• CONTACT US if you have any problems registering for the forums.

Shoes/Boots For Walking in England and Wales

artnbarb

1000+ Posts
We plan to do a fair amount of walking - in Sussex, in Yorkshire, in Wales, in Cornwall, and in Dorset, weather permitting! I'm not going to slog through mud just to say I 'did' a certain walk, but I realize that it's England and it can be cold/cloudy/rainy/windy in the middle of summer, so one has to be prepared!

My biggest concern is footwear. Do people still just pull on wellies over their 'regular' hiking boots? Or is a one-piece, waterproof duck-boot preferable?
 
A trade off between a light walking shoe with plenty of ventilation - which I really like, or (say) a goretex shoe that provides good protection against the rain / walking through puddles or boggy ground.

I can't imagine fitting a wellington boot over a hiking boot and although wellies have improved immensely in recent times, I wouldn't want to go walking any distance in them.

I'd say it would be pretty surprising to hit genuinely boggy ground in the middle of summer, but rain is always a possibility. Almost always it's possible to walk around a large *muddy puddle, though not as much fun as jumping in it!

regards
Ian

Which reminds me, 'Muddy puddle' was a favourite soft drink of a guy I used to play basketball with. Orange juice and Coca cola. It seemed a perfectly apt name!
 
Thanks Ian. I'm very relieved to hear that we won't have to tug boots on and off our walking shoes! We'll be arriving in mid-May, so the possibility of spring showers is still in the air!

That drink sounds absolutely disgusting! I can't imagine who first thought of putting those two together!
 
Glad this question came up. I was wondering the same thing myself. Nothing can ruin a day like cold wet sore feet. I'm due for new hiking boots anyway so I'm looking for a light weight water resistant pair.
On the same topic, should we have water proof/resistant pants? We will of course have rain jackets. Our trip is the middle of September.
 
I can't address the English weather, but I've worn out hiking shoes and boots over my life! The Vasque Sundowner GTX is my favorite hiking boot (not shoe), but I don't think it's still made in Italy. It may be too much boot for the walking you'll do in the UK. Both of our sons, and my late husband wore the same men's version to hike sections of the Appalachian Trail. We found that boot's Gore-Tex was quite good and breathable.

I walk 5 miles rt on a trail here at home, and today, it was very muddy after 9 inches of rain over two days. It's very hilly (climb of 23 feet) and I'm ready to switch from trail runners to a hiking shoe (my boots are too much for this trail) for muddy (streams of water) days like this. On dry days and moderately wet days, my Brooks trail runners are fine. Grip is important to me on hills.

On my short list to try at REI is the Merrell FST WaterProof Low Hiking shoe.

Since I'll be going on Kathy's Cotswold experience in late July/early August, I'm more inclined to pack trail runners for the walks, due to packing light. However, if the forecast looks like it could be rainy, I'd consider packing a hiking shoe.
 
Picking up on Cindy's question about waterproof trousers - a lot depends on where you are walking. If it is around towns etc then you probably don't need to bother. If you are out in the countryside and particularly on hills, then yes it is sensible. Rain will drip down your waterproof top onto your trousers which will get wet. Add in any wind chill (a problem even in September) then you are going to get chilled quickly. Depending on the material the trousers are made of, they may take a long time to dry and walking in wet trousers is no fun. Jeans are the worst and a definite no no if hill walking.

You can buy cheap waterproofs which pack down into a small space.
 
On our long distance walks where we're walking every day, 8-15 miles, I wear really good well-broken in waterproof hiking boots. My boots protect my ankles. I think the socks are pretty important too. On these walks we walk rain or shine and we have walked in absolutely pouring rain. Good rain pants are essential. And a pack cover too. And I use zip locks to keep things dry in my pack.

But if we have two weeks somewhere (like in the Cotswolds last summer and this coming summer) and plan to do a few hikes a week, we try to be flexible and go when the weather is favorable. I would not set out on a hike in bad weather, as there are so many other things to do. Of course in the U.K. it's always good to have a rain jacket with you!
 
Which reminds me, 'Muddy puddle' was a favourite soft drink of a guy I used to play basketball with. Orange juice and Coca cola. It seemed a perfectly apt name!

Known in German as a "Spezi", incidentally. If it's been a long hot walk, it can be a lifesaver!

As for footwear, a lot depends on where you'll be walking. On a level made-up path, like a riverside towpath or farm tracks, anything comfortable with some tread underfoot (and that you don't mind getting muddy) would be OK. If you're going up and down hills or over uneven ground, then ankle support is likely to be essential (the day you don't have it is the day you turn your ankle on some tussock or other).
 
I've stopped wearing hiking boots because @jonathan convinced me that boots don't really support your ankles. I wear waterproof hiking shoes in winter but switch to lighter water resistant walking shoes in summer.

I agree with @Kathy that good socks are important. I use Bridgedale trekkers and use lighter ones in summer.

We have waterproof trousers but hardly ever wear them. If it is pouring, we usually don't go walking. Make sure you get a good pair of walking trousers that will wash and dry quickly. And that are stretchy for easy movement.

I know this is hard to believe but we don't often wear our rain jackets. I keep an emergency rain poncho in my pack which we used once. But we are not walking all day. We follow the weather and are fair weather walkers. Bring a rain jacket, but you won't be wearing it all the time.

@artnbarb you are thinking of winter overshoes, not wellies. Wellies are a rubber boot that, in our area and the Cotswolds, everyone uses in winter if going out for a quick walk or with the dog. I got us good ones but I can't walk longer than an hour in them. Cheap ones are useless for walking. You won't need them. Bring waterproof hiking boots or shoes and a lighter hiking shoe. Those two options will let you hike in wet or dry.
 
