Two Three Peaks walkers (f, 39 and 34) reported themselves lost, coming off Ingleborough, with one torch and only one of their mobile phones still working as darkness fell. The duty controller sent them a PhoneFind text message and their response placed them on Newby Moss on the route down from Little Ingleborough to Newby Cote. Two members began walking up from Newby Cote with spare lights and two others listened in on their radios, at home, in case there was a problem. The walkers were met very quickly, above Newby Cote, and accompanied to a member’s car which returned them to Horton in Ribblesdale.
Volunteer hours: 5
Footnote: It is not at all unusual for walkers returning from the Ingleborough summit shelter and aiming to descend to Horton to turn right too soon and head down to Little Ingleborough, although most go down to Gaping Gill rather than to Newby Cote.
It is also not unusual for people to use their mobile phone for navigation, taking photographs, posting on social media and even as a torch, without carrying a power bank or at least saving one phone in the group for use in an emergency.
The combination of these seemingly minor errors can lead to serious embarrassment!