A couple who were stuck on steep ground have been rescued after wandering off-track.

The pair were walking between Seatoller car park and Castle Crag yesterday morning when they got into difficulty at Little Gatesgarthdale, Honister, and called for help.

A total of 11 team members from Keswick Mountain Rescue were involved in the incident, which took nearly three hours.

There was little information about the couple’s exact location with just a few clues such as "we can see white houses, a car park and a white van in a lay-by".

A team of five set off in a Land Rover, pooling local knowledge on the drive up-valley and trying to figure out the clues and the possible location of the stuck people.

One further member went directly to the area.

A team of two was dropped off near Longthwaite youth hostel, a further two set off from Seatoller car park and the last two went back to explore above Rosthwaite, in theory covering all the steep ground around High Doat and Johnny Wood between Seatoller and Castle Crag.

Further calls gained more clues including them being able to see "a cattle grid".

A spokesman said: "There aren’t many cattle grids in Borrowdale, the only one in the area being on the road up Honister.

"A second team had already been dispatched so they were tasked to search the slopes above the Honister pass road.

"The couple were indeed found above the cattle grid.

"A rope was used to secure their descent on the steep and loose ground and they were brought down the fell to the Honister road, then taken back to their car."