A 68-year-old rambler from Great Missenden died during a walking holiday after slipping on a muddy coastal path and plunging 50ft down a cliff, an inquest has heard.

Maureen Absalom was on a guided walk with 26 other members of the Amersham Ramblers' Group, organised by HF Holidays, at a popular Dorset beauty spot when she plummeted to her death and landed face-down in the sea below.

Coastguards rescued her from the water but she was unable to be saved after being airlifted to hospital and later died from severe head injuries gained during the fall.

A coroner heard how the seasoned walker was enjoying the first walk of her holiday on October 14 when she slipped and fell backwards off a cliff edge during a nine mile “medium” level walk.

Linda Daniel, who was walking in front of Mrs Absalom at the time, said the path had narrowed and the group had started "concentrating" on walking.

"At that point, we had got into single file and stopped our conversation," she told the inquest in Bournemouth.

"I heard Maureen say 'whoops' and when I turned around I saw her on her back, slipping down the cliff edge.

"The next time I saw her was face down in the sea.

"It all happened so quickly, no-one had any time to react.

"I noticed that the cliff face was steep, with nothing that would have broken her fall."

Ms Daniel, who had been walking with Mrs Absalom for seven or eight years, said there was no fence along the coastal side of the path and just three or four feet of tussocks before a sheer drop.

Janine Oliver, who was walking behind Mrs Absalom, said she did not see what caused the fall as she was looking away as she was scared of heights.

She said: "I saw Maureen slip down towards the sea. I could no longer look and looked away.

"Maureen went down head first and did not make a sound.

"I believe she must have hit her head on a rock as she was quiet."

There was panic amongst the group when they realised no-one had any mobile phone signal to call for help, causing a delay to the 999 call.

Once the rest of the group had been moved to safety, the group leader ran off seeking help, raising the alarm on a passer-by's mobile phone.

Steve Backhouse, head of holidays at HF Holidays, said two staff members carried out a risk assessment along the route in similar weather conditions and had little concern.

Assistant coroner for Dorset, Brendan Allen, recorded a verdict of accidental death and said he was considering writing to the county council to instruct them to look at safety measures along the section of the path where Mrs Absalom lost her life.