Rescue experts say a man from Leicester narrowly escaped tragedy after getting stuck in treacherous weather on a mountainside with just his iPhone to guide him.

The 29-year-old got lost in heavy clouds on the side of the 3,000ft Y Garn peak in North Wales on Monday night while he was searching for a waterfall.

He had to be rescued when he could not find his way down the dangerous crags he had scaled.

The man, who has not been named, set out on the difficult Snowdonia terrain wearing just gym shoes, jeans, a shirt and a leather jacket.

He had no food, and had not told anyone where he was going until he panicked in the thick cloud and phoned his father for help, who contacted the emergency services.

Three teams of four volunteer mountain rescuers were dispatched at around 7pm to find the lost man and discovered him 90 minutes later.

Chris Lloyd, from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation, said: "This chap had been on Wikipedia researching waterfalls and had come across the Devil's Appendix.

"It's a 93m waterfall – the tallest in Wales – which is on a vertical cliff face.

"He decided he wanted to come and see it and set off nice and early.

"There's nothing wrong with that except that he was totally unprepared for climbing in a serious mountain region.

"He didn't have any experience and he certainly didn't have the right kit."

Mr Lloyd said the cloud had closed in on the man who became lost despite knowing his latitude and longitude from his iPhone.

He added: "We sent out three teams to look for him but unfortunately we lost contact with him because the battery ran down.

"It was about 8.30pm, still daylight, and we were lucky because the cloud lifted at just the right time and we could see this solitary figure up on the crags waving to us.

"It's lucky we did find him because he would have really struggled if he was out there any longer.

"He was wet through, at risk of hypothermia, and he was wandering round very close to a 300ft drop in poor visibility.

"He could easily have fallen and been killed.

"Basically he did everything wrong considering what he was trying to do.

"The weather in Snowdonia is so changeable.

"You need good walking shoes, a waterproof, warm clothes and supply of food. He had none of those.

"You need a map, a compass and you need to know how to use them.

"If people are well equipped it reduces the chance that they will get into danger. This man put himself in danger and he put us in danger because we had to go and fetch him.

"Once we had got the man off the mountain and made sure he was okay, our team leader had a quiet word and I think he has now learned the error of his ways."

Detective Inspector Gerwyn Lloyd, of North Wales Police, said: "It is imperative that experienced and would-be walkers take appropriate clothing and equipment and consider the hazardous conditions they may encounter before setting out.

"Weather in the mountains can change dramatically in a short space of time and it is essential that walkers are prepared for every eventuality."

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