Walkers rescued from Northumberland hills after becoming disorientated by fog

Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team (NNPMRT) and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team were called in to help the pair after they set off from Harthope Valley in the Northumberland National Park and up The Cheviot, the highest hill in the county.

They had set out early yesterday, Wednesday, March 31, as they were on their decent, the weather closed in, leaving visibility poor, while it became windy and rain set in.

The volunteer teams say the couple, aged in their 20s, did the right thing by calling the police, who then requested their help, with the alert raised at 6.20pm.

A spokesperson for NNPMRT said: “The exact location of two walkers was established using PhoneFind, which placed them at 600 metres above sea level on the eastern side of The Cheviot.

"Team members in the Wooler area were swiftly deployed along with our Toyota Hilux and members from the Rothbury area.

"The hasty team made their way over Scald Hill to the walkers’ location, whilst our vehicle headed further up the valley to Langleeford Hope where the other members headed directly up to the walkers’ location.

“The walkers were safely located at just after 8pm.

"They were assessed and provided with extra layers of clothing to help them rewarm, before being walked off the hill to Langleeford Hope.

The incident involved seven team members for three hours 50 minutes.

"A further 23 Team members were no standby to respond if required.”

The work of the teams is supported through donations.

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