Lake District death: Walker dies falling from Striding Edge

The man left his wife at the start of Striding Edge, deciding to do the scramble alone

A man has died after falling on a walk in the Lake District with his wife.

The 54-year-old man and his wife had been climbing Helvellyn but his wife stopped when they reached the start of Striding Edge.

They agreed her husband would continue along the scramble in the walk on 2 November but when he did not return she called police.

The body of the man, from Cheshire, was found by rescue volunteers on the south side of the mountain.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team were called out by police officers at 16:50 GMT on 2 November to look for the missing man.

Team members started the search beneath the ridge at Red Tarn basin and Nethermost Cove. 

Mountain Rescue volunteers searched beneath the ridge at Red Tarn Basin and Nethermost Cove

The Lake District Mountain Rescue search dogs and five handlers were also involved, along with HM Coastguard and a search and rescue helicopter from Humberside, equipped with night vision and infra-red search capabilities.

Mountain rescue volunteers from Penrith and Keswick were also called on.

A search dog found the man's body about three-and-a-half hours later at the back of Nethermost Cove, on the south side of the mountain. 

Patterdale Mountain Rescue said from the man's injuries it was clear he had "fallen a significant distance over broken ground".

He was confirmed dead at the scene by a team doctor, and it took six hours to recover his body because of the location and terrain of the cove.

In total about 45 mountain rescue volunteers were involved.

Cumbria Police asked anyone who might have seen what happened to contact them.