A stranded backpacker had to be rescued off Dartmoor during the first snow of the winter.
The cold snap which saw closures on trains and roads, caught the backpack camper by surprise and despite being well-prepared for the conditions, they became stuck in the worsening weather and called for help.
North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team located the backpacker who had become lost in the low cloud, ongoing blizzard and extremely deep snowdrifts at Yes Tor, the second highest point on Dartmoor on Thursday last week.
A spokesperson for North Dartmoor Search and Rescue said: “We use two Land Rover 110 Defenders, which have been heavily modified to handle Dartmoor's rugged terrain and all weather conditions we might face on a callout.
“We use snow chains around the tyres when conditions are as they have been, and team members will have attended 4x4/off-road training as part of their training.”
Snowdrifts, some of them as high as 5ft in places, stopped the group’s Land Rover and team continuing past the track alongside West Mill Tor and meant they had to continue on foot.
The camper was located at the summit of the tor in whiteout conditions at 12.25pm and escorted back to the awaiting Land Rover before being returned safely to Okehampton.
A spokesperson said: “The backpacker is a frequent visitor to Dartmoor, is experienced and had all the right kit; this meant they were not in a life-threatening situation or injured when we arrived.
“However, Dartmoor’s weather is changeable and unforgiving and can catch out even the most experienced of hikers and campers. The individual made the right call to ask for help before things deteriorated.”
It is an unusual callout, for the team, they say, as Devon and Cornwall in general doesn’t see much snowfall. They added: “When it does snow, however, it can come down thick and fast and leave the South West and many remote locations, such as Dartmoor, inaccessible and impassable.”
“Although snow levels in Okehampton might be walkable, up on Dartmoor, the open and rugged terrain can mean snow collects along the banks and in the holes across Dartmoor, making for some very deep snowdrifts.
“As a result, you cannot see where granite slabs, holes or even bogs may have been previously. Add blizzard conditions to the mix, everything is whiteout with zero visibility and it's a scary situation to be in.”
The backpack camper fortunately didn’t sustain any injuries but was cold and wet, having fallen into several deep snowdrifts. The spokesman adds: “Knowing the landscape, they are lucky to have not sustained any injuries from the falls.”
The team members who responded returned to the rescue centre and were stood down at 1.53pm.
For help from mountain rescue England and Wales, call 999 and ask for police or ambulance. Then ask for mountain rescue and give your location and as much information as you can to the call handler. That information is then relayed to the search managers who deploy teams on a callout.