A MISSING walker was rescued after scrambling down onto a cliff face with no ropes or climbing equipment at Morwenstow on Monday.

Bude Coastguard Rescue Team was paged at 2.50pm and tasked to Vicarage Cliff. Hartland Coastguard Search and Rescue Team was also tasked.

With one member of Bude CRT already on scene, further information was gathered from the first informant that the casualty was a 21-year-old man who had scrambled down onto the 460ft high Henna Cliff face with no ropes or climbing equipment.

As the two Coastguard Rescue Teams arrived, and with the information that the casualty’s last seen position was on Henna Cliff on the opposite side of the valley, it was quickly decided that scrambling Rescue 924 (the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter based in Newquay) would be the most efficient way of searching the cliffs themselves, as access to the rocky foreshore below the cliff (one of the highest and most shear in Cornwall) would require a prolonged and tricky hike, when time was of the utmost essence.

As Rescue 924 set off from Newquay, Bude CRT deployed search teams to check the areas upon the cliff top close to where the casualty had last been seen, and to retrieve two further members of the first informant’s group who were positioned half way up the cliff on the cliff path, and bring them to an area of safety as Rescue 924 approached.

Meanwhile, Hartland CRT — who had repositioned northward and on the top of Henna Cliff — rigged up an Edge Safety Officer who, under a restraint system, was able to get to the edge of the cliff and search part of the cliff face. Miraculously, the ESO managed to spot the casualty on the cliff face, who was conscious and able to signal back to the Coastguard Rescue Officer.

With Rescue 924 informed of the casualty’s status, and as it arrived on scene, the Edge Safety Officer set about guiding the helicopter on to the casualty’s position which was on a steep and precarious scree slope, part way down the cliff face.

As the winchman lowered into position and rescue of the casualty got under way, Bude CRT prepared a helicopter landing site (HLS) should the casualty be uninjured and able to be recovered to his friends.

Happily, this was the case, and after a check over from the winchman aboard Rescue 924, the helicopter set down in the HLS and released the extremely relieved casualty to waiting members of Bude CRT.

After a final check over, the casualty was reunited with his friends, and all Coastguard Rescue Teams and Rescue 924 were stood down.

A spokesperson for Bude CRT said: “The first informant did exactly the right thing in this situation — rather than attempting to locate the casualty himself, he called 999 and asked for the Coastguard. He was further helped by a grid reference tag that had been placed onto a gate post along the coast path (one of many attached to posts along the path some time ago by members of Bude CRT). He was then able to relay his exact position to the Coastguard Operations Centre, leading to a more efficient rescue of his friend.”