What do you need for your trip to the Lake District in Northwest England? Here's a list of essentials based on my own delicious experience.
For your feet:
1. Waterproof boots. You might get away with trail shoes, but when you are ankle deep in a bog on top of a fell, or when you are wading through a river on a rainy day, you will be glad that you got the boots.
2. A couple of great pairs of socks. Water inevitably ends up in your shoes on rainy days, but a good pair of socks will extend the number of hours your feet are still comfortable in spite of the damp. This summer I took a good pair of "Fits"socks on the trail with me, and I was grateful for the two hours of comfort (barely even realizing my feet were wet) after I walked through a mountain torrent plummeting over our narrow trail.
3. Gators. Re-read what I wrote above. I wouldn't have had a boot full of water if I'd taken a pair of Gators. Even one rainy night will turn small mountain springs into torrents that flood the paths, and a pair of gators would have kept my feet dry longer.
For your back:
1. Backpack with hip strap. Even if you are having your luggage carried from place to place by a company like Coast to Coast Packhorse or Contours Walking Tours, a comfortable day pack is essential.
2. Pack rain cover. Have I mentioned how wet it can get? It can get very wet. While a garbage bag or bin liner will do the trick in an emergency, pack covers are relatively inexpensive and very convenient to use.
3. Rain Jacket - preferably with ventilation and a visor built into the hood. That may seem a bit extravagant, but when it's raining (and it will) you will be glad to not have water in your face all the time.
For your head:
1. Sunscreen. If it ever is sunny, you will get a burn up on those mountains if you don't pack some sunscreen.
2. A sun hat or visor. I only recommend this if it doubles as a rain hat or is very light and takes very little space. Sure on the odd sunshine filled day, a hat will be handy but clouds are more abundant than sunshine.
Other important stuff:
1. A camera, you will regret not bringing a camera to capture the stunning scenery.
2. Map and compass. GPS technology will come in handy, but nothing beats a good old fashioned map and compass. Maps of the area can be found in most of the towns (even the little ones) but don't rely on your memory, there are too many possible wrong turns for that.
3. Water bottles. Two liters should be enough for most trips. The locals swear that the water on the fells is good to drink and so far, my friends who filled up on the mountain springs are fine. Having said that, there are sheep grazing everywhere in the summer and it is probably safer either carry enough water for the trip, or carry some kind of sterilization system with you.
3. Your sense of adventure and fun. This trip was among the best trips of my life, in spite of (and I'd go so far to say as because of) the wrong trails, the scrambles, the bogs, the wet days, the long days, the trail meetings and greetings, the guest houses, the rain, the sunshine, and the mountains. What a glorious time but how great it is depends entirely on your attitude. As GK Chesterton once said: "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered..."
Have anything to add to the list? Leave us a note in the comments.Happy Hiking!
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