Village mountain rescue team in first lockdown callout

A village mountain rescue team has been called out for its first rescue mission since the beginning of lockdown.

Arrochar Mountain Rescue was contacted at 3.20pm on Sunday to help in the search for three hillwalkers who were lost in the mist of the Cobbler in Argyll.

The individuals were located and safely escorted from the hill, while social distancing was followed, and were met at the bottom by police.

Officers explained the current regulations on travel during lockdown and issued them with the relevant fine.

The callout comes days after Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR) said they were “slightly nervous” over the prospect of a “sudden rush of rescues” as people begin to return to the hills.

Last week the Scottish Government set out its phased approach to easing lockdown, with the first phase allowing for non-contact outdoor activities such as hiking – providing that people are doing so broadly within five miles of their home.

It means those who can adhere to the ‘getting around’ guidelines of the route map and are staying within a short distance of their local community can visit the hills from Thursday.

However, despite confirming SMR’s teams would be responding to callouts, they admitted a slightly nervousness and conceded they could “struggle to cope” with a rush of rescues.