Incident Report #64 2006

Three women from Surrey, walking the Cumbria Way, became lost near the summit of Stake Pass. Although the forecast had predicted rain and wind, they were only wearing shorts and lightweight waterproof jackets, and quickly became cold and distressed. They phoned the Police, claiming to be near Pike O'Stickle. We were unable to re contact them, so a search was organised. They were located at 8p.m. after a bit of detective work. They were on Black Crags. It then transpired that they were carrying camping kit, but it hadn't occurred to them to put on extra clothes, erect their tent, or make use of their sleeping bags. They had had been using a 'strip map', a map that shows the route of the Cumbria Way, but doesn't have any information for more than a few hundred metres each side. Fine until you stray of the map! They were escorted to the valley bottom. Keswick MRT had been called to assist, but were stood down when the three were located.