Rescue as group walked wrong Lake District fell in mist

Three of the men had to be brought to safety using ropes and harnesses

A group of walkers accidentally climbed the wrong fell when they became lost in the mist and had to be rescued from a ledge.

The four men thought they were at the Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District on Saturday but were more than a mile away (1.6km) at Great How.

Although one managed to make his way down from the ledge without falling, the others remained where they were.

It prompted a three-and-a-half hour rescue operation.

The rescue team said the fell tops were "lost in mist" which caused the men to travel past their original destination

The alarm was raised by another walker and Coniston Mountain Rescue team brought them to safety.

"Four lads got stuck on a ledge while descending from Great How where there is no path," a spokesperson said.

"It transpired that they thought that they were climbing and descending the Old Man of Coniston, which is more than a mile away from Great How, having parked their car at the Fell Gate car park and walked right past the Old Man.

"Great How in descent is one of our three key hotspots where people have not fared well in the past. At least this incident had a safe outcome."

The 12 Lake District mountain rescue teams have been called out more than 370 times since the first national lockdown in March, compared to 451 in 2019.