What to Wear Hiking in Autumn: A UK Layering Guide
Autumn can be one of the best times of year for walking in the UK. Cooler temperatures make longer walks more comfortable, popular trails become quieter and the countryside gradually changes colour. Unfortunately, autumn also presents walkers with a rather awkward question:
What on earth should you wear?
A chilly start can turn into a surprisingly warm afternoon. Sunshine can disappear behind cloud, wind can pick up without much warning and a perfectly dry path can become wet and muddy after a passing shower. The solution isn't simply to wear warmer clothes. For most autumn walking, the key is wearing several adaptable layers that can be added or removed as conditions change.
Here's how to build a practical autumn hiking clothing system without taking half your wardrobe with you.
Start With the Base Layer
The first layer of your clothing system sits directly against your skin, which means it has an important job to do.
A good base layer isn't simply there to provide warmth. It should also help manage the moisture your body produces while you're active. Even when the weather feels cool, walking uphill with a rucksack can generate a surprising amount of heat.
If your clothing becomes damp with perspiration, you may initially just feel hot and uncomfortable. The problem often appears later when you slow down or stop. Your body stops generating as much heat, but your damp clothing remains against your skin. Suddenly that pleasant lunch stop overlooking the valley doesn't feel quite so pleasant. This is why moisture management is such an important part of staying comfortable outdoors.
Should You Wear a Short or Long Sleeve Base Layer?
There's no universal answer.
Early in autumn, a lightweight short-sleeved technical top may be perfectly adequate, particularly during energetic walks in mild conditions. As temperatures fall, a long-sleeved base layer provides additional coverage and warmth.
Your activity level matters too. Someone walking quickly uphill will usually require less insulation than somebody moving slowly along an exposed ridge. Think about how warm you are likely to become while moving, rather than simply looking at the temperature displayed by your car when you arrive.
If you're unsure how a base layer should fit, our guide to how tight a base layer should be explains why fit can affect its performance.
Add a Lightweight Insulating Layer
Your next layer provides insulation.
This could be a lightweight fleece, technical mid layer or another breathable insulating garment. The purpose is to trap warm air around your body while still allowing moisture to move away from your base layer.
One of the biggest advantages of using a separate mid layer is flexibility. If the temperature falls, put it on. If you start getting hot while climbing, take it off. Simple. That's much easier than starting your walk in one enormous jumper and discovering twenty minutes later that your only options are either too hot or too cold.
We've previously explained this principle in more detail in why base layers are better than thick jumpers.
Don't Put Every Layer On at the Start
This is an easy mistake to make. You step out of the car on a chilly autumn morning and immediately put on your base layer, fleece and jacket. You feel lovely and warm. Then you start walking.
Ten minutes later you're halfway up the first hill wondering why you're dressed for an Arctic expedition. Your muscles generate heat when you exercise, so clothing that feels comfortable while standing still can quickly become too warm once you're moving.
If you're about to start an energetic walk, feeling slightly cool at the beginning can actually be preferable to feeling completely warm. You can always add another layer later. Once you've soaked your clothing with perspiration, fixing the problem isn't quite so easy.
Keep Wind Out
Temperature alone doesn't determine how cold you feel. Wind matters enormously. A mild but windy autumn day can feel considerably colder than the thermometer suggests, particularly on exposed hills, ridges and coastal paths.
A lightweight wind-resistant outer layer can therefore make a surprisingly large difference. It reduces the amount of warm air being continually stripped away from around your body while allowing your insulating layers underneath to do their job. This is also why checking a weather forecast should involve looking at more than just the headline temperature.
Pay attention to wind speed, rainfall and how exposed your route is likely to be.
Carry a Waterproof
Britain wouldn't be Britain without the possibility of rain. Even if the forecast looks reasonably good, carrying a lightweight waterproof jacket on an autumn day walk is sensible. You might never take it out of your rucksack. That's fine. It's there for when conditions don't follow the forecast.
A waterproof shell also provides useful protection from wind, so it can become an additional part of your layering system when conditions deteriorate. What you don't necessarily want to do is wear a waterproof jacket throughout the entire walk when it isn't raining. Waterproof fabrics inevitably restrict the movement of moisture to some degree. If you're working hard underneath one, you can sometimes end up getting damp from perspiration rather than rain.
Put it on when you need it.
Don't Forget Your Legs
Walkers often spend a great deal of time thinking about jackets and almost none thinking about what they're wearing below the waist.
