False alarm after reports of shouts for help on Arran

Arran Mountain Rescue Team was called out on Monday 19 October 2026 after reports of shouts for help in the area of Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa on the Isle of Arran.

Team members were deployed on foot and by Argo to search the area, the team said.

No one was found during the search, according to the team.

"On this occasion, it was a false alarm with good intentions," the team said in a post on X.

The team

Arran Mountain Rescue Team is made up of volunteers who provide search and rescue assistance to walkers and climbers on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde off the west coast of Scotland, according to its website. The team currently has 30 members and is on call 365 days a year, the website says.

It recorded 29 call-outs in 2025, according to the SMR Statistics Report 2025. (Arran MRT, Mountain Rescue England and Wales)

Mountain rescue in Scotland

Scottish Mountain Rescue represents 26 volunteer mountain rescue teams across the country, including search and rescue dog associations, the Scottish Cave Rescue Organisation and an aerial search and rescue association, according to its website. Teams recorded 798 incidents in 2025, of which 491 were mountaineering related and 307 were non-mountaineering, Scottish Mountain Rescue said.

This included 1,270 activations, an average of 3.5 a day, including continuations. (scottishmountainrescue.org)

Staying safe

Anyone in difficulty or hearing shouts for help in the hills should call 999 and ask for the police, then mountain rescue, Scottish Mountain Rescue advises. The Met Office publishes separate mountain weather forecasts for UK upland areas, which can help walkers plan a route and judge conditions before setting out. (scottishmountainrescue.org, metoffice.gov.uk)

Read Arran MRT’s original post on X.

Sources

1. Arran MRT call-out post Arran MRT
2. SMR Statistics Report 2025, callouts by team Mountain Rescue England and Wales
3. Arran MRT website Arran MRT
4. In an emergency in the hills, call 999 and ask for the police, then mountain rescue. scottishmountainrescue.org
5. The Met Office publishes mountain forecasts for the UK uplands. metoffice.gov.uk