A couple of years ago I got a few pairs of really nice merino socks from On-One, which have been my first choice ever since. Now they need replacing I can’t find anything similar – even supposedly winter socks seem very thin in comparison. Is there anything out there a bit thicker than the coolmax jobbies but not as thick as walking socks?

Have you had a look into SealSkinz socks? A lot of mountain bikers in the Highlands use them all year round because they are waterproof too.

I’ve been loving these all winter. Like you say, much thicker than normal bikey-type socks.

You can get some nice, lighter-weight walking socks from the likes of Bridgedale too.

Embers Merino do some lovely socks, particularly the quarter and shorty socks. Thick enough to cushion hard-soled SPD shoes, but not excessively big.

Quarter

Shorty