Lucky to be alive Martyn Clark was saved by his rescue dog Suki and Cleveland Mountain Rescue after a 200 fall down a ravine. 

The 76-year-old lay with multiple injuries for 33 hours at the bottom of the ravine on the North York Moors at Lealholm, near Whitby, last summer.

He had given up hope of being rescued and was reconciled to dying undiscovered when his beloved dog Suki heard a family walking nearby, and after laying by his side all night, went and raised the alarm.

This week the pair paid a special visit to the rescue team with Suki to thank them for their part in saving Martyn's life.

The dramatic rescue has been featured on the BBC's "Close Calls on Camera" programme hosted by Nick Knowles.

Martyn, from Lincolnshire, went for an early morning walk but was startled by a deer and fell down the ravine, landing on rocks on the edge of the River Esk below, puncturing his lung, breaking ribs and damaging his back, making it impossible to move.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Suki the dog with rescuers

He told the TV programme: “I decided to try and walk up the cliff but it was more than I could do, after many hours I thought nobody would find me and that that would be it, and it would be a bit of a sad end to a pretty good life."

But around 4pm Suki started howling after hearing a family of walkers and Martyn told her to "find" and "talk" to them as she had been trained to do to raise the alarm

The air ambulance could not reach him because of the ravine so Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team was brought in. The rescue operation involved 27 people who took turns to carry Martyn on a stretcher out of the steep and slippery ravine so he could be taken to hospital.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Rescuers manage to get Martyn back up the steep cliff

It took nearly an hour to get him back up to the waiting ambulance. After weeks in hospital Martyn was reconciled with Suki.

A Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team spokesperson said: “Martyn visited the mountain rescue base to say a personal ‘thank you’ to six of the many Cleveland MRT members who had been involved in the rescue.

“He was able to recount the frightening experience and sensations he felt as he fell all the way down. Having now largely recovered from his injuries he felt he was back to about 80 per cent of his fitness.”

Darlington and Stockton Times: Martin and Suki with members of Cleveland Search and Rescue

Martyn is also visiting paramedics and ambulance crews who helped in the rescue. He had previously made a donation to the CMRT and brought along goodies for their call out tin.

“They thanked Martyn and Suki for visiting them and joked that it was great to see him looking a lot better than when they last met him,” added the spokesperson.