Three teams called out after confused SOS messages near Scafell Pike

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team was called out on Friday 23 October 2026 after Cumbria Police received an emergency SOS alert seeking help near Scafell Pike, with an initial location given at Sty Head.

The team said its leader was unable to make contact with anyone in the party after the first alert. A second emergency SOS message, sent through a different service, reported that a woman in the same area had a hip injury and could not move, and Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team was asked to assist.

Further information from the iPhone SOS system then placed the caller at Taylor Gill Force, inside the area covered by Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, so that team was also called in. A later message reported that two members of the group remained at the Sty Head stretcher box.

When Wasdale's team reached the stretcher box, they found its contents had been removed but no one was there, and they repacked it. Contact with the party then showed they were moving down towards Seathwaite, and all three teams were stood down. "Many thanks to Keswick and Duddon & Furness MRT for their help," the team said in a post on its website.

The call-out began at 2.11pm and ended at 6.38pm, lasting four and a half hours. Thirteen Wasdale team members took part, contributing a total of 59 rescuer hours.

The place

Sty Head is a mountain pass in the Lake District, Cumbria, at an altitude of 1,600 feet with a small tarn near its summit. It lies at the head of Wasdale, between the mountains of Great Gable and Scafell Pike. (Wikipedia)

The team

Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team has operated in the western fells of the Lake District for more than 50 years, covering England's highest mountain, Scafell Pike, according to its website. It said it responds to more than 100 calls a year and has around 40 volunteer members.

The team recorded 154 call-outs in 2025, according to the Mountain Rescue England and Wales annual review. (Wasdale MRT, Mountain Rescue England and Wales)

Staying safe

Mountain Rescue England and Wales advises that in an emergency in the hills, people should dial 999 or 112, ask for the police, then mountain rescue, and give all available details including location before staying put until contacted. It also notes that anyone with hearing or speech difficulties can register in advance to contact 999 by text. (mountain.rescue.org.uk)

Earlier call-outs in Lake District & Cumbria

• Person freed after becoming trapped under boulder on Scafell Pike

• Search near Styhead called off before Keswick team reached walkers

• Two walkers guided to safety after getting lost in Eskdale

Read Wasdale MRT’s original post on its website.

Sources

1. Sty Head: Fri 23rd Oct 2026 Wasdale MRT
2. Sty Head Wikipedia
3. MREW Annual Review 2026, incident figures January to December 2025 Mountain Rescue England and Wales
4. Wasdale MRT website Wasdale MRT
5. In an emergency in the hills, dial 999 or 112, ask for the police, then mountain rescue. mountain.rescue.org.uk
6. If you have hearing or speech difficulties, you can register to contact 999 by text by sending the word register to 999 and following the instructions sent. mountain.rescue.org.uk