Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team

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Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team

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Scotlands busiest mountain rescue team, based in Fort William. Lochaber Mountain Rescue team are based in Fort William, Scotland. PLEASE DONATE DIRECTLY.

We carry out over 100 mountain rescues each year, with the majority of the rescues taking place on Ben Nevis. The team covers over five thousand square kilometres, from Creag Mheagaidh in the East, all the way out to Rum and the Small Isles in the West. Like all mountain rescue teams the vast majority of our funding is raised through donations. Find out more about us and how you could donate on our JustGiving page
PLEASE NOTE LOCHABER MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM ARE NOT AFFILIATED TO SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN RESCUE (SMR) ANY DONATION TO THIS ORGANISATION WILL NOT REACH US.

04/10/2026

Record breaking weekend!

Saturday saw the team respond to 4 separate incidents including a missing person, a mountain biker with a leg injury and hillwalkers that had become benighted without the appropriate equipment to find their own way safely down.

It was a very long day for the team with the first call coming in at 8:30am and the last team members off the hill at 02:00am this morning!

These incidents tipped us over 200 callouts for the year. A massive 20% increase on last year’s numbers and the year is not done yet!

Record breaking call out numbers are being experienced by mountain rescue teams across the UK. Could this mark a changing trend in how people approach their time in the hills?

Whilst we are fully supportive of more people enjoying our mountains we’d also like to remind folk these are serious places and it’s important have the appropriate knowledge, skills and equipment for the adventure being planned.

Thanks as always to our hard working volunteers and Coastguard Rescue 851 and 899 whose support is invaluable.

As a charitable organisation made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, we rely on donations to enable us to provide our services 24/7/365 to those in need. If you would like to support us then please visit our JustGiving page to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/charity/lmrt

LMRT ⛑️

Scottish Mountain Rescue

17/09/2026

Last night at 1700, dinner plans were swapped for waterproofs as the team went to assist a climber who’d taken a fall whilst on Tower Ridge, Ben Nevis. Coastguard Rescue 853 were able to uplift four team members onto the hill before the weather turned grim and the rest of the team had to follow on foot. After a soggy ascent the climber was located and assessed, and with a few helping hands we were able to get him down to the CIC hut for a well received cup of tea.

Whilst we were warming up in the hut, we received a second call to assist a walker on the other side of the mountain with a leg injury. A few team members with our ATV, which was already on the hill, were able to make their way closer to the casualty with team members also heading around the path from the hut. Thankfully the casualty was able to be transported off the hill by ATV, allowing all team members to be back to base and dried out for midnight.

As an organisation made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, we rely on donations to enable us to provide our services 24/7/365 to those in need. If you would like to support us then please visit our JustGiving page to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/lmrt/donate

LMRT ⛑️

Scottish Mountain Rescue

04/09/2026

It’s been a busy week! With a large number of the team preparing to run the annual Ben Nevis race this weekend, we’ve also managed to squeeze in both medical, and drone search training. On top of all this, we've had 7 callouts so far.

The callouts have ranged from lower leg injuries on Ben Nevis, and the Cape Wrath Trail, to a fallen walker in Steall Gorge.

Yesterday evening ended with team members assisting a friendly Spaniel, who’d sustained an injury whilst out exploring Ben Nevis. Thankfully, “Tank” wasn’t too fussy about being carried down, and happily jumped aboard a team rucksack for the journey down.

As ever we’d like to offer a speedy recovery to everyone we’ve helped this week and offer a big thanks to the Royal Marines from 45 Commando who assisted with a very wet stretcher carry on Ben Nevis today!

As an organisation made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, we rely on donations to enable us to provide our services 24/7/365 to those in need. If you would like to support us then please visit our JustGiving page to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/lmrt/donate

LMRT ⛑️

Scottish Mountain Rescue

15/08/2026

We're well on our way to breaking our annual record!

Last night we were called to 2 separate jobs. The first was an injured walker on Ben Nevis, the second was an overdue walker heading to Inverie from Glenfinnan.

The team made their way up to the first walker on foot, and using the ATV. Whilst Rescue 853 🚁 from Oban flew out to Sourlies bothy.

The first walker on the Ben was given some pain relief, and stretchered down from windy corner on the lower path.

In the meantime Rescue 853 having checked the bothy was clear, were stood down for the night. Fortunately, shortly after this, contact was made with the overdue walker. They were safe and well but running behind schedule in a remote area that has almost no phone signal.

As of last night we've now attended 151 callouts for the year so far. Of which there's 123 separate incidents and a total of 6200 hours given by our volunteers.

