Footwear and raingear, summer in Scottish Highland

I'll be walking the West Highland Way in the Scottish Highlands this coming July. From non-hiking friends in Scotland I've been told to expect rain and midges but they offered no recommendations on how to stay "dry". We will be walking from accommodation to accommodation so I'm not too worried about comfortable nights but would also like to have shoes and raingear appropriate to summer conditions in the western Scottish Highlands. For most of my hiking and climbing trail walking in the mountains of the western US and Canada I have used ventilated trail runners and, lately, Dri-Ducks. I would appreciate recommendations from anyone with experience in such matters for possible improvement of my footwear and raingear. Right now, I'm assuming conditions similar to those I have experienced over many years in the North Cascades.

I stumbles across this in the recent Backpacker mag. equipment review http://media.backpacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/SierraDesigns_EliteCagoule_combo.jpg not cheap as the breathable offerings. have no personal knowledge of Scotland highlands weather conditions. ( the link is from backpacker/gear guide)

Pika,

It sounds like an exciting trip. Perhaps you could contact a tour guide in the area to answer your questions.

I have no special knowledge of the highlands, but in comparing them to the North Cascades I would observe that the North Cascades do not have peat bogs, and if the north of Scotland has any similarity to western Ireland, the possibility of peat bogs would indicate to me the desirability of waterproof footwear of some description.

Also, the photos I have seen lead me to think that the highlands are much more barren of trees than the North Cascades. I would think that this would make sheltering from wind more difficult.

I haven't been there either (I was going in 2001, but due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak went to Turkey instead).

However, my favorite blogger, Section Hiker (Philip Werner), went twice to take part in the TGO ("The Great Outdoors") Challenge, a cross-Scotland group hike. Here is his summary of "Gear That Worked and Gear That Didn't." It has a link to his full gear list for 2013 (his second trip). I hope it helps!

You might want to look for other accounts from TGO Challenge participants. They seem to encounter all the possible difficulties! Although I didn't look into them, googling "TGO Challenge" brought up a number of individual reports.

Of course, we'll be breathlessly waiting for a full trip report with photos--lots of them, please!!!

BTW, I was told by a Scot I met in Norway that "midges" are pronounced "mudgies." I'm sure there are less complimentary names, but he wasn't about to reveal them to someone old enough to be his grandma!

MORE, LATER: Look through Chris Townsend's blog for more info.

My wife and I hiked the Wainwright trail (aka "Coast to Coast") trail in northern England a few years ago; I suspect that conditions might be similar, though we had no midges.

For rain, I used a poncho, and was okay overall; depends on how low temps might get, and don't forget wind-blown rain. Having accommodations each night (as you said that you will) indeed takes the pressure off a lot. I found in England that they were well prepared in general to help out soaking wet travelers, typically having some sort of drying room. So while you want to keep weight down, you'll definitely want clothing (to include light footwear) to change into to wear indoors. IMO it doesn't matter all that much if I get pretty wet on occasion if I can dry out every night!

I used quick drying trail runners for this trip. I pretty much always do that. If doing this particular trail again I MIGHT consider high top light goretex boots, as on occasion my low top shoes got wet in the marshy areas when a boot might have kept me dry longer or just all day. In England, at least, it's gospel writ that you put a lot of dry newspaper inside the shoes when leaving them to dry, and that will dry them in the morning. Optionally change the paper out once before bedtime to increase the odds. Having a dry warm room helps a lot of course.

So --- my shoes always definitely dried, but on occasion my feet got wet during the day sooner than they might otherwise have (if at all). Bring, of course, a decent set of wool socks for those times when feet do get wet.

I didn't use nor want rain pants, but many people would have in these conditions. I personally prefer to just get my quick-drying pants wet than to mess with it, unless it's pretty cold.
I think if doing this trail again I might accept the weight penalty to bring my Packa, http://www.thepacka.com/
Are you carrying all of your gear or do you have a car shuttle and, as a result, just a very light day pack? If the latter, it's an easier decision to carry a bit more weight to ward off wet/cold/bugs.