Bank Holiday weekend walkers rescued at Crackington Haven
Three walkers enjoying the late August sunshine were rescued this afternoon after being cut off by the tide.
The group had set out this morning on a long walk to enjoy the good Bank Holiday weather. Unfortunately when nearing Crackington, the group realised that they had misjudged the tide and had become cut off. Although well equipped and prepared, unfortunately the area at the bottom of the cliffs had no mobile signal: luckily a fourth member of the group was able to climb up the cliff and alerted lifeguards on the beach.
Senior RNLI lifeguard, Ella Henwood, acted quickly, radioing the Coastguard who paged their teams at Bude and Boscastle. Although the beach where the party was stranded was out of the lifeguarded area, Ella sought permission from the Coastguard and paddled out to the stranded walkers. Once she reached them, she checked their condition and passed information to the Coastguard who stood by a cliff rescue team and tasked the RNLI Bude Lifeboat to the walkers.
The group had been stuck for some time by then and the waves were breaking around the rocks where they were stranded, with about an hour before the tide would have risen to a dangerous level. Ella stayed with the group until they could be brought, one by one, onto the lifeboat and then she paddled back to her station.
The three walkers were taken safely back to the beach by 3.30pm and required no medical treatment.
Ella said, 'The walkers were well prepared when they set out this morning with warm jumpers and water on board, but unfortunately the tide was against them when they reached the bottom of the cliffs. Our volunteer colleagues on the Bude Lifeboat were able to reach them on the rocks and, happily, everyone made it back home safely.
'We would encourage all walkers to check the tide times before they set out and to be aware of any local spots which are prone to being cut off by high water. RNLI Lifeguards know the surrounding coast very well and we're always happy to offer advice and answer questions on how to enjoy our beaches safely.'
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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