Teen wild campers rescued in 'worst' of Storm Dave

Samantha JaggerNorth East and Cumbria
Samantha Jagger Priest's Hole at Dove Crag in the Lake District. It is a mossy, black rock face that has broken, grassy rocky ground leading up to it. Samantha Jagger
Priest's Hole can have "serious consequences if you fail to find the route up the rock face"

Four boys had to be rescued from a Lake District crag in "the worst of Storm Dave", a mountain rescue team has said.

The teenagers were intending to camp at Priest's Hole, a cave perched on the side of Dove Crag, but became "cold, wet and feared for their lives" as they called Cumbria Police at about 21:10 BST on Saturday, said Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (PMRT).

An amber weather warning for wind for Cumbria was issued for Saturday, with the Mountain Weather Information Service predicting gusts of 70-80mph (113-129 km/h) on higher fells.

"Numerous teams were out during the storm for stricken wild campers, putting everyone's lives in danger unnecessarily," said PMRT.

Earlier, mountain rescue teams advised people to choose "low level walks" in "such extreme situations".

PMRT said volunteers made their way from the Patterdale base along the lake road where trees were blown over and lots of debris from the high winds had made driving conditions dangerous.

PMRT A group of mountain rescue volunteers walk across rocky, grassy broken ground in the dark. The volunteers are lit up by headtorches. They are wearing red and black waterproofs and use walking poles. PMRT
PMRT said the rescue operation had put "everyone's lives in danger unnecessarily"

Team members from Penrith were also requested to assist due to the nature of the rescue and its location.

One of the teenagers was suffering from mild hypothermia and was treated at the scene.

"Suitable advice was given on how lucky they were to be rescued in the conditions without serious injuries received," the team said.

Priest's Hole can have "serious consequences if you fail to find the route up the rock face, especially in wet and wild conditions," PMRT said.

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