Cave Rescue Organisation helps ambulance service reach patient at Foxup

Cave Rescue Organisation was asked to help Yorkshire Ambulance Service reach a person with a medical issue at Foxup, after a road closure blocked the usual access route, the team said in a post on its website on Tuesday 27 October 2026.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service first asked Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association for help, as Foxup lies within that team's area of operation.

The road closure meant Cave Rescue Organisation could reach the location faster, so Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association handed the incident to the team.

The team said in a post on its website: "Due to a road closure affecting access, Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) had requested MRT assistance in gaining access to a local person having a medial issue at Foxup."

The team

Cave Rescue Organisation covers the Yorkshire Dales, according to the Mountain Rescue England and Wales annual review. The team recorded 88 call-outs in 2025, according to the same review. (Mountain Rescue England and Wales)

Getting help

Anyone needing a cave rescue team should dial 999 and ask for the police, then for cave rescue, according to the British Cave Rescue Council. AdventureSmart UK advises people to check they have the right knowledge and skills, to know the weather forecast, and to carry the right gear before setting off, particularly in autumn and winter when days are shorter and conditions more demanding. (caverescue.org.uk, adventuresmart.uk)

Staying safe

Mountain and cave rescue teams say anyone planning a day outdoors should check the weather forecast, carry appropriate equipment and consider their own experience against the route or activity planned. In an emergency, people should dial 999 and ask for the police, then for the relevant rescue service. (caverescue.org.uk, adventuresmart.uk)

Earlier call-outs in North Yorkshire

• Walker rescued after fall above Malham Cove

• Missing man found alive after overnight search in Corsham

Read Cave Rescue Organisation’s original post on its website.

Update, Tuesday 27 October

Cave Rescue Organisation posted again:

Shortly after we had closed down incident number 69, CRO were contacted by North Yorkshire Police (NYP) to assist with a group of 3 walkers who had taken a wrong turn whilst descending Ingleborough and were heading towards Clapham rather

than their intended destination of Horton in Ribblesdale. After making contact with the party, who were cold, but uninjured and hunkered down, a CRO Duty Controller (DC) was able to ascertain their location via phonefind (a form of text message that will provide the phones’ location and plot it on our mapping system). After a quick conversation, and confirmation that the group had headtorches, it was agreed that they would start making their way down towards Clapham and CRO vehicles would be despatched to intercept them and assist them off the hill. The DC kept sending phonefind messages which enabled him to continually track the casualty party, and was able to reassure them that they were on the right track. The party were met by CRO team members at Trow Gill where they were escorted back to our vehicles and conveyed back to their own cars in Horton in Ribblesdale.

This group did exactly the right thing by calling for help and then staying put in a safe location with phone signal until we were able to contact them and come up with the best plan to get them off the hill safely and without further incident. Additionally, having appropriate lighting in the form of head torches provided the CRO DC with enough confidence to request the party to start making their own way down whilst he tracked their progress as they ‘self rescued’.

Volunteer hours, 14

Read the update from Cave Rescue Organisation.

Sources

1. Incident 69/2026. October 27th Tuesday 14:19hrs, Foxup Cave Rescue Organisation
2. MREW Annual Review 2026, incident figures January to December 2025 Mountain Rescue England and Wales
3. If you need a cave rescue team, dial 999 and ask for the police, then for cave rescue. caverescue.org.uk
4. AdventureSmart UK has advice on planning a safe day outdoors. adventuresmart.uk