Mountain rescue in Wales

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A member of a rescue team in Snowdonia; November 1952 by Geoff Charles (1909-2002) A mountain rescue team (14069980603).jpg
A member of a rescue team in Snowdonia; November 1952 by Geoff Charles (1909-2002)

Mountain rescue in Wales is the search and rescue activities that occur in the mountainous and other wilderness environments in Wales. Wales is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. Mountain rescue teams are called out through the police, via the 999 system, to assist police, fire and ambulance. They also work closely with the Air Ambulance and HM Coastguard helicopters as well as the search and rescue dog associations and cave rescue.

Contents

Voluntary mountain rescue teams in Wales are independent charities whose members are highly trained volunteers, who offer a free service and who are called out by the police. Some are members of the 'Mountain Rescue England and Wales' organisation.

About 375,000 people walk the paths to the summit of Snowdon every year; around 1% will need assistance to come down the mountain. [1]

Organisations

South

The co-ordinating body for the South is covered by the South Wales Search and Rescue Association, and include:

North

The co-ordinating body for the North is the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association:

SARDA Wales

Search and Rescue Dog Association Wales are a group of volunteers who go out to search for missing people anywhere in Wales. Many SARDA Wales dog handlers are also members of Mountain Rescue teams and also offer their services to Police, Mountain Rescue & Coastguard. There are two groups: one for the North and another in the South. [3]

RAF
A Search and Rescue (SAR) SeaKing helicopter from RAF Valley, during a training sortie in the Snowdon mountains of the North. RAF Search and Resue SeaKing Helicopter in Snowdonia MOD 45152353.jpg
A Search and Rescue (SAR) SeaKing helicopter from RAF Valley, during a training sortie in the Snowdon mountains of the North.

The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service has a teams in Wales – and as part of the military is wholly government funded. They have primary responsibility for aircraft crashes on high ground, but also respond to civilian calls for assistance from hikers and climbers.

Caves

North Wales Cave Rescue Organisation is a registered charity operates from and is a member of the British Cave Rescue Council and North Wales Mountain Rescue Association. [4] but some teams operate as both cave rescue teams and mountain rescue teams. South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT) is a registered charity which was initially set up in 1946 for Swansea and Neath Valleys. Since then, howevers, the team's area of responsibility covers South and Mid Wales. They provide technical support to Mountain Rescue Teams, search for missing people and provided assistance on the Tham Luang cave rescue in 2018. [5]

Mountain Rescue England and Wales

Mountain Rescue England and Wales is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with its main offices in Tamworth, England. It supports mountain rescue groups in:

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowdon</span> Mountain in Snowdonia, Wales

Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa, is a mountain in the Snowdonia region of North Wales. It has an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon is designated a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna, and is located within Snowdonia National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanberis</span> Village in North Wales

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glyder Fawr</span> Mountain in Snowdonia, Wales

Glyder Fawr is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, the highest peak in the Glyderau range at just over 1,000 metres. It is the fifth-highest mountain in Wales and has several walking and scrambling routes leading to its summit. According to Sir Ifor Williams, the word "Glyder" derives from the Welsh word "Gludair", meaning a heap of stones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aran Fawddwy</span> Mountain in Wales

Aran Fawddwy is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom. It is the highest point of the historic county of Merionethshire. It is the highest peak in the Aran mountain range, the only peak in Wales outside North Snowdonia above 900m, and higher than anywhere in the United Kingdom outside Northern Snowdonia, the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District. The nearest small settlements to the mountain are Dinas Mawddwy to the south, Llanymawddwy to the southeast, Llanuwchllyn on the shores of Bala Lake to the north, and Rhydymain to the west. The nearest settlements with around 2,000 people are Bala and Dolgellau. On the eastern slopes of Aran Fawddwy is the small lake named Creiglyn Dyfi, the source of the River Dyfi. Its sister peak is Aran Benllyn at 885 metres (2,904 ft). There is also a middle peak: Erw y Ddafad-ddu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen-y-Pass</span> Mountain pass in Gwynedd, Wales

Pen-y-Pass is a mountain pass in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a popular location from which to walk up Snowdon, as three of the popular routes can be started here. Glyder Fawr, to the north, is also accessible from here.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pen-y-Gwryd</span>

Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and the A498 from Beddgelert and Nant Gwynant about a mile from the head of the Llanberis Pass. It is close to the boundary with Conwy county borough in northern Snowdonia. The famous mountaineering hostelry, Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, is located in the pass. It is also a mountain rescue post with links to the other rescue posts at Ogwen Cottage and Plas y Brenin.

Ron James MBE was a British mountaineer, rock climber, and writer who was a co-founder of the Ogwen Cottage Mountain School in Snowdonia, North Wales in the UK. Born in January 1933, he died in March 2023 aged 90.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain rescue in England and Wales</span> UK rescue services

Mountain rescue services in England and Wales operate under the association of Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW), formerly called Mountain Rescue Council of England & Wales. The association has a number of regional mountain rescue teams, each of which is an independent charity. The team members are highly trained volunteers who are called out by the police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team</span>

The Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team is a voluntary organisation that functions as a search and rescue service covering the southern half of West Yorkshire. It is a registered charity entirely funded by public contributions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Rescue Ireland</span>

Mountain Rescue Ireland is the representative body for mountain rescue services on the island of Ireland. It has eleven member organisations - ten regional mountain rescue teams and one national canine search team (SARDA). Mountain Rescue Ireland (MRI) is a member of the International Commission for Alpine Rescue (IKAR-CISA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service</span> UK military rescue team

The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service (RAFMRS) provides the United Kingdom military's only all-weather search and rescue asset for the United Kingdom. Royal Air Force (RAF) mountain rescue teams (MRTs) were first organised during World War II to rescue aircrew from the large number of military aircraft crashes then occurring due to navigational errors in conjunction with bad weather and resulting poor visibility when flying in the vicinity of high ground. The practice at the time was to organise ad-hoc rescue parties from station medical sections and other ground personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambrian Way</span> Long distance footpath in Wales

The Cambrian Way, initially an unofficial long distance footpath in Wales running from Cardiff to Conwy, was officially recognised in 2019. Primarily a mountain walk, it runs over many of the highest and most scenically beautiful areas of Wales. It was pioneered in the 1960s and 1970s by walker Tony Drake, who later produced a guidebook of the walk.

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Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland (MRCofS), now known as Scottish Mountain Rescue is the body which represents and coordinates mountain rescue teams in Scotland. It has 27 affiliated mountain rescue teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Snowdonia National Park</span> Overview of geology in Snowdonia, Wales

The geology of Snowdonia National Park in North Wales is dominated by sedimentary and volcanic rocks from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods with intrusions of Ordovician and Silurian age. There are Silurian and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks on the park's margins. The succession was intensely faulted and folded during the Caledonian Orogeny. The region was uplifted as the North Atlantic Ocean opened during the Cenozoic. The current mountainous landscape arises from repeated glaciations during the Quaternary period.

References

  1. "Rescue on Snowdon". Snowdonia National Park. Snowdonia National Park. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  2. "Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team (AMRT". Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue Team (AMRT. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  3. "SARDA WALES". SARDA WALES. SARDA. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. "British Cave Rescue Council". caverescue.org.uk. British Cave Rescue Council. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  5. "South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT)". South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT). South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team (SMWCRT).
  6. "Mountain Rescue England and Wales". Mountain Rescue England and Wales. Retrieved 21 February 2021.

Further reading