Walkers helped to safety by mountain rescue team after getting lost in fog on borders of North York Moors

Volunteers with the Cleveland Mountain Rescue unit were alerted to missing walkers on the borders of the North York Moors by police, who had got a call from one of the group at around 11.15am.

He thought he was in the Bloworth Crossing area of the moors above Ingleby Greenhow but, when the rescue unit were unable to make contact, they scrambled a search and sent a Land Rover to the area which was three miles from the nearest road.

Mountain Rescue members followed the old railway line and two hours later, they caught up with the walkers who had managed to reunite.

By this time they were two miles away from the refuge of Lion Inn at Blakey and although unharmed, they were cold and wet and accepted a lift to the pub

A spokesperson for the Mountain Rescue said: "They were a group of old school friends in their 40s from the Midlands who were following the Lyke Wake Walk. They had become lost and disorientated in the fog but had found where they were when it lifted.

"Three of the team were active on the callout with many more on standby. The callout was a blast from the past as the Team was established in the mid 60s due to persons getting lost in a similar area whilst attempting the Lyke Wake."