
Hi Annie Goz, I've bought Mountain Equipment, Paramo and Haglöfs all of which are great. However, go to a specialist supplier, you will get better advice and price than at your average chainstore (e.g. on layering for maximum efficiency, diffenret fabrics and their properties, keeping clothing weights down, etc). Try Magic Mountain in Glossop if you're within 100 miles of it, well worth the trip because of huge savings on end of line stuff, or Needle Sports in Keswick
http://www.needlesports.com--don't be put off by the "climber's shop" description, they have some very good bargains and are extremely knowledgeable about their stock.
--it is possible to be Goretexed to death--I have a wonderful, incredibly light ME stormproof , but honestly, if you exert yourself in it and build up a sweat you'll have difficulty wicking the sweat away :). How often are you going to be out in a real rainstorm? I've only been able to enjoy it on the Cairngorms plateaux in the middle of winter and wore it with two extremely light Haglöf fleeces--my hair was frozen into icicles by the time we finished for the day, but the rest of me was just fine!
--get something that isn't too "rustly" if you like walking and enjoying wildlife, otherwise you'll sound like a giant crisp packet :)
--my Paramo Aspira is a few years old now and is as good as ever, great all round jacket and the manufacturers do repairs
--for a bit of useful bedtime reading, get a copy of Trail--the gear reviews will tell you what you need to know and give you a good range of prices.
Expect to spend around £250 for a jacket and £60-120 for rainproof trousers. They'll last for years if you take good care of them, so worth every penny.