Man rescued after falling into river at Lydford Gorge

A man was rescued after falling from a tree into the river at the head of Lydford Gorge on Saturday 3 October 2026, injuring his ankle, Dartmoor (Tavistock) Mountain Rescue Team said.

The team was called at 12.37pm to help move the man, who had fallen from a tree into the river and hurt his ankle, according to a post on its website.

South West Ambulance Service personnel were already with him and had given him pain relief before the team arrived.

Members of the team's rope cadre set up a rope system to secure the stretcher before he was carried up a steep slope. He was then handed to the waiting ambulance.

The team described it as "a successful multi-agency response involving personnel from Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, South West Ambulance Service Trust, HART, Devon Air Ambulance and ourselves."

The place

Lydford is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district, about seven miles north of Tavistock on the western edge of Dartmoor. (Wikipedia)

The team

Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team, Tavistock, responds to people who are lost, injured or distressed on Dartmoor. It is a voluntary charity funded entirely by donations and is called out by police, on call around the clock.

It recorded 30 call-outs in 2025, according to the Mountain Rescue England and Wales Annual Review 2026. (Dartmoor (Tavistock) MRT, Mountain Rescue England and Wales)

Staying safe

Mountain Rescue England and Wales advises anyone needing help in the hills to dial 999 or 112 and ask for the police, then mountain rescue, giving details of location, casualty and injuries, and to stay in position until contacted by the rescue team. (mountain.rescue.org.uk)

Earlier call-outs in Devon (South)

• Cornwall rescue team helps evacuate Falmouth after bomb find

Read Dartmoor (Tavistock) MRT’s original post on its website.

Sources

1. 03.10.2026 Injured Male, Lydford Gorge Dartmoor (Tavistock) MRT
2. Lydford Wikipedia
3. MREW Annual Review 2026, incident figures January to December 2025 Mountain Rescue England and Wales
4. Dartmoor (Tavistock) MRT website Dartmoor (Tavistock) MRT
5. In an emergency in the hills, dial 999 or 112, ask for the police, then mountain rescue. mountain.rescue.org.uk