THERE’S NO ESCAPING IT: when it comes to hiking, facing up to wet weather is a skill you have to learn sooner or later. This is particularly true in Britain’s unpredictable maritime climate; but it’s also a feature of mountains generally, where weather is often intrinsically volatile.
We all hope for good weather, but as an old song goes, you can’t always get what you want. Sometimes we plan walking trips in advance, taking our chances with the forecast, and sometimes we just want to get out there whatever the weather. Even the most committed fairweather walker can sometimes get caught out by an unexpected downpour. In any case, being braced for bad weather is always a good idea – the body loses heat much quicker when wet, so staying dry is your first defence against the risk of hypothermia.
