Walker rescued after ankle injury on Latterbarrow

Coniston Mountain Rescue Team was called out on Saturday 17 October 2026 to help a man who had injured his ankle after slipping on mud while descending Latterbarrow, near Hawkshead in Cumbria.

The North West Ambulance Service asked the team to attend at 1.34pm. The team said in a post on its website, "It was a sunny dry afternoon," when the request came in.

Three vehicles were deployed and parked at the roadside, and team members then walked to the top of the fell. Once there, they assessed the casualty, gave him pain relief and splinted his leg before carrying him down to the Land Rovers on a stretcher.

According to the team, the man and his wife were then taken to their holiday accommodation, from where relatives were to drive him to hospital.

The team said 14 members took part in the rescue, which lasted just under three hours.

Latterbarrow

Latterbarrow is a hill in the Lake District east of Hawkshead, reaching 803ft (245m) and topped by a monument. It features in a guidebook chapter describing it as a circular walk needing little effort but yielding much delight. (Wikipedia)

Coniston Mountain Rescue Team

Coniston Mountain Rescue Team was founded in 1947, making it the first team of its kind in the UK, and currently has more than 30 active volunteers, according to its website. The team recorded 71 call-outs in 2025, according to the Mountain Rescue England and Wales annual review. (Coniston MRT, Mountain Rescue England and Wales)

Staying safe

Mountain Rescue England and Wales advises walkers to dial 999 or 112 and ask for the police, then mountain rescue, in an emergency in the hills. It also recommends noting key details such as location and the nature of any injuries before calling, and says those 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

• Coniston MRT called to Coniston Old Man

• Woman hurt in e-bike fall at Stang End rescued by Coniston MRT

• Search called off after walker found safe at Honister Slate Mine

Read Coniston MRT’s original post on its website.

Sources

1. Latterbarrow Coniston MRT
2. Latterbarrow Wikipedia
3. MREW Annual Review 2026, incident figures January to December 2025 Mountain Rescue England and Wales
4. Coniston MRT website Coniston 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