'It maybe just wasn't the best day for tackling the Pennine Way'

AN elderly walker had to be rescued after collapsing in the snow in the remote upper dale.

Emergency services were called to part of the Pennine Way, near Cronkley Farm, at about 1.30pm on Sunday, January 21.

Due to the difficult nature of the terrain, Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team were called in by the North East Ambulance Service to assist with the rescue.

Two hazardous area response teams were dispatched alongside two double-crewed road ambulances.

The man, who is believed to be in his 80s, was with four other elderly walkers when he came into difficulty during their hike near Forest-in-Teesdale.

A spokesperson for Teesdale & Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team said: “We were already out on exercise between Teesdale and Weardale when we got a call in the early afternoon. We eventually got there but with a bit of a struggle.

“He was relatively okay. We couldn’t find anything wrong with him but we all worked together to get him on to a stretcher and to the ambulance on the road. We had to carry him on the stretcher and sledge it part way.

“It had been snowing but by the time we got to Cronkley it had stopped. Roads from Weardale to Teesdale were only passable with four-wheel drive.

“The weather had been well forecast as being very poor for Sunday. The walkers had good kit but it maybe wasn't the best day for tackling the Pennine Way.”

The rescue operation took around three hours.

A NEAS spokesperson said: “The patient was lowered by rope to our specialist all-terrain vehicle known as a polaris. They were then transferred to the ambulance and taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital for further treatment.”