What gear do we need for a week in the Lake District in August?

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It's our first time. We're staying in a B&B and hoping to do some gentle walking/climbing.
Do we need to get proper walking boots or can we get away with trainers? DD's feet are growing so fast I'm reluctant to get her expensive boots she'll grow out of after wearing them for just one week!
What about waterproofs and stuff?

Depends on the type of walking you want to do. It’s raining they’ll get soaking and everyone will be miserable. Also, doesn’t offer ankle support so unless on a well maintained path you’ll risk injury.

That said there’s enough places to wander where you'll get away with trainers.

A tick removal tool - you can get them from the chemists or online. Check yourselves and DC once you get in from a walk. They are quite easy to remove once you've got the hang of it, and very low risk of disease if you remove them properly and promptly.

Tick removal tool
I'll be honest, that's making me doubt our holiday choice!

Don't doubt it! The Lake District is stunningly beautiful and you'll have a fantastic time. Lots of areas have ticks: the West Country, the New Forest, parts of Scotland...you can be bitten by a tick in Richmond Park! You just need to take a few simple precautions. If you are walking through long grass or bracken, you should ideally wear long trousers tucked into your socks. Or you could stick to footpaths! And do a quick check once you've finished your walk. Ticks are tiny when they've just attached, and look a bit like a dark freckle or grain of sand. You can feel them with your fingertips. Once you've seen one or two, you'll know what to look for and they're much easier to spot. The tick removal tool is a small piece of plastic - nothing complicated or scary. It doesn't hurt to remove the ticks. You might find the technique tricky at first - if you get stuck, pharmacy staff in the Lake District are happy to advise you. Again, once you've done it once or twice it's easy and you'll have aquired a useful new skill. You will be very popular on days out with friends if you can remove their ticks!

We always take waterproofs on U.K. holidays. Being wet makes me cold and then miserable. Walking through even dew covered grass in trainers makes for wet feet. And that’s miserable.

I've lived and walked in the Lake District my entire life and not once have I or any member of my family got bitten by a tick.

It's something to be vaguely aware of but it's certainly not a given, it's much more likely a sheep will eat your sandwiches.

If you are just pottering around dome of the lake shore paths etc then a decent supportive pair of trainers will probably be ok, if you are doing proper walking then you will all need boots that are properly broken in.

Lightweight pacamac type waterproofs should be fine in August, just add an extra jumper if it gets chilly.

Which part of the Lakes are you staying in?

Gaiters!

August in the Lake District? It will rain. A lot. You need good quality waterproofs and waterproof boots if you intend to do any walking other than pottering around the touristy towns.

“I've lived and walked in the Lake District my entire life and not once have I or any member of my family got bitten by a tick. “

I have walked in the LD for at least a week every year since I was 7 and have never been bitten by a tick.

"I have walked in the LD for at least a week every year since I was 7 and have never been bitten by a tick."

Really? My DC must be very attractive to ticks then because they've been bitten quite a few times (not just in the Lake District ). We have never had any problems though - we just remove the ticks and get on with our holiday. I love the Lake District and find that its other charms far outweigh the minor inconvenience of the ticks.

Re footwear, can you compromise between boots and trainers and look for a pair of reasonably priced walking shoes? Mountain Warehouse is a good place to start. They won't provide the ankle support that boots do but they will, at least, have proper soles and lessen the risk of slipping/twisting an ankle. Trainers aren't great unless you're not planning on doing much walking.

We've been to the LD many times with DS - where are you staying? We have two books of walks with DCs in Lake District one for North and one for South.

Never brought a tick removal thing and never needed it. DS always wears trainers as prefers them to hiking boots.if the DCs have wellies then bring those. I prefer walking trainers to boots - unless you've got to walk through muddy areas or streams they will be fine.

Bring a rain jacket and not jeans to wear on your walks - jeans hold the water too much if it rains.Very hard to tell what weather will be like , could be glorious. Lots of lovely cafes and pubs there to shelter in if inclement.

You can get relatively good but cheap boots in places like Mountain Warehouse and Decathlon. They are really worth it.

