A CHRISTMAS day hike to a renowned Lake District beauty spot ended in tragedy after a walker suffered a heart attack and died.

Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team received a call just after noon on Christmas Day to somebody who had suffered a cardiac arrest at Buckstones Jump, a well-known wild swimming pool.

Buckstones Jump is around a 45-minute walk from Rydal Hall, near Ambleside.

The Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team posted an incident report online.

It said: "We attended along with a Coastguard helicopter, a North West Air Ambulance having aborted due to the weather conditions.

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"The casualty was treated, placed on our Autopulse device (which provides automated Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation), and airlifted to West Cumberland Infirmary.

"Sadly, they were declared to have died at the hospital.

"Our best wishes are extended to all involved and thanks to all who assisted including North West Ambulance Service, Cumbria Police, HM Coastguard, and team members who attended."

12 members of the mountain rescue team attended for around three and a half hours.

Richard Warren, chairman of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, an umbrella body to the 12 Cumbrian mountain rescue teams, issued some advice to walkers in the wake of the tragedy.

Speaking to ITV, Mr Warren said: "There were 607 callouts for the Lake District in the last year, 681 in the previous year.

"It has been very busy and tragically there was a fatality on Christmas Day.

"Our thoughts are with their family and friends but also the 12 volunteers that went out as part of the mountain rescue team on Christmas Day and left their families.

"We are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We go out to help people in difficulty."

Speaking generally about the people venturing out in adverse conditions, Mr Warren said:

"When the weather is not good then stay at home, stay out of the water but learn how to read a map and compass.

"The smartphone will die, take a power bank or two mobile phones.

"Without that communication, you are in desperate trouble."