Sprinkling Tarn (62)

Callout Date: 21/06/2025
Callout Time: 10:10 pm
Agencies Involved: Keswick MRT, Penrith MRT

The forecast for the evening of the 21st June was poor suggesting a strong likelihood of thunderstorms developing with heavy rain causing flash flooding and strong winds.

Keswick team received a page at 19:30 from Wasdale MRT to inform us that a group of walkers (group A) had come across a party of 8 young hikers (group B) that were lost in the fells having set off from Hardknott Pass to climb Scafell Pike early in the morning. One of the young hikers was struggling to walk due to a pre-existing knee injury.

Moving at a slow pace, group B were becoming cold, so the leader of group A suggested the casualty group descend with them to group A’s campsite at Seathwaite Farm via Sty Head. He advised Wasdale who monitored their progress. As they crossed into Keswick MRT’s patch at Esk Hawes, Wasdale alerted Keswick (22.10). With the safety of the two groups in mind, group A’s leader took the main group down to the valley leaving three of his group to slowly descend with the casualty, and advised Mountain Rescue.

Keswick team members assembled but stood by as the predicted, impressive lightning storm past overhead. Reluctant to carry metal stretchers into the hills in the conditions, we continued to monitor the descent of the injured young person and the three helpers, but their progress was slow and it appeared they were no longer making their way off the mountain. For some time, communication was difficult and their exact whereabouts was unknown.

Eventually, the electrical storm rumbled away and Keswick deployed two teams from Seathwaite to search between Styhead Tarn and Sprinkling Tarn. Due to low numbers, Penrith MRT were asked to attend and assist with stretcher evacuation to Seathwaite. The team arrived at casualty site at 1am, gave pain relief and stretchered the casualty from the hill. In a remarkable act of fell-side solidarity group A hosted all of the young hikers from group b at their camp for the night providing shelter and food.

The team returned to base for a cup of tea and closed the incident at 4:20am.

Our thanks to Penrith MRT and Wasdale MRT for their assistance.

11 Keswick team members, 5 Penrith team members – 6 hours 10 minutes