Kit List & Safety for the Westmorland and Furness Way

Essential Kit List

Cumbrian weather changes fast, and several stages spend hours far from a road. This list assumes you are staying indoors each night; add a tent, sleeping bag, mat and stove if you're camping.

Clothing

• Waterproof jacket and overtrousers — genuinely waterproof, with a hood that works in wind. You will use them.
• Warm mid-layer (fleece or synthetic/down jacket), even in summer. It can be 8–10°C colder on the Pennine tops than in the valleys.
• Hat and gloves for all but the warmest months.
• Quick-drying base layers and walking trousers (not jeans), plus a spare dry set for the evening.
• Broken-in walking boots with good grip — the moorland and fell paths are wet and boggy even after dry spells. Trail shoes suit the lower stages but not Stage 1 in a wet spell.
• Good walking socks and a blister kit. Blisters, not the hills, end most long-distance walks.

Navigation

• The free GPX file for each stage, loaded onto your phone or GPS device before you leave signal — download it from the relevant stage guide or the full-route GPX.
• A paper map (Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer sheets cover the route — check sheet coverage for your stages before buying) and a compass.
• A power bank and cable: phone navigation drains batteries quickly, especially in the cold.

Day essentials

• Enough food and water for the whole day — the middle of Stages 1 and 4 has almost no resupply.
• A small first-aid kit, including tick remover and any personal medication.
• Head torch, whistle, survival or bothy bag, sun cream and insect repellent.
• Walking poles are optional but welcome on the steep descents off Cross Fell and The Calf.

Weather and Terrain

The west of England catches weather straight off the Atlantic, and the high fells make their own. Check a mountain-specific forecast — the Met Office mountain forecasts and the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) both cover the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines — rather than a town forecast. Look for wind speed on the tops and the cloud base, not just rain.

On Stage 1 the route climbs to around 784 m on open moorland, where the Helm Wind can blow hard down the western escarpment. Paths are often peaty and wet, and in cloud there are few landmarks. The Stage 3 high route over The Calf (676 m) is grassy and gentle-looking but disorientating in mist, and steep on its flanks. If the forecast is poor, take the low route, or delay the high sections by a day — the valley alternatives are good walks in their own right.

The long stages are an endurance challenge more than a technical one. Stage 4 is 27 miles; unless you're a fast, fit walker, split it (see our itineraries). In winter, daylight in Cumbria can be as short as seven hours, so even moderate stages need an early start and a head torch.

Livestock, Dogs and the Countryside Code

Much of the trail crosses working farmland and open grazing. Cattle — particularly cows with young calves — are the main hazard: give them a wide berth, don't walk between a cow and her calf, and if cattle become threatening, let go of your dog's lead so you can both move away separately. Keep dogs on a short lead around sheep, especially during lambing (roughly March to May), and near ground-nesting birds on the moors in spring and early summer.

Follow the Countryside Code: leave gates as you find them, stick to the path through fields of crops, take all litter home and don't light fires. Ticks are common in bracken and long grass from spring to autumn — check yourself daily and remove any tick promptly with a tick tool.

Tides and Morecambe Bay

Stage 6 runs along the edge of Morecambe Bay, which has some of the fastest-rising tides in Britain, quicksand and deep channels. The waymarked route keeps to paths and shoreline tracks, but some short foreshore sections may be affected by high spring tides. Check tide times before you set off, stay on the marked route, and never try to cross the open sands — official cross-bay walks only run with an appointed guide.

In an Emergency

Dial 999 or 112, ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue, and give your location as precisely as possible. Register your phone for emergencySMS before your trip, so you can text 999 if you have too little signal to call. Tell someone your route and expected finish time each day, and check in when you arrive. Cumbria's mountain rescue teams are volunteers — being well prepared is the best way to avoid needing them.

Kit & Safety FAQs

Keep Planning

Next, sort out where to stay and how to get there, pick an itinerary, or read about the landscapes the trail crosses. Every stage has its own route guide and GPX download.