I've stopped wearing hiking boots because @jonathan convinced me that boots don't really support your ankles.
This was a subject of discussion on our basketball team many years ago. The concensus was that wearing 'hi-tops' that covered above the ankle did prevent a lot of common ankle sprains - and most definitely worked for me in that respect, as the move to hi-tops completely stopped my ~ bi-weekly ankle sprains. The flipside is that if the ankle can't turn over and the force is strong enough, then it's the leg that will break, and that would not be nice at all!

I do see full ankle covering walking boots around, but I very rarely twist my ankle walking and find a hard/tight fitting over-ankle boot to be very uncomfortable, hence my winter & summer boots are no higher than most training shoes.
 
Thanks to everyone for all the information! I definitely want as much support as I can get, so some medium-duty, waterproof hiking boots should do the trick. I don't mind wearing them for a day of sightseeing in the cities either.

We'll be fair-weather walkers for sure, so rain pants aren't on my list, and I'd much rather have a breathable jacket and an emergency rain poncho than a rain jacket any day.

Although we might take a walk on a beautiful day, we won't know about low/muddy spots on the trail until it's too late, so I'm going to try to be as prepared as I can, then hope for good weather/conditions!
 
Pauline and I were talking about this on a walk only a few weeks ago, though I was first going on about this several years before that! I'm just not convinced that normal walking boots do really offer significant ankle support. Ankle protection, yes indeed - but support? You'd need something as stiff as a ski boot for that - and no one would want to walk far in those...

The writer who first converted me to this way of thinking was Chris Townsend - here's a recent post of his which includes the article that I first read, many years ago.
 
I have always felt more secure in boots which cover my ankle. Even if not tight around there, it does prevent you turning your ankle to a 'sprained' degree and my feet feel less tired walking in my boots than in equivalent walking shoes, even if slightly heavier. They don't have to be heavy though. I can't see why you would choose NOT to, unless you were in a very hot place and didn't want that extra material around your foot? I guess it is 'horses for courses'. And if you go through a deep muddy puddle then it is useful to have that extra height before the water goes over the top. I see the author of this article walking in the Scottish hills (mountains? I don't know where the Watershed walk is) in sandals! That would be a recipe for foot ache for me.
 
I had a read of the article and yes it appears he is talking about support rather than protection. For support I'm much more concerned about the sole / arch, as that's where the shoe is indeed supporting you

FWIW I favour a light and airy 'summer' shoe, because it's been many years since I turned my ankle, so I don't especially feel the need for protection. If I were doing more rough terrain / scrambling then I might think differently. I also find many over ankle boots quite painful on the ankles, only finding the perfect Basketball compromise with an Adidas shoe that had neoprene 'socks' that fitted within a shoe that could then forego additional padding. I'm not sure the concept would work for walking as the socks weren't especially breathable.

So in summary, I'd still suggest hi-tops for protection against ankle sprains if that is a common problem for you, but personally I'm all for lighter (I never did have a pair of the old fashioned 'clodhopper' walking boots).
 
I have a well loved and very well broken in pair of walking boots and wouldn't dream of doing serious walking in anything else. I invested in special insoles which were expensive but have more than repaid themselves in comfort. As others have said, good socks are essential. I like the Bridgedale walking socks that have the slightly padded foot. I find the shoe part of boots gives lots of support to the feet saving tired tootsies at the end of the day and I also like the additional support round the ankle. I think it all comes down to personal preference and there is no right or wrong answer. However you do have to make sure that whatever footwear you wear is up to the job in the conditions you are walking in.... It frightens me when I see people tackling mountains in flimsy sandals.
 
Last edited:
For those concerned about weak ankles and hiking hills or distances, consider using trekking poles. Mine are made by Leki. Around home, I mostly use them for icy and snowy conditions, but if I were hiking with a pack, or terrain hiking for 8-10 miles/day, I'd use them.

For cool-to-cold weather, I have a twenty-year-old NorthFace Mountain Light Gore-tex jacket. It has zips under the arms for ventilation. I also have a heavy fleece jacket (can also be worn alone), than zips into it. After all these years of wear, the combo still looks like new.

For summer wet weather, I have a new Mountain Hardware packable rain jacket with a hood. It's thigh length and weighs only 7 ounces. Totally waterproof. I tried it during the 9 inches of rain the other day and it works beautifully without getting hot. Pricey, but it's sold by Cole Haan and I had a $50 off coupon. I also have a bit heavier, but packable, Mountain Hardware (also sold by CH) that looks dressier, without a hood. I took that one to Spain and France last fall.
 
Last edited:
Just to add complication to complication, I should come clean and admit that last year, having put comfy insoles into my hard-soled boots, I discovered that primarily walking downhill was pushing my toes up against the hard top casing, and I ended up with two bruised big toenails (they eventually went an interesting colour and replaced themselves). So this year, I'm investigating additional toe-protection!
 

How to Find Information

Search using the search button in the upper right. Search all forums or current forum by keyword or member. Advanced search gives you more options.

Filter forum threads using the filter pulldown above the threads. Filter by prefix, member, date. Or click on a thread title prefix to see all threads with that prefix.

Sponsors

Booking.com Hotels in Europe
AutoEurope.com Car Rentals

Recommended Guides, Apps and Books

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata by Valerie Fortney
Italian Food & Life Rules by Ann Reavis
Italian Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
French Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
She Left No Note, Lake Iseo Italy Mystery 1 by J L Crellina

Share this page

Back
Top