I go walking in Hyde Park: not the same is it!
But with a tidy pair of Levis … brogues and cashmere overcoat, I gain entry to some top venues.
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They may have done in the 1970’s but, nowadays, horse-riders, like hikers, buy specialised kit:
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That might be true in the Outback but not in the Brecon Beacons:
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Legs will become accustomed to the elements if you wear shorts all of the time Azz.
But if you’re not used to exposing your legs best to start in the spring/summer then they will be hardened for the winter.
In the winter I just carry a good pair of walking trousers made from a special material that maintains the heat and dries quickly for any emergencies.
But Skin is by far the best ever waterproof material.
A good map and compass and a good knowledge of map reading is the most important part of your kit, all the rest is just trimmings.
This is my usual mountain hiking kit seen here on Cross Fell (the highest part of this area of the Pennines) in shitty weather…Mind you…I did run up…
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Until recently, yes … 15-25 miles of walking a week - mostly hills and the occasional fell:
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I knew there was some reason I liked you Omah…
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Wish I was there…Sadly my best days are behind me now…
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So are mine … and, oddly, it’s the wet ones that I remember … 
Probably because, at a certain stage, every step became a challenge … 
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I have no idea what hiking men’s trouser liners are.
Out of curiosity, do you camp out overnight,Azz? 
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Thanks for the replies everyone 
I hate the cold OGF 
tho in fairness my legs are usually the last to feel it, it’s mostly my arms (as I wear t-shirts) and ears!!
You can be both sweating and freezing if you go up somewhere like Pen Y Fan - you are sweating because you are continually walking uphill, and you are cold because the wind can be really bitter, especially towards the top. The weather can change very quickly too. Places like Pen Y Fan have microclimates, so you never know what you’ll get until you go there.
I don’t Pauline… tho my neighbour is always on to me about camping up there - but it’s just too cold for me! I might try it one day
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Hi
Never a great hiker, not since my early teens.
Until the last couple of years I used to do a lot of night fishing, beach casting in the surf, often a long walk there and back and in all weathers.
That is how I know about base layers.
You have to keep warm and have freedom of movement to cast a lead and bait 120 metres into a force 6 onshore wind.
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It was the fingers thing as far as the fishing went, numb fingertips and chemically sharpened hooks 
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You don’t really need to though, thinking about it Azz, you have all that beauty on your doorstep.
I live not far from Pen-Y Fan Pauline it’s a regular day out for us 
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WOW!!!..lucky you!!..
Paramo (again, I know, I know) wear them over a baselayer. They have “Manual Ventiliation” (zips, in other words) to allow airflow.
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