Piers Gill, Scafell Pike – Sat 22nd Jul 2023

A second call of the day from Cumbria Police, asking for help for two walkers who were struggling to navigate down to Wasdale Head due to the misty conditions. The location from the initial police call put them very close to the edge of Piers Gill, near the ‘bad step’. A short phone call with a bad signal suggested that they were not on, nor could see the path. A wrong turn at this location can be very hazardous, so the walkers were asked to stay put and await the team arriving to escort off. As such, a small hill party was asked to head to their location. However, when they arrived some time later, there was no sign of the walkers. After some time looking, the team retraced their steps and headed back to base, assuming somehow they had either found their own way off or encountered other walkers who had helped. The log was closed after a further discussion with the police.

The following day, once back in mobile signal, the walkers called in to confirm they had indeed managed to find their own way safely off the fell. They hadn’t encountered the team as they expected as the rescue team’s route choice was via Lingmell Nose and Lingmell Col, to avoid potentially risky river crossings due to the heavy rain earlier.

PS – a busy night for 3 peakers too as per the photo!