Missing Dartmoor walker sparks 10-hour overnight search

In the late hours of Sunday 24 August, Dartmoor Search and Rescue Teams were called into action after police reported a 25-year-old walker overdue from a planned rendezvous with friends on the Moor.

The call came in at 11.05pm, prompting initial discussions between Search and Rescue Teams in Tavistock and North Dartmoor as well as police officers.

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Early confusion about the walker’s intended route - whether travelling from Devil’s Tor to Fur Tor, or vice versa - delayed the deployment as search teams were placed on standby.

By 2.40am, once the route was confirmed, a small hill party was sent out.

They reached Fur Tor around 6am but did not locate the missing walker.

At 7am, a full callout was initiated, with teams from Tavistock, Plymouth, and North Dartmoor preparing for wider searches.

A Coastguard helicopter was also tasked to sweep the area and assist with team deployment.

However, just as the helicopter landed to collect rescuers, word came through that the walker had been found safe near Beardown Tors at 9.27am. He was escorted to the police shortly afterwards.

The operation was officially stood down after 10.5 hours, marking the second callout of the evening for local rescue teams.

Rhod Davey, Team Leader at Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team, Tavistock said: “The walker was in regular communication with his group, but it transpired he had lost his phone and the WhatsApp chats were no longer appearing as delivered. We were then in discussion with the police about the possibility of him having fallen into a valley, and deployed a team to follow the route he took.

"As time went on we came up with a full plan and were on the verge of deploying a large team of roughly 40 people when the walker was found by a camper we had awoken the night before. He was walked back to Beardown where he met with police”