Scout Group Rescued In Lakes

A group of Scouts had to be evacuated by helicopter after severe weather conditions made their original plan to bivvy for the night on the Fairfield Horseshoe untenable.

The group of ten aged from 11 to 24 were helicoptered to Patterdale after first another walker and then, the group themselves used mobile phones to alert rescue services. The Scouts were reportedly well equipped and had originally planned to stay in the Priest's Hole cave on Dove Crag, but changed their plans and had set up tents when they were found by rescuers from the Patterdale and Langdale teams.

Rescuers doubt that the group would have survived the night and the leader of the Langdale Ambleside MRT, Nick Verral, is quoted as saying: "I doubt whether they would have lasted the night. They had already been there five hours once we had got to them. All their campsite was in carnage and they were just huddled together."

The Scout Association has apparently pledged to look into the incident to determine whether there were 'lessons to be learned'. The forecast for Saturday night was for snow and high winds.

More details from this BBCi story and on Annanova.