A man lost on the moors above Hawes was saved by police and volunteers who worked through the night to find him.
The alarm was raised at around 8.45pm on Monday 29 March after a 68-year-old local man had not returned from an afternoon walk.
Due to the adverse weather conditions and low lying cloud, Police were unable to call on air support to help locate the missing man.
Instead, around 60 volunteers from Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team, Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Team, Kirby Stephen Mountain Rescue Team and the Cave and Rescue Organisation worked in partnership with officers from Leyburn in an attempt to locate the missing man.
The man was eventually found at around 11.30am today (Tuesday 30 March) by a specialist search dog on the moors between Garsdale and Hawes.
He was very cold but otherwise fit and well despite spending a night outdoors in wet conditions and was taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary for treatment.
Sergeant Stuart Grainger of Leyburn Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “The police would like to thank all the various volunteers from search and rescue teams who were invaluable in helping locate the man without the aid of a helicopter.
“Without them we wouldn’t have found him as quickly as we did due to the thick cloud cover and inclement conditions. Thanks to the work of our officers and partners we managed to avoid a tragic outcome.
Sgt Grainger added that the man had been well dressed for the conditions which along with his determination to get through the night helped him to survive.
He said: “The man was remarkably well when we located him which is a testament to his strength of character and basic military training he had behind him.
“He was also helped by the basic walking clothing he was wearing. I would advise anyone to be equally well equipped when going up on to the moors as the weather can change quickly and without warning.”