This work wouldn't be possible without the help of other services, in particular Rescue 851 in Inverness and Rescue 853 in Oban, the Scottish Ambulance Service, and our neighbouring rescue teams who help us out.

It would also not be possible without your help. We appreciate all the fundraising, and messages of support!

As an organisation made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, we rely on donations to enable us to provide our services 24/7/365 to those in need. If you would like to support us then please visit our JustGiving page to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/lmrt/donate

LMRT ⛑️

20/07/2026

Mountain Rescue Mondays!

The awesome team at The Larder Café have all bought themselves one of our T-shirts, and have decided to show their support for us every Monday!

Excellent coffees and cakes, now served by the best dressed team in town!

You can get your own t-shirt and other rescue team merch on the link below!

https://lochaber-mountain-rescue-team.teemill.com/

10/07/2026

Dog update!

Following a request to assist a collapsed dog on Sunday, we're pleased to confirm that Tokyo has made a full recovery, having been cared for at Crown Vets!

It's now suspected that Tokyo, a usually very fit and active working dog, had injested something that made her critically unwell.

Many thanks to Crown vets for their support, and to Tokyo's owner for the update and photos.

As an organisation made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, we rely on donations to enable us to provide our services 24/7/365 to those in need. If you would like to support us then please visit our JustGiving page to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/lmrt/donate

LMRT ⛑️

09/07/2026

Yesterday evening several of our new aspirant team members were completing some training in the sun, focusing on familiarisation of stretchers, packaging and transport. With the stretchers packed away, right on cue we received a callout to assist a walker with a leg injury on Ben Nevis. What better was for our aspirants to consolidate their training?

We’re currently on our 8th consecutive day of callouts and as an organisation made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, we rely on donations to enable us to provide our services 24/7/365 to those in need. If you would like to support us then please visit our JustGiving page to donate:

https://www.justgiving.com/lmrt/donate

LMRT ⛑️

Scottish Mountain Rescue

06/07/2026

Super Sunday!

3 callouts for the team on Sunday.

The team was called out early Sunday morning to an injured walker at Sourlies Bothy. Fortunately the cloud was clear enough for Rescue 851 to get in, and fly them out to Fort William. Team members collected the walker and drove them to the hospital.

As the first job was resolving, the second was starting. A call for an injured walker high on Ben Nevis, unfortunately cloud cover didn't allow R851 to assist, so team members made their way on foot to corner 5. The walker was assessed, had some pain relief and given some warm gear, before being stretchered down to the ATV at the Halfway Lochan.

The stretcher was then quickly disassembled and the team on foot made there way further down the mountain to a report of a collapsed dog. The team packaged the dog into the stretcher and headed to the Achintee, where they got the dog in the owners vehicle and headed to the vets.

Many thanks to Rescue 851 🚁 for their assistance.

All team members were off the hill by 4 and ready for a team BBQ back at the base 🍔

25/06/2026

Summer has started!

The sunshine has been kind to Lochaber, and more folk are headed out in the hills. The team have responded to a couple of callouts over the last week.

Last Tuesday the team responded to a missing walker, last seen at Corrour station on Saturday morning. With the assistance of Rescue 853 the team headed to Meanach Bothy with the plan to search on foot from there. Fortunately the missing person was quickly located at Meanach bothy having made their way back there, and was airlifted to Fort William, where they received a medical assesment.

Last night the team was called to a cragfast climber on Tower Ridge, Ben Nevis. R853 managed to locate the climber, who had taken the false traverse. 4 team members were then winched onto the ridge above, made there way down, secured the climber and brought them back up, to where R853 could then retrieve the hill party.

Many thanks to Rescue 853 for all their assistance 🚁

LMRT ⛑️

14/06/2026

The team is wishing a massive good luck to one of our very own, Jess, who is setting off this evening in the gruelling Montane Summer Spine Challenger MRT North race!

For those who don’t know, this is a 160 mile non-stop race along the northern section of the Pennine Way.

While Jess is used to covering serious distance and rough terrain during callouts in the Highlands, doing it over 160 miles with minimal sleep is a whole different beast! We have no doubt her training and Lochaber grit will carry her through every tough mile.

If you want to dot-watch and send some virtual encouragement, you can track her live progress here: https://live.opentracking.co.uk/snc2026 - Bib number 951.

Also, if you’d like to donations, head over to The JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jessspinenorth

Scottish Mountain Rescue

Address

Glen Nevis Business Park
Fort William
PH336RX

Website

https://lochabermrt.co.uk/how-to-support-us/

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