Weather: People like to say that the weather in the Lake District is unpredictable. Maybe, but that is true to a certain extent of the weather in the UK as a whole - it is often said that we can have all four seasons in a day.

The difference is that on the fells one can get into danger.

Mist/Clouds: The no.1 enemy of the fellwalker is mist and clouds, not rain and wind. When the mist comes down on the fells, it can be very difficult to get one's bearings. You cannot descend to safety if you don't know where you are and the direction in which you are travelling.

Hence the importance of carefully planning one's route - if you have planned well you will notice anomalies such as the stream being on your right when it should be on the left, or that you are still trekking uphill when you should be descending and so on.

Cold: Often related to wind, cold can creep up on the fellwalker. Often people can't believe how much colder it is up on the fells than in the valley.

Wind: On the fells it can get very windy, even on lower slopes like Barrow. Wind makes you cold, and the constant buffeting and noise causes fatigue.

Rain: Rain makes you wet, but in our view is overrated as a hazard. We don't like rain, but unless it is absolutely torrential it doesn't stop a safe descent.

Hail & Snow: We tend not to venture onto the fells if hail or snow is expected. I would advise specialist equipment for hiking in snow.

Forecasting: With that said, only the foolhardy would venture onto the fells without checking the weather forecast. There are lots of sources, we list only those that we currently use as a matter of course.

  WEATHER FORECAST SERVICES  

General: 'Windy'. This service forecasts general weather but also rain (amount of), wind (strength of) and gusts. All this is information that the fellwalker needs and is much more useful than forecasts such as the BBC et al which give unhelpful information such as '60% chance of rain'.

Specific - MWIS: The Mountain Weather Information Service is extremely helpful. They publish a daily forecast report, usually around 16:30-17:00, specific to The Lakes. They can be a bit dramatic in our experience, but that is better than being over casual. They describe conditions in different areas of the Lake District with regards to wind, rain, temperature, cloud cover and so on.
Only on MWIS will you read text such as:

• Effect of the wind on you? Beware difficult, gusty conditions over highest tops - you could be blown over
• Chance of cloud-free summits? Practically nil
• Sunshine and air clarity? No sunshine expected. Very poor visibility

It might not always be pleasant reading, but the information is vital.

Specific - Weatherline: these people walk up Helvellyn every day December to March to look at the weather! Talk about dedicated!