And a decent pair (or 2) of hiking socks to wear under the boots.

If your dd only gets the one holiday out of them, you could think about donating to a local scout group - they will be well used by someone there.

A small backpack for lunch/water bottles etc, and spare sun cream. Again decathlon has decent small ones very cheaply for kids, or even school bags work ok - just not the bags with drawstring top and straps as they dig in too much into shoulders (I'm a Cub Scout leader and we've banned them as I ended up carrying so many!)

Refillable water bottles, maybe with some squash in it.

When we give Cubs a packed lunch when we're away, it's a sandwich that they will eat ( we offer a choice of ham, sliced cheese, jam or chocolate spread). Along with an apple, pack of crisps and a penguin bar each. And I bring boiled sweets and emergency chocolate in my pack.

A small first aid kit - a few antiseptic wipes and band aids, and an elastic bandage in case if a sprain (can all fit in a ziplock sandwich bag - no need for a fancy kit). And your spare sun cream to reapply at lunch if the weather is bright (not necessarily sunny even) - a single application may be enough on duller and rainy days. I usually tend to bring a. Pocket pack of tissues as well - many uses! And a separate ziplock bag for any rubbish to bring home.

Rain gear - Mac in a sac type jackets, and they do trousers as well which can really help! They can also be useful to sit on at lunch stops, if the ground is damp.

And 1 extra layer per person in the bag - a fleece jumper/jacket, a hoodie etc. because you can get chilled quickly in the breeze when you stop for lunch etc,.

But it's easy to get even small DCs to carry their own rain gear and layer, and probably lunch, if you carry the water (the heavier part).

Great tips everyone. Thank you. I'm slightly reassured about the ticks
I reckon we'll stick to long trousers and hope for the best!
Sounds like it's worth investing in some boots and good socks.
We'll be in North Lakes. Near Ullswater.

I've lived in the Lake District for almost 40 years. Always had dogs and always walked the bracken covered fells and mountains. I've never been bitten by a tick. I think of the thousands of walks amongst sheep and bracken my dogs have done, I've only ever removed three ticks! I'm amazed by the poster who gets bitten frequently, are you sure they're ticks?

How old is your DD? My DS has had walking boots most years but he does get a lot of use out of them. Mountain warehouse are quite cheap but get them before you go and let her break them in if you plan to be doing a lot of walking. Or get some waterproof trainers if you are staying low levels with well maintained paths

I live in the Lakes and have never owned a pair of walking boots. I do all my walking in either trainers (summer) or wellies (winter). You will be fine. It's not the north face of the Eiger.

If you are staying near Ullswater then you could do the Ullswater Way. It's a 20 mile walk if you do the whole thing but it's probably perfectly passable in trainers.

You are in a good area if the weather is bad as there's Reghed at Penrith or various indoor stuff at Keswick (dare I mention the Pencil Museum )

Thank you! I'm actually quite excited about the pencil museum Is it good?

I'm now wondering about walking shoes for DD as a compromise. They're cheaper than boots.

If you want to go to the pencil museum I would recommend the puzzle museum...close to the pencil museum but it’s fab, a room full of optical illusions which suits a rainy day

Just need shoes to be waterproofed, so you can splash through puddles or walk over steps in water without worrying about it.

Pencil Museum is an hour you’ll never get back.
Honister is much better.
You can hire boots from Fishers in Keswick. However mine walked in trainers on lower fells like Catbells and around lake. Even Skiddaw is a bit of a motorway.
Swimmers, fishing net, bucket and towels for use in the river at Grange.
Scones at Nicholl End and the launch after a walk from Hawks End.
Whinlatter visitor centre used to have good orienteering type trails for children.
Walking up to Watendlath with an ice cream at the end and ducks to fed.
Wild swimming in the Newlands - lovely ponds at end of valley.

Brilliant tips. Thanks so much. Yes, Cat Bells is probably about as ambitious as we'll get. So maybe trainers/walking shoes will do. Scones and ice cream are much more in my comfort zone!

Cause Pike is very doable by children from about six or seven and a real sense of achievement. Follow with damming streams whilst parents sunbathe and make a cup of tea.