Rescues soar as walkers ditch maps for mobiles
WALKERS who cannot use a paper map and compass, relying instead on phones and GPS, were yesterday blamed for a rise in mountain rescue call- outs.
Coniston Mountain Rescue Team in the Lake District has sprung into action 44 times this year – more than during the whole of 2014.
The organisation’s Jeff Carroll said an “over- reliance” on high- tech navigation aides had been a major issue.
He urged tourists, walkers and cyclists who explore the beauty spot’s many trails to carry a simple compass and Ordnance Survey paper map.
Mr Carroll blamed people using GPS and maps on their phones for the rise in
Daily Express Tuesday September 8 2015 emergency call- outs, saying these are “only ever really any good when the phone has decent signal or battery”.
He added: “You speak to some people and they say, ‘ Yes, we’re well equipped. We’ve got shorts and a T- shirt’. That’s not really well equipped.”
Rescues in recent months have included a cyclist who got lost in Grizedale Forest, unprepared walkers who lost their bearings in mist on the 2,634ft Old Man Of Coniston and a plea to look for a missing dog.
The Mountain Rescue England and Wales website urges walkers to only use mobile phones for making emergency calls – not for map- reading.
It says: “A map and compass are essential kit and should be easily accessible, not buried in the rucksack.”
Safety adviser Heather Morning said electronic devices are no substitute for basic navigation skills: “The issue lies with people. A GPS, smartphone or navigation app is unable to read important subtleties, such as a sensible route choice.
“Unless you have already used your navigational abilities to programme in an exact route it won’t direct you away from cliffs or show you the best place to cross a river.”