Ok, great info thanks.
There are plenty of options available to you for what you need. My first option would be as above, a Berghaus Paclite jacket, ripstop and waterproof enough for what you need. Very light jacket, the only thing is the sizing, i cant remember if they come up small or large, but deffinatly not same as other sizes. Size is something you need to think about with layers though.
My personal choice and one which has never failed in any jacket regardless of material is Mountain Equipment, best fit and best fitting hoods. They do some none Gortex material jackets, cant remember the name now which are fine too.
Hoods are pretty important and vary loads from make to make, ME as above are one of the best, avoid mountain jackets as most have helmet compatable hoods which can be reduced but can still fill with air on a windy day. Berghaus jackets have proper Helmet hoods, great if you are actually wearing one, North Face are another one with the worst hoods, the peaks are mostly not wired and therefore useless.
Alternative style jackets could be an option for you. If i am only out for the day walking or even in the mountains i will just take a softshell nowadays, as opposed to a hardshell. They are perfect for our climate, more breathable and a lot of them are water ressistant enough to withstand the rain if it decides too. The advantage apart from being more breathable is you dont have to keep taking it on and off and they are a lot more comfortable. If i was setting off in the rain and i knew it was going to rain all day without stopping i would wear a hardshell though. If the rain was stop and start all day i would take the softshell everytime!
Another alternative is a pertex and pile jacket. Again, a lot more breathable, you can keep it on all day and they are great in our climate. Some have thick linnings though, which means you dont need as many layers, they are the same as wearing either a jumper and hardshell or the thicker ones a fleece jacket and hardshell. Thats just reminded me, Rab jackets are also very good, the Vapour rise jacket is probably the best jacket i have ever owned.
Jeez, i could go on for ages
Lowe Alpine make great jackets too, they make a very good lightweight jacket like the Paclite but they are often cheaper to buy. Remember Berghaus atract high street wearers as well as outdoor users. Their mountain jackets use Triple Point which is awesome but requires reproofing to make it waterproof.
Another thing about Gortex or other waterproof jackets is the thinner ones have no linning so wear from the inside out, if buying secondhand, which is the best option really, always check the inside for wear as clothes wear away the coating. 2 layer jackets have the mesh inside to stop the water proof layer getting worn. 3 layer have another layer on the inside so the waterproof layer is sandwiched between the outer and inner.
Just seen the above reply from FF. Mammut jackets are great jackets, they tend to use fabrics before others and have their own specs for the Gortex and other materials when they get them produced.. For that reason they tend to be more expensive than other brands. I am not familier with the Tetra model, i know the Teton 3 layer jacket and its a good jacket. Like i said before, i have a 3 layer and they do offer the most protection and durability from within. It would not be my first choice for hillwalking though or even for single days in the mountains.
Another note and not intended against the above is Mammut clothing is probably the second most faked after The North Face so really have to be careful if buying anything of theirs.
Nothing definative i know, sorry. I guess for your situation the best choice would be either something lightweight like the paclite mentioned above, even better, a softshell jacket and a paclite, both of which you could get for less than you stated, for the pair that is. You will hardly, if ever, have to use the paclite but its so small that you might as well carry it anyway. The softshell can just be warn all the time and will become your favourite jacket
Need a drink now
ah, boots, Meindl's are great boots and i would recommend them for walking, one of the best made but they can be dear, even secondhand, but they are worth it. I never treat any of my boots, they seem to last a lot longer if you just leave them and clean them now and again