Summer in the Northern Hills Is Its Own Kind of Weather

Ask anyone who walks regularly in the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, the Cheviots or the North York Moors and they will tell you the same thing: summer in the north of England rarely breaks records, but it can still knock you sideways. The temperature might only read 22°C, yet a humid valley with no breeze, high bracken and the sun bouncing off a tarn can feel far more punishing than a dry 28°C abroad.

Add in the fact that many of our best walks start low and climb steeply — a beck-side path out of Borrowdale, a pull up from Malham, a slog onto Kinder — and you have a recipe for overheating before you have even earned the view. The two things that catch people out most reliably are the heat and the midges. Both are manageable. Neither is a reason to stay indoors, but both reward a bit of planning.

Start Early — and Be on the Ridge by Mid-Morning

The single most effective thing you can do in July and August is to shift your day forward. Midges are at their worst from about an hour before sunset to an hour after sunrise, and heat builds steadily from mid-morning onwards. A 6.30am start solves a good deal of both problems at once.

In practice, that means:

• Parking by 6.30am, when car parks in honeypot valleys are still empty and the air is cool.
• Being on the ridge or open fell top by 9am, before the sun has any real strength in it.
• Aiming to be back down by early to mid-afternoon, just as the valleys start to warm and the first midges begin stirring.
• Keeping a short evening walk for exposed, breezy ground rather than a wooded gill or lakeshore.

Early mornings also give you softer light, quieter paths and, on a clear day, those long views before haze builds in. It feels like a sacrifice at the alarm clock and a gift by nine o'clock.

Water: Carry More Than Feels Reasonable

On a warm climb you can easily lose a litre an hour through sweat, and thirst is a poor guide — by the time you feel it, you are already behind. Carry at least two litres for a half-day hill walk, three for anything long or exposed, and use a bladder with a hose so you sip steadily rather than gulping at stops.

A few specifics worth remembering:

• Add electrolytes on hot days, especially if you are sweating heavily for hours. Plain water alone can leave you feeling flat and headachy.
• Do not rely on streams and becks. Even clear upland water carries risk from sheep, and filtering or boiling is a faff you can avoid by carrying enough.
• Refill where you can — village taps, cafés, pubs and visitor centres are usually happy to top up a bottle.
• Drink before you are thirsty and keep an eye on urine colour: pale straw is what you want.

Understanding Midges, Clegs and Ticks

The biting midge is a tiny, silent nuisance that thrives in still, humid air over damp ground. In northern England you will meet them beside tarns and lakeshores, in boggy hollows, along wooded gill sides and anywhere the breeze drops on a muggy evening. They are worst from late May through September, with peaks in July and August.

They are also surprisingly picky. Midges dislike strong sunlight, dry air and any real wind — which is why a breezy ridge can be completely clear while the car park below is swarming. Clegs (horseflies) are a different beast, active in July and August and capable of a bite that stings for days. Ticks, meanwhile, lurk in long grass and bracken and are worth checking for after every walk, particularly on legs and waistlines.

Repellents and Clothing That Actually Work

You do not need to douse yourself in chemicals to enjoy a summer walk. A head net weighs almost nothing, costs little, and turns a miserable evening into a pleasant one. Light-coloured, long-sleeved clothing helps, since midges are drawn to dark shapes and bare skin.

For repellents, look for products containing picaridin or DEET (around 20–50%) and apply them to exposed skin and hat brims. Be careful with DEET on synthetic fabrics, as it can damage them. Plant-based options containing citronella or oil of lemon eucalyptus work reasonably well for short periods and are kinder on kit. A few practical habits make a real difference:

• Keep your repellent and head net at the top of your rucksack, not buried at the bottom.
• Avoid heavily perfumed sun creams and deodorants, which seem to attract biting insects.
• For ticks, tuck trousers into socks in bracken and check yourself thoroughly in the evening.
• Pitch or sit in the breeze, away from damp ground and tree cover, when you stop to eat.

Keeping Cool, Eating Well and Recovering

Pace matters more than fitness on a hot day. Slow down on climbs, take shorter strides, and stop in shade or breeze rather than in a sun-trap hollow. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and a wet buff around the neck do more for comfort than almost anything else. If you pass a cool beck, soak your feet and hat for a minute — it resets you surprisingly well.

Eat little and often rather than a heavy lunch, favouring things that are easy to digest: oatcakes, fruit, nuts, a sandwich you actually fancy. Save the big meal for the pub at the end. And once you are home, rehydrate properly, stretch out calves and hips, and check for ticks before you settle down.

Do all of that and the northern summer becomes what it should be — long, green, generous days on the fells, with the midges left to someone else's ankles.