Busy spell for Arran’s mountain rescue team
The number of callouts for the Arran Mountain Rescue Team seems to be continuing unabated following a busy period at the start of the month, which included attending to the PS Waverley crash and two further rescues for the team of volunteers.
Last week a further three incidents saw the team being tasked with callouts to attend to emergencies in the Arran hills.
On Monday afternoon the team was called out to assist the ambulance service with a fallen mountain biker on the Narachan track, Lochranza, an off-road track which leads to Laggan cottage. The ambulance crew managed to get to the casualty so the team had limited involvement but wished the casualty a speedy recovery.
On Wednesday the team was called out in the early evening to assist two female walkers who had become lost and then ran out of daylight in the Laggan area. The team picked them up from near Millstone Point, thankfully both were uninjured, and were taken to safety.
Fractured ankle
Sunday saw the the team being called out to assist a female with a fractured ankle at the blue pools, Glen Rosa. She was given pain relief and taken out the glen to an awaiting ambulance.
Scottish Mountain Rescue, the organisation which works nationally to support and represent 24 independent mountain rescue teams that operate across Scotland, has reported an increase in the number of mountain incidents across Scotland, no doubt as people once again start venturing out into the outdoors and mountains.
Lomond Mountain Rescue Team has reported its busiest year yet with call-out number 39 over the weekend, near Ben Venue, where two walkers lost their way and had to be assisted off the mountain and over the Ledard Burn which was in full flow.
Remind
A spokesperson from Scottish Mountain Rescue provided the following advice for hillwalkers and mountain climbers: ‘We’d like to remind people venturing into the hills to check your kit to ensure you are fully prepared. Ensure you have suitable clothing for any weather conditions you may encounter and have within your rucksack a spare warm layer (jacket, fleece), spare gloves, hat and extra food.
‘In addition to that it is always a good idea to have a map for the area you are walking in, a compass (know how to use it) and a torch and spare batteries. We are moving into autumn now and the evenings are getting darker and the temperature is dropping.
‘We recommend that you don’t use a mobile phone as your only navigation aid as they have their limitations. If you do get into difficulty try and keep as much charge in your phone battery as you can, (in the cold battery life is very short).
‘Remember, if you do require assistance, phone 999 and ask for police then mountain rescue, try and stay calm and give as much information to the operator as you can (what the emergency is, where you are, size of party, telephone numbers in your party, any known medical issues etc), bear in mind, however, that given the remoteness of some of the areas, mobile phone signal can be very poor and it can take a number of hours for the rescue team to get to you.
Assist
‘Leaving a route card of your intended journey with family or a friend can assist our mountain rescue teams too.
‘With a bit of forward planning, looking at weather forecasts, thinking about your route and your skills will enable you to have an enjoyable day out in the wonderful mountain environment we have in Scotland.’