when heading out into the mountains," it reads.
"As we often say, we will always come out to help those in need and we know that accidents happen; all we ask is that you do everything in your power to create a safe and successful day."
Safety advice
The team urges visitors to ask themselves three questions before heading out for an ambitious hiking or camping trip. They are as follows:
- Am I confident I have the knowledge and skills required?
- Do I know what the weather will be like?
- Do I have the right gear?
For more expert advice, check out our guide to summer hiking safety, and see our top tips for what to wear while hiking.
- The best hiking shoes: capable summit-baggers and fast-paced walkers
- The best navigation apps: find your way in the great outdoors
