You've got to be pretty dumb to set off on a walk over so many consecutive days and not know or suspect talking waterproofs would be a good idea.

Nothing at all to do with lack of experience. This is out and out stupidity.

Does it say he didn't pack waterproofs?

States "equip yourself with proper waterproof clothing" and "top quality water proof gear."

He might have had something he thought was ok, and it just failed. It happens.

If he had nothing, absolutely, the guy is a dufus.

But have you never made any mistakes? I have, my walking partners have, so does that make me / them an idiot? And I suspect you have so that makes you one too.

He will have learnt a lesson, and won't repeat it.

#Wainwrightwalker

Are you the bloke that was rescued by any chance? You seem very eager to go on the defensive.

If he (you) did have poor quality waterproofs I doubt very much the rescue team would criticize the quality of a persons equipment by warning "walkers they need to equip themselves with proper waterproof clothing, even in the height of summer".
The most likely thing is that he's set off without any waterproofs at all. Perhaps someone who was there could clear up this piece of missing information.

#Antony

I wasn't the walker.

Just wondering why someone felt the need to be so judgemental of someone that they didn't know, or the facts which were not explicit. But we live in an intolerant society and it's now acceptable to call people things they wouldn't say to someone in person.

I don't know the individual, and have no idea if the individual had any, or the quality thereof of any they may have had, or if they hadn't got waterproofs at all.

As I said, the individual made a mistake. It how humans learn.

Totally agree www - experience and hill craft are borne of learning (and hopefully surviving!) from your mistakes. And the article definitely implies this guy had waterproofs, just not those of a sufficient "top-quality" to survive the kind of persistent wet and cold conditions needed on the fells.

Antony - by stating " The most likely thing is that he's set off without any waterproofs at all" suggests not only that you are sitting in judgment, but that you are doing so without even reading the article properly.

#Wainwrighter

Well said, it is so easy to jump to conclusions. I think most people that spend any amount of time in the hills will have found one occasion when they have forgotten something or were sure they had packed something only to find they hadn't. Ironically it is on those occasions that you need the missing item.

I would hope that anybody doing the Coast to Coast would know that they need waterproofs. Unfortunately, I think there are some people who get into walking through routes such as organised 'challenge' events who do not have the experience of walking in all weathers. Experience has told them that something isn't really needed and they can cope without. sadly their limited experience is not a good guide.

This could be the same chap we were talking to on Friday in Patterdale. It was the wettest day of our holiday so we stayed at valley level and saw a poor bloke walking along with no waterproofs. He was soaked to the skin and dripping wet. He told us he was doing the coast to coast on his own and should be fine to do the next bit despite the rain.

Could be the same person and definitely not wearing any sort of waterproof gear when we saw him.