Uswayford Forest, Upper Coquetdale

Incident Type: Search & Rescue

On Friday, ourselves and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team (NOTMRT), were called out after Northumbria Police received a call from a walker who had become disoriented in dense forestry near Davidson’s Linn.

The male walker reported being lost among fallen trees, providing a location via the What3Words app before phone signal was lost. A subsequent attempt by Mountain Rescue to pinpoint his location using PhoneFind was unsuccessful.

With confirmation that the individual had food, water, and favourable weather conditions, a limited initial response was launched while both teams were placed on standby. Based on local knowledge, the What3Words location appeared consistent with the situation described.

A small response team was deployed using the Team’s 4×4 vehicle.. The walker was located in the middle of dense Sitka spruce forest, where significant windblow during Storm Arwen, had left trees interlaced and in some areas suspended above ground level. While voice contact was possible, reaching the walker proved challenging due to the complex and hazardous terrain.

After carefully assessing several options, a team member was able to reach the walker, who was perched several meters above the ground on a tangle of fallen trees. The pair safely retraced the route back to the forest track.

Additional team members arrived to provide support, including drone capability on standby to assist if needed. The walker was assessed on scene and found to be uninjured and in good health. Given the circumstances, he was advised to end his walk and was transported by team vehicle back to his car at Slyme Foot.
We’d like to thank all those involved in the swift and safe resolution of this incident. We also remind the public that even familiar routes can become hazardous due to storm damage, and to always follow local agency advice.

The incident involved 5 team members on scene with 3 providing remote coordination and an additional 20 members on standby, for 4 hours 23 minutes.