Pennine Way

In the early hours of last Thursday morning, Northumbria Police activated Mountain Rescue for a walker who had failed to turn up at their accommodation in Bellingham the night before. The male in his 60s had intended to walk the Pennine Way from Housesteads to Bellingham.

Linear routes including the Pennine Way and variations of were prioritised for vehicle and foot searches, with resources from North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and ourselves deployed accordingly.

Sadly one of our search groups located a body believed to be that of the missing walker in an area of Wark Forest just off the Pennine Way. A difficult incident for all our volunteers and a terribly sad outcome to what should have been a pleasant day’s walk along the Pennine Way.

Our thoughts are with the walker’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

The incident involved 15 members for 7 hours.