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A man who fell 200ft down an embankment and into the River Esk near Lealholm paid to a visit to the team who helped rescue him on the day.

Martyn Clark fell approximately 200ft down a steep embankment into the Esk south of Lealholm, between Danby and Egton Bridge, in July 2022, coming to rest partly in the water.

Martyn visited the Cleveland Mountain Rescue team’s base to say a personal ‘thank you’ to six of the many Cleveland MRT members who had been involved in the multi-agency rescue.

Accompanying him was his dog Suki, who had alerted passing walkers after Martyn had been laid, seriously injured, at the bottom of the embankment for around 33 hours before being discovered.

Martyn Clark visits the Cleveland Mountain Rescue team base after falling down an embankment on the River Esk.

The mountain rescue team said: “It was fascinating to listen to him as he recounted the frightening experience and the sensations he felt ‘on the way down’.

"Having now largely recovered from his injuries he felt he was back to about 80% of his fitness prior to his fall.

"It was clear that he had always enjoyed an active and varied life and was continuing to get out and about.

"He is currently on a long-weekend in the north east and was making arrangements to also see and thank the paramedics and helicopter crews who were involved in the rescue.”

The team thanked Martyn for a donation he’d made to them – he also took along a range of ‘goodies’ to help stock up refreshments, as used on call-outs and training.

Earlier this summer, Martyn’s rescue was featured on the BBC's Close Calls on Camera’ programme.

Watch it on iPlayer – Series 11, Episode 6.

Man who fell 200ft down River Esk embankment near Lealholm, visits rescuers to say thanks