A MOUNTAIN rescue team has reminded the public that some mapping apps have ‘serious limitations’ after three walkers became stranded in the Lake District.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was called out to help three women and a dog at Barf near Bassenthwaite Lake on January 3 at around 3pm.

The walkers were following a circular walk to Lord's Seat using the AllTrails app, which recommended a route via the steep face of Barf.

A spokesperson from Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said: “There is no path via this route, only a scramble of loose scree, which also requires the walker to negotiate the rocky outcrop of Slape Crag.

“The three woman were descending their route from the top of Barf and had negotiated the difficult down climb of Slape Crag, but with fading light and poor visibility they became cragfast and wisely dialled 999 to request Mountain Rescue help.

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“A small team was dispatched and began a search by ascending the slope from the bottom of Barf.

“The party were soon found and were given harnesses and helmets before being tied-in to short ropes to back-up the remainder of their descent to the parking area,” they said.

All the party were returned to their vehicles uninjured.

This was Keswick MRT’s fourth call out of the year.

A spokesperson from AllTrails said: "Trail safety is of the utmost importance to AllTrails and we work directly with parks and land managers to ensure the public receives the best possible information. Users can also help us maintain accurate and up-to-date trail pages by suggesting edits or leaving reviews.

"Our UK Data Integrity Team has conducted a review of this particular trail and the map has been updated. We have also contacted the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team to see how we can partner to improve trail safety.

"AllTrails is one part of the important preparation that everyone should follow to have a safe and positive experience on the trail. Users can view hiking difficulty rating (easy, moderate, hard), trail length and elevation, view weather forecasts, read user reviews and recommendations including trail conditions and appropriate gear, and find trails that are popular or highly trafficked. We recommend looking for trails with recent reviews and photos for the most up-to-date trail information," they said. 

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