ALL four Dartmoor search and rescue teams were involved in a multi-agency search for 13 hours trying to locate two walkers near Postbridge.
The walkers had failed to tell the search teams they had found their way to safety.
They set off on Thursday last week (August 10) for a camping trip from Burrator heading towards Okehampton via Postbridge and had reported being lost on the northern part of Dartmoor.
Two phone conversations with them indicated they were possibly in the Rough Tor / Cut Hill area and that they were wet and borderline hypothermic; however, no further communication had been possible after 9pm Friday night (August 11) — so the search continued into Saturday, August 12 in an area of approximately 150sq miles north of Postbridge.
The search was then continued by Dartmoor SRT Ashburton and Plymouth teams, supported by helicopters from the coastguard and police, SW Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) members, and Devon and Cornwall Police.
One Dartmoor rescue group (DRG) spokesperson said that shortly after 9am on the Saturday, a chance conversation with a farmer who came across a Plymouth team told them his wife had given a lift to two walkers into Tavistock that morning and he was confident that it was the two they were looking for. This was confirmed shortly after 10am when the police were able to contact relatives to learn the walkers were being picked up from Plymouth Bus Station, both safe and well.
A DRG spokesperson said: ‘It would be very helpful if walkers who self-rescue, having raised the alarm, make sure they contact the emergency services at the first opportunity to let them know they are ok, so as to avoid unnecessary efforts being made to locate them.’
The search included the following volunteers, assets and personnel from the statutory agencies:
l Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team – Ashburton (23 volunteers)
l Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team – Okehampton (15 volunteers)
l Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team – Plymouth (12 volunteers)
l Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team – Tavistock (17 volunteers)
l SW Ambulance Hazardous Area Response Team (seven personnel)
l Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue USAR team (10 personnel)
l Marine and Coastguard Agency Rescue 187 SAR Helicopter (plus four crew)
l Devon and Cornwall Police NPAS Helicopter (plus three crew)
l Devon and Cornwall Police (six personnel)
The DRG spokesperson added: ‘We are glad of course to hear they survived their ordeal, which is due in no small part to being well prepared with the right clothing, food and shelter.
‘We trust that should they re-attempt their excursion in the future, additional consideration should be given to: a) leaving an intended route-card with family members, b) carrying a GPS device so as to pinpoint their location periodically, and c) establishing a check-in process to advise on progress or issues.’