Man dies in Lake District ridge fall

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team volunteers attended the scene on Blencathra

A man has died in a 230ft (70m) fall from a mountain ridge.

The alarm was raised following the fall from Sharp Edge on Blencathra, in the Lake District, on Thursday afternoon.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team volunteers recovered the man's body, which was transported to the air ambulance and flown to the team's base.

The team has thanked other fell walkers who went to help, and has offered condolences to the man's family.

It said in a social media post: "Our first call-out of the year had a tragic ending after a man died in a 70m fall from Sharp Edge.

"A Keswick team member already on Blencathra made his way to the scene above Scales Tarn, along with the crew of Helimed 58, who landed nearby.

"Keswick team recovered the body to H58 who then airlifted the man to Keswick MR Base."

Sharp Edge, one of the ridges of Blencathra, is described by renowned Lakeland writer Alfred Wainwright as a "rising crest of naked rock of sensational and spectacular appearance".

It is a popular, if challenging, walking route - a grade 1 scramble requiring the use of both hands and feet, and has a high level of exposure.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said every year people got into trouble on the ridge, as although dry conditions "should present few problems to competent hill walkers" it became "notoriously slippy" when wet, and should be avoided unless experienced or well prepared.

Between 1949 and 2018 there were 11 fatalities, and in October 2021 a man died traversing it as part of his preparations to scale Mount Kilimanjaro.

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