Tag: Mounthooly Bunkhouse

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Incident No: 64 2017

Date: 10 December
Time: 11.58hrs
Location: Auchope Cairn, College Valley

The third incident this week led to the Team being deployed to the College Valley. A relative of a walker reported that they had been tracking the walker’s phone and indicated that the ‘phone ping’ had remained in the same location for 24 hours. She was clearly concerned for the walker’s wellbeing and contact was duly made with the Police.

Northumbria Police activated North of Tyne MRT and ourselves just before midday on Sunday. As we went to standby and the National Police Air Support service attended, a hasty party of local Team members was despatched to the College valley. Two vehicles were also despatched in support.

Soon after it was decided to call out the full team as we were uncertain NPAS could reach the location of the ‘phone ping’ due to cloud lying over The Cheviot. The Teams were to RV in Wooler to give us the option of deploying search groups from Wooler Common, Harthope valley and College valley.

Border Search & Rescue Unit were also placed on standby.

Unfortunately (or fortunately!) not long after the callout message it became apparent that our missing walker had more than likely spent the night at the Mounthooly bunkhouse and had left in the morning, fit and well. Once this information was confirmed, the majority of Team members were stood down.

The hasty party was requested by the Police to conduct a limited search in and around the location of the ‘phone ping’, which by now had been confirmed as being on the northerly slope of Auchope Cairn, just below the summit. After a hasty search of the lower to mid section of the Hen Hole and the route from Auchope shelter to Auchope Cairn had been conducted, with nothing found, the hasty party headed back to our Land Rover in the valley. Soon after it was confirmed that the walker had returned to Mounthooly having walked to Windy Gyle and back, totally oblivious about what had been going on.

A well meaning incident. Thankfully nobody was at risk and the walker was accounted for at the end of the day.

We’d like to thank, once again, the College Valley Estate for their assistance.

The incident involved 8 Team members for 6 hours 30 minutes. Another 16 members were en-route to Wooler when they were stood down.

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Incident No: 42 2017

Date: 27 August 2017
Time: 18.33hrs
Location: Auchope Shelter

The busy Bank Holiday weekend continues. A female walker had sustained a knee injury and was unable to weight bare whilst walking in The Cheviots. The injured walker and her three companions decided to call for the assistance of Mountain Rescue and took shelter in the Auchope refuge hut on the Border Ridge.

North of Tyne MRT and ourselves swiftly responded with two local members travelling direct to the College Valley and two Team Land Rovers from our respective bases with two Team members on board each. The RVP was Mounthooly bunkhouse.

In parallel Border Search & Rescue Unit deployed from the Scottish side of the border with two Landrovers. They intended to approach the refuge from the Bowmont valley whilst we approached from the upper College valley.

Thankfully for us the Estate Manager for College Valley and a colleague were able to assist by transporting a Team member onto the hill in their ATV. The ATV was then used to evacuate the injured walker and one other member of the party. Our Team member then walked the other two members of the party off the hill before being transported the remainder of the journey back to Mounthooly in a Team Land Rover.

The walkers were then transported in a Team Land Rover (or taxi!) back to their car in the Harthope Valley. They never quite made it to the top of The Cheviot – their objective for the day – so we hope they’ll be back up this way again once our casualty has made a full recovery.

We would particularly like to thank Steven and Mark from the College Valley Estate for their assistance during this rescue.

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The incident involved 9 Team members for 4 hours. The rest of the Team were on standby in case more assistance was required.

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*** Incident No.28 ***

Wednesday 15 June, 22.50hrs

Two short lived incidents in a day! The Team along with North of Tyne MRT was contacted by Northumbria Police at 22.50hrs for an overdue walker in the College Valley.

The owner of the Mounthooly Bunkhouse had contacted the Police after a walker failed to turn up. The walker in his 60s had left, late morning, to walk along the Border Ridge to Windy Gyle and back. After it baca me dark the owner of the bunkhouse, quite rightly, became increasingly concerned for the lone walker’s wellbeing.

As one of our Incident Controllers was speaking to the Police, the walker arrived back at the bunkhouse – safe, tired and rather late for his dinner!

All done and dusted very quickly and without anyone needing to leave home! We like these sort of incidents.

The incident involved two Team members for 15 minutes.

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