The pair ended up walking to Ambleside as freezing temperatures made the road impassable to drivers, and were taken in by a B&B owner.

“I’m big on the mountains but Andrew had only done a few so I said I’d take him out and we’d do Helvellyn together,” Me Renfrew said.

“We went up early but I turned him around at 750 metres because the snow was getting really heavy.

“We were driving back towards Grasmere and it was just getting a bit more crazy weather-wise so we just left the car at the top and walked to Grasmere.

“We were helping a few cars struggling up the hill then sliding down the hill.

“Then we saw the bus coming into Grasmere. He had to wait 45 minutes and have a break because it had taken him so long to get there from Windermere.”

A photo of the pair grimacing as they sat on snow-covered seats in sub-zero temperatures went viral on social media this week, viewed almost 20,000 times.

Meanwhile, down south the extreme weather affecting the UK continued. In Essex a woman had to be rescued from her car in nearly four feet of water. Jamie Pierce, 32, jumped in and carried her to safety – the car was floating at the time. More heavy rain is due over the weekend, with many Flood Warnings and Alerts in place.