A Lake District walker who took a tumble while out on the fells blamed his dog for the incident – with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
The man was on Eagle Crag on Good Friday when the incident happened and Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was called out to help at around 3.30pm.
The team said: “It was the dog’s fault, he pushed me!’ The words (with a smile) of a lone Wainwright-bagging walker who had been descending the very steep path down the nose of Eagle Crag with his dog Benji.
“After scrambling down a steep step on the ‘path’ the man went to lift his dog down, Benji pushed at the wrong time and unbalanced him sending the man tumbling.
“Fortunately a good ledge stopped him going a lot further but not before he had sustained a large gash on his head.
“Many thanks to the passing walker who showed us the way to the casualty.
“A team medic scrambled up to the man and treated his wound whilst a rope was rigged from above to allow a protected scramble back up for a walk off down a better path.
“By the time the team reached the bottom of the hill Benji had long since been forgiven!”
It was the first of two calls for the team on Good Friday, as they were called out at 6.30pm to a 24-year-old man with a leg injury at Great End.
He was sheltering in a survival bag at Calf Cove. The team were finishing up rescuing Benji and his owner, so requested support from Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team for a possible long stretcher carry.
The team added: “The wetness of this Good Friday did not seem to have deterred people from going in the fells, most were well prepared for the conditions.
“The would-be campers who we passed and who later abandoned their tents were clearly less well prepared.
“When the team were high on the Grains Gill path a message was received from Cumbria Police stating the casualty party no longer required emergency services and were making their own way off the hill. The teams returned to base to dry kit. Many thanks to Cockermouth for coming to our assistance.”
