Hunt for pair rescued from mountain who left hotel that put them up without paying
A rescue team who spent seven hours saving two walkers from “treacherous conditions” on England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, owe a hotel that took them in £130
A team spent seven hours rescuing the two walkers from Scafell Pike(Image: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team/Facebook)
Two walkers who were rescued from “treacherous conditions” on England’s highest mountain are being urged to pay their bill after a hotel took them in late at night after their rescue.
Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team was called in to rescue two young men who had become stranded on Scafell Pike in Cumbria on December 29 in an “avoidable” incident. They were found at the Corridor Route just before the Bad Step, which is a particularly steep part of the mountain.
After the seven-hour rescue, the pair were taken in by the Wasdale Head Inn nearby, with the bar manager offering to stay up to provide food and a room at a 35 per cent discount. But the next morning, the pair are said to have given “no thanks” to staff, and are even said to have asked for more reductions to the cost, breakfast and transport from the hotel.
Scafell Pike is England’s highest mountain.(Image: Getty Images)
The walkers said they had left their money in a tent back on the mountain, but agreed to follow up and send the £130 that they owed. But four weeks later, the bill still hasn’t been paid, and rescuers and the hotel have not heard from them. A phone number they had left with the hotel also did not work.
While the hotel waived the fee, rescuers felt the need to reimburse them so that they could rely on their help in the future. A spokesman for the Wasdale team said: “We avoid judging those we rescue but struggle to understand when the rescued take advantage of hospitality provided by our supporters in the valley.”
As well as walking out on their bill, the team said the walkers also didn’t return the head torches the volunteers lent them and that the pair left behind a hospital crutch. The spokesman said: “We have tried contacting the two walkers to encourage them to settle their debt with the hotel but also to return the head torches. We also would like to return their hospital crutch left in our vehicle that one of them with a previous leg injury had used on the ascent but again, sadly no replies to date.”
A crutch that was left behind by one of the walkers who were rescued from “treacherous conditions.”(Image: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team/Facebook)
The team posted about the incident on social media, and received an influx of donations in response, totaling more than £2,200, which far outweighs what was owed. In a post on social media, a spokesperson said: “The purpose of the post was to encourage the lost walkers to settle their hotel bill and return the missing torches and if this failed, raise funds to cover the loss.
“We have now received more than required. The Wasdale Head Inn have ben more than willing to cover the loss but we do want to reimburse them and honour our original promise to underwrite any losses. Any additional funding raised will go directly towards the team’s operational costs which are in excess of £100,000 annually.”
The team spent a total of seven hours helping the walkers, who had been sheltered in a tent by a wild camper who heard their shouts for help until the rescue team arrived. Once on the scene, the team gave the stranded walkers extra warm jackets and microspikes to help with their descent.
One of the walkers was also offered pain relief as he had a previous knee injury which had worsened on the hike. A spokesperson for the team added: “When they were safely returned to the valley bottom, wet and hungry in the early hours of the next day, Steve the bar manager at the Wasdale Head Inn kindly agreed to stay up, provide some snacks and let the two men stay in one of the unoccupied apartments at a significant 35 per cent reduced rate.
The walkers were offered a discount at a nearby hotel, but reportedly left without paying.(Image: Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team/Facebook)
“The two had already agreed to pay but their money was in their tent somewhere high on the fell near Green Gable. Disappointingly, in the morning they offered no thanks for the efforts of the hotel, asked for further reductions to the cost, pushed hard for a breakfast and asked if they could arrange transport to get them out of the valley.
“The answer was: sorry no extras and please transfer money when you can. Sadly there has been no payment to the hotel of the £130 outstanding room cost of thank you to Steve. Neither did the telephone number given to Steve work.
“We as a volunteer organisation are also missing the two head torches lent to them to get them safely off the mountain. The hotel has already agreed to cover the loss thanks to Steve and [the] hotel owner. However, as we had promised to cover any loss if the walkers failed to pay, we do still feel obliged to reimburse the hotel from our own funds in order that similar hospitality can be requested in the future under similar circumstances.”
