Sun, glare and a brim on open summer hills
British hills can burn you on a bright day. A brim, shade at lunch and enough water matter as much as the waterproof.
Walkers in Britain pack for rain as a matter of honour, then get caught out by a clear day. On an open hill, a coast path or a chalk ridge there is nowhere to hide from the sun, and a breeze can make you feel cooler than your skin is. The result is a headache, a burned neck and a shorter temper by the time you deserve a view. Summer kit is not only shorts. It is a brim and a plan for shade.
What the brim is doing
A brim shades your face and, if it goes all the way round, the back of your neck. A baseball cap leaves the ears and the neck to the weather. A sun hat with a proper brim, or a light cap with a fabric neck flap, looks faintly earnest and works. The earnestness is cheaper than the burn.
Secure it. A chin strap or a simple cord means the hat is still yours on a breezy ridge. Headland walks are exactly where an unsecured hat becomes a gift to the cliff. If you will not wear a strap, you will spend the day holding your hat, which is a poor use of a hand.
Glare from grass, rock and water
Sun does not only come from above. Pale rock, a limestone scar, the sea, and even dry grass throw light back up. That is why a brim helps more than a dark pair of thoughts. Sunglasses you can actually walk in, rather than fashion glasses that vanish the moment you sweat, reduce the squint that turns into a headache. If you need prescription glasses, consider clip-ons or lenses you trust on rough ground. Losing your sight of the path for the sake of a glare-free portrait is a bad exchange.
Coast and water multiply the effect. A beach on firm sand and an estuary wall are bright places. The hill version is a bare ridge at noon. In both, the shade may be an hour away. Plan the exposed stretch for earlier or later if you can, and keep the middle of the day for a valley, a wood or a long lunch.
Cream, clothing and the packet
Use a sunscreen you know your skin tolerates, on the face, ears, neck and the backs of the hands, and follow what the packet says about reapplying. A once-in-the-car-park application is a wish. Sweat and a hat brim rubbing your forehead will remove more of it than you think. Reapply at lunch, with cleanish hands, rather than discovering the missed patch in the mirror at home.
Clothing is the other sunscreen. A light long-sleeved shirt sounds absurd on a hot morning and feels sensible at the first unshaded hour. Layering still applies in summer: you may start in sleeves, move to a t-shirt in the wood, and want the sleeves again on the top. Cotton that stays wet can chill you if a breeze gets up. A light synthetic or a thin wool layer is often kinder.
Water, shade and the point of stopping
Heat asks for more to drink than a cool day, and for salt in your food rather than in a theory. Carry more water than the optimistic version of the walk, and drink before you are parched. If you feel dizzy, sick, confused or you stop sweating in the heat, that is no longer a kit issue. Stop in shade, cool the skin, sip water if you can do so safely, and seek urgent medical help if you are worried or the person does not improve. A blog is not a clinician. The hill can wait.
Build shade into the route. A churchyard yew, a wood, a north-facing lane, a pub: these are part of the plan, not a reward you might skip. Wooded hills are the summer alternative to a bare crest when the forecast is simply hot.
A small summer pocket
Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, a full bottle, and the honesty to start earlier. The waterproof can still come. British weather has a sense of humour, and a sunny morning is not a contract. Pack for the burn and for the shower, and you will look mildly over-prepared at the car park and comfortable at the top.
Frequently asked questions
Is sun a real risk if there is a breeze?
Yes. Wind cools the skin and hides the burn until the evening. A breeze is not a hat.
Do I need sunscreen in April?
You can burn in spring on a bright day, especially on snow, water or pale rock. If the light is strong and the shade is scarce, treat it as a sun day whatever the month.
What if I hate hats?
Try a lighter brim, a cap with a neck flap, or a careful combination of sunscreen and an earlier start. Bareheaded all afternoon on an open ridge is the option that ends in a headache. Choose a dislike you can live with.