Chuckles, you are certainly rural!!! How far exactly up north are you??
Hmm, well I like panniers lots and particularly if you are cycling with DCs and like me don't like rucksacks then it sounds like you'd be after either a reasonably nippy hybrid or a tourer - you'd leave the poor DCs in a cloud of dust on a decent road bike unless they are nearly teenage size and/ or very competetive....
The former is more likely to come with flat bars the latter with racer type bars. I never thought that I'd like the road bike position but I've now completely changed and don't like being in the more upright position for any distance at all, forward much more comfy long distance..... As I said in first post, my love affair with my panorama is pretty intense but that isn't to say that it would work for someone else although do know a few other fans out there!!! Try lots!
I had a little dribble at the minx site today.........sigh.........not even the most spacious of bottoms would come near me at the mo ;-) If I was buying bike clothes from scratch I'd probably get.....
A decent waterproof in a bright colour that folds down small enough to go into a back pocket - I've got a Gore one and it goes in the back pocket of my cycling shirt or takes up very little space in a pannier full of other caboodle. Bike waterproofs are either longer than average or have a fold down flap bit that can come down when it rains and cover your bum. I tried in my hiking one about twice before abandoning that idea, I got it sweaty and was uncomfortable....I had a commuter type one which was brilliant high viz wise but a nightmare of sweatiness and ended up investing in the Gore one which was better ventilated etc so maybe something to bear in mind.
A pair of capris complete with padded insert (you can always join the dots with leg warmers when it gets cold if you are only doing an bit of riding through the winter).
Cycling shirt in a nice bright colour (visibility....) with at least two back pockets for stuff general, you get very used to reaching back to your pocket for banana, flapjack, energy bar, jacket - easier than raiding the pannier if on a quick pit stop. You can put an extra layer under so for example a long or short sleeved cycling shirt with a merino base under it for extra warmth and if you hike I'm guessing you have base layers, mine do multitask, unlike the waterproofs.
Cycling shoes - these have rigid soles and regardless of whether you do the clipped in thing it makes a big difference to the amount of power you put through the pedal to effort ratio thingy.... You can get mountain bike type ones that are ok for doing a bit of walking around in and come with a bit your prize off the sole to fix in the clippy in bit. Cycling shoes also tend to either have non lace fastenings or a bit that anchors down the lace bit - this means that they won't get caught in the mech etc which can be er, catastrophic hedge ornament incident inducing.
Winter socks.....if like me you have lizard (cold) feet, hiking ones didn't work out for me..
If lots of cycling on the cards....
A pair of winter tights, they really are good, lovely warm things
Windproof - either long or short sleeved, I do ride in a salamon one that I have for hiking and that works well and also have a vest type one that I also like and has more reflective stuff on it.
More cycling shirts, cos theres lots of cute ones out there 
There are also those smart but spendy ones that are waterproof, DH has some of those and swears by them!
Something I didn't get on with particularly well with and didn't really get the point of was waterproof trousers - just sweaty and annoying I'm guessing - unless you live in the middle of a cold rain cloud in which case possibly more of a point or can afford the kings ransom to buy very posh ones!!! Also cycling stuff generally tends to dry quite quickly and as you have noted it is quite a warm passtime so even if you get caught in the rain you tend to dry relatively quickly.....
Sigh, such a geek...........