Two male walkers had made a 999 call for help from the top of Kinder scout.  They had managed to pass a What3Words location and said they were very cold, wet and unable to continue.  Their position put them in the middle of the plateau on one of the branches of the Kinder river.  We attempted to call them back, but were unable to get through to them again, so couldn’t confirm this location with a PhoneFind.

Given that the conditions on the tops were severe, hypothermia would be quite likely for anyone sat in one location for several hours.  We quickly sent three search parties out, with Kinder 1 going directly to the location to establish if the walkers were there.  We were very concerned that if they weren’t at the given location, it would be a very difficult task to find them quickly given the size of the plateau and the conditions on the night.

Kinder 1 eventually arrived at the location to find that the missing people were not there.  We made the decision to get as many additional resources as possible, so called for help from Glossop MRT, Buxton MRT and Edale MRT.  We were also able to get 5 MRSDE Search dog teams to help with the search.

Kinder 1 completed a search of the immediate area and found nothing, another four Kinder search parties then made their way in to search areas within 400m of the initial location.  Meanwhile the other teams came in from the north, south and east to cover off any possible routes off they may have taken if they decided to try and walk out.

After another hour of searching, a Kinder party found both casualties.  They had continued on to find a more sheltered area in a grough, where they could wait to be rescued.

After being warmed up, they were both able to be escorted to our team vehicles at Edale Cross and driven down to our base.  It was after midnight before all the wet gear had been packed away and team members could finally head home.

KMRT would like to thank the other teams of the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organization for their help in getting a successful outcome for these lost walkers.  We would also very much like to thank the staff at New Mills Co-op who donated their left over sandwiches to us on the night.  Most team members had to leave home straight after work without eating, so we had some very hungry team members coming off the hill.  It was much appreciated.

Kinder Mountain Rescue Team is staffed by volunteers who give their time free of charge and is funded entirely by public donations.

https://www.justgiving.com/kmrt

– Time: 17:30

– Type: Mountain Incident

– Location: Kinder Plateau, Kinder Scout

– Team members: 28 + Glossop MRT, Buxton MRT, Edale MRT & 5 Search Dogs

– Duration: 7 hours

– Volunteer hours on this incident: 196 hour

– Total callout hours in 2026: 321 hours