For ordinary autumn walking, comfortable walking trousers made from a quick-drying fabric are usually a good choice. Jeans are generally less suitable as cotton denim absorbs a lot of water, becomes heavy when wet and can take a long time to dry.
As autumn progresses towards winter, a pair of thermal leggings or long johns underneath your walking trousers can provide additional insulation without requiring excessively heavy outer clothing. Again, think in layers. You don't necessarily need your warmest trousers just because it's autumn.
Your Socks Are Part of the System Too
Good walking socks aren't just something you wear to stop your boots rubbing. They provide cushioning, help manage moisture and contribute to the overall comfort of your footwear. The thickest sock isn't automatically the best option. On a mild September or early October walk, an extremely thick winter sock may simply make your feet hot and sweaty. Choose the weight of your sock according to the weather, your footwear and the type of walking you're doing.
Wool can also be useful across a surprisingly broad range of temperatures, as we explain in Wool Socks in Summer? Here's Why It Works. And once the paths start becoming considerably wetter, you might want to consider whether waterproof socks are worth wearing.
Choose Footwear for the Conditions
Dry summer trails can disguise just how slippery the British countryside becomes once autumn rain arrives. Mud, wet grass, fallen leaves, exposed tree roots and wet rock can all reduce grip. Walking shoes may be perfectly adequate on easier trails and during drier weather, while walking boots can provide greater protection and support in rougher or wetter conditions.
Whatever you choose, make sure the sole provides suitable grip and the footwear is comfortable enough for the distance you're planning. And don't wait until the morning of a 15-mile walk to discover whether your brand-new boots fit properly.
Hats and Gloves Aren't Just for Winter
A lightweight hat and pair of gloves take up very little room in a rucksack. You may not need them during a mild autumn afternoon, but conditions can feel very different first thing in the morning, on an exposed summit or towards the end of the day. This becomes particularly important later in autumn.
Small accessories are also easy to add and remove, making them another useful part of a flexible clothing system. Rather than immediately reaching for your heaviest winter hat and gloves, choose lighter options appropriate for the conditions.
Carry a Spare Layer
One of the most useful things you can put in an autumn day pack is an additional warm layer. You may never wear it. But imagine twisting an ankle and having to wait for assistance, stopping much longer than expected, or discovering that the temperature has dropped significantly towards the end of your walk. The amount of heat your body generates while walking can disguise how cool the conditions actually are. Once you stop moving, you may become cold remarkably quickly.
A spare insulating layer gives you another option. Keep it dry inside your rucksack, ideally in a waterproof bag or dry sack.
Think About the Whole Day
Perhaps the biggest mistake when deciding what to wear for an autumn walk is dressing solely for the conditions outside your front door.
Instead, think about the entire day:
- What will the temperature be later?
- Is rain forecast?
- How strong will the wind be?
- Will you be walking on exposed ground?
- How strenuous is the route?
- What time will you finish?
- What happens if you're delayed?
The answers will tell you far more about what to wear than simply looking at the temperature.
As we discussed in Why September Is One of the Best Months for Walking in the UK, early autumn can give you several different types of weather during the same walk.
Prepare for that rather than trying to predict exactly what you'll encounter.
A Simple Autumn Walking Clothing System
For many ordinary UK autumn day walks, your clothing doesn't need to be complicated.
Think of it as a simple system:
Base layer: manages moisture next to your skin.
Mid layer: provides adjustable insulation.
Outer layer: protects you from wind and rain when required.
Then add suitable walking trousers, socks and footwear, with a hat, gloves and spare layer available if conditions warrant them. The important word is adjustable. There isn't one perfect outfit for autumn walking because autumn doesn't provide one consistent type of weather. Your clothing needs to change when the conditions do.
Don't Try to Be Warm All the Time
This sounds slightly strange coming from a company called Sub Zero, but staying comfortable outdoors isn't about being as warm as possible. It's about managing your temperature. Too little clothing and you'll be cold. Too much clothing and you'll sweat, making yourself uncomfortable while you're moving and potentially colder when you stop. The best autumn walking clothing therefore gives you options.
Start with a good moisture-managing layer next to your skin, add insulation when you need it and carry protection against the wind and rain. Take layers off before you become excessively hot and put them back on before you become cold. It doesn't need to be complicated. And once you get used to managing your layers throughout a walk, you'll probably wonder why you ever tried to predict the British weather with a single jacket.
Further Reading
If you're preparing for more walking this autumn, you may also find these useful: