Wooler Common

Incident Type: Rescue

On Wednesday our members along with North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team were called out by the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to assist in the search and rescue of a female walker who was unable to make her way off the hill in the Cheviots near Wooler. The initial grid reference placed her somewhere between Wooler Common Farm and the Carey Burn, possibly on the slopes of Hart Heugh.

With limited information and no way to recontact the casualty, our teams were placed on standby while local members deployed immediately. Working alongside a Community Paramedic, we began searching via Hell Path towards Carey Burn. Shouts for help were then heard from the direction of Hart Heugh, confirming her location.

Upon reaching the casualty, we found her exhausted and very cold. She was assessed and stabilised on-scene, and with the help of the Head Keeper from Lilburn Estates, we found a safe route for one of our rescue vehicles to transport her off the hillside.

In under 1 hour and 15 minutes, she was safely back at her car, relieved and well enough to head home. A straightforward but essential rescue, made possible by the teamwork of Northumberland National Park MRT and North of Tyne MRT. Thanks to Lilburn Estates for their assistance.

The incident involved 6 Team members across both teams for 2 hours 35 minutes. Another 11 members were on standby for 1hour 12 minutes.