By Jenny Barwise

Last updated at 11:47, Friday, 07 September 2012

Supporters of guidebook author Alfred Wainwright are urging walkers following his Coast to Coast route to use a map and compass.

This comes after mountain rescuers had to rescue a group of walkers twice last weekend while they were following the popular walk, which starts at St Bees Head.

The walkers, from London, were following a guidebook to navigate instead of maps and only had one torch.

This has caused the Wainwright Society to issue a warning that the 192-mile route should not be undertaken lightly.

Derek Cockell, the society’s press and publicity officer said: “Wainwright’s guide is an excellent publication, but there is no substitute for taking a map and compass and knowing how to use them to guide one’s footsteps should bad weather make the going difficult.”

Mr Cockell said that the society was “alarmed” to read the recent report where the group of walkers had to be rescued on consecutive days.

He also pointed out that Wainwright himself considered map-reading an important skill for hillwalkers.

Cockermouth and Keswick mountain rescue teams and search dogs were called put last Friday night to look for a 73-year-old man and his 50-year-old daughter who failed to arrive at lodgings in Borrowdale.

They were found safe and well at Gatesgarth, near Buttermere.

One of the Cockermouth team broke a leg after slipping on High Crag during the search operation.

The walkers, from London, were taken to Borrowdale in a rescue-team vehicle. They continued the walk on Saturday, joined by another of the man’s daughters, only to get lost again.

The Keswick and Langdale and Ambleside teams with search dogs were called to look for them when they failed to arrive at Grasmere. The Langdale team found them at Wythburn, off the normal Coast-to-Coast route. The man had injured a leg.

Mountain rescue teams criticised the group for only having a guidebook.

JBarwise@cngroup.co.uk

First published at 11:28, Friday, 07 September 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk