HM Lynmouth Coastguard
Rescues

Back to Home Page

At 0112 on Thursday 12 June the Countisbury Coastguard team were called to search and recover a man who had fallen over the wall on Lynmouth Hill into the Ravine of the West Lyn River. The man in his late 50’s had fallen whilst walking up Lynmouth Hill towards Lynton with his partner.

Six team members arrived on scene and with the help of the police officers and an ambulance crew began the search, he was quickly located about 90 feet down from the road.

Team members Mike Cleverdon, Dave Harding and Jay Clatworthy using rescue lines and harnesses descended to the man and secured him, assessed his injuries and, in agreement with the ambulance paramedic, then slowly winched and assisted him with the aid of the rest of the team Claire Jordan, Andrew Richards and DSO Stuart Martin using ropes and rescue harness back up to the road.

Deputy Station Officer Stuart Martin of Countisbury Coastguard said, “the man was lucky to have escaped with relatively minor injuries where he fell from, if he had continued falling down the steep sides of the ravine, not only would it have been a very difficult rescue but there is a much longer and straight drop into the ravine and the rocky riverbed below. It was lucky that the man had someone with him to alert the emergency services otherwise he may not have been reported missing or even found for days and the outcome could have been far worse. It is a long steep walk up Lynmouth Hill and you often see people sat on the wall to rest.”

It is possibly the one of the last incidents that Countisbury coastguard will have to deal with, as they are very shortly moving to Lynmouth where they will take up their new station and new identity as Lynmouth Coastguard.

Swansea coastguard rescue co-ordination centre, co-ordinated the rescue, and the man was treated by West Country ambulance from Barnstaple.

At 1538 on Saturday 14^th June, the Countisbury Coastguard team were called to aid in the search and recovery of 5 youths who were soon to be cut off by the tide. They were located on the beach just East of Foreland point. The 5 youths all from Bridgwater were on their Duke of Edinburgh award assessment when they had become disorientated and found themselves on the beach, they continued walking west, towards Lynmouth hoping to find a way off the beach.

Realising their predicament with a rising tide, they spotted a yacht anchored just off shore one of them swam out to the yacht to raise the alarm.

The Minehead lifeboat was tasked to the scene and once there began taking the youths off of the beach to the safety of the yacht, under the watchful eye of the coastguard team. The yacht was skippered by a paramedic who checked them all out, they were slightly dehydrated but none the worse for wear, they were all put back aboard the Minehead lifeboat and taken to Lynmouth to be re-united with the rest of their group who were staying at Beggars roost, with the help of the Countisbury Coastguard team.

Stuart Martin the Deputy Station Officer for the Coastguard team praised the youths, “their training with the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme did them proud, realising their predicament and acknowledging their capabilities, allowed them to make the decision that they needed help instead of trying to brave it out, as is so often seen in youths, which could have got them into even more trouble.”

Swansea coastguard MRSC, co-ordinated the rescue.

On Monday evening at about 8pm Lynmouth Coastguard were called to assist Diane Lewis the local RSPCA ambulance driver and a representative from the Lynton Friends of the Goats group in the rescue of a stranded goat on the cliff face below North Walk Lynton, the goat had been spotted by local boatman Matthew Oxenham twice during the day and it had not moved indicating that it was trapped or injured.

The coastguard team headed by station officer Andy Cleverdon mustered at North Walk and with the help of Mr Oxenham looking from his boat located the goat and set-up for a cliff descent, coastguards Dave Harding and deputy station officer Stuart Martin descended the cliff taking an animal rescue bag for the safe retrieval of the goat. While the rest of the team, Lee Borrett, Claire Jordan and Jay Clatworthy tended to the cliff ropes ensuring a safe descent of the 200 metre cliffs to where the goat was trapped. the goat was cliff team subsequently returned to the cliff top, the goat was considered safe and well and returned to the wild herd or goats that live in the Valley of the Rocks at Lynton.

It was truly a team effort with the coastguard team providing the necessary rescue support to assist the RSPCA and goat group representative in the safe recovery of the goat allowing for safety of the people involved in the rescue.

On Saturday 9 August  at about 9.30, Lynmouth Coastguard team were called to search for a missing 19-year-old man. He had left his friends in the afternoon at Woody Bay to walk along the rocky beach to Lee Bay. He had not met with his friends as arranged and so the alarm was raised.

A team of six Lynmouth Coastguards lead by Station Officer Andy Cleverdon mustered to assess the search area, the search commenced with the use of parachute flares. Due to the darkness, foggy conditions and the time that he had been missing the Ilfracombe lifeboat was requested to launch to assist in the search at sea level, the Porlock Coastguard team were also called to help in the search.

Coastguards questioned a person living in the Woody Bay area, who confirmed that they had seen a man matching the description, climbing the cliffs earlier. At about midnight the man was located on Lee Bay beach having walked and climbed along the beach in total darkness. He had indeed climbed the cliffs to escape the high tide, and then fell, luckily only sustaining minor injuries. He then waited for the tide to recede before making his way along the beach to Lee bay where he was found by coastguards Robert Pile and Nigel Binding, the team returned him to his friends at the camp site they were staying at.

Station Officer Andy Cleverdon said, “we used parachute flares to illuminate the area of search, the added result was that members of the public called Swansea Coastguard reporting that they had seen flares, well done to the people who phoned in, it is often the case that a flare is seen and people do not phone worrying that they are making a fuss or assuming that someone else has already made a call about it. As we have said before, prevention is better than cure and should you see anything or anyone doing anything you would consider silly or dangerous in and around the coast, or in need of obvious help please do not hesitate to call 999 for the coastguards, every call will be treated sincerely and treated accordingly. In this instance when the man failed to appear as arranged his friends made the call to the coastguards, a good practice to be adopted by anyone walking the beaches and cliffs, especially if alone”.