As title I need some recommendations on some walking shoes/boots to look at.

Budget is £70

I have wide feet if that makes a difference too.

Cheers

Steve

most helpful & least helpful advice
Ones that fit, it’s very personal.

If you can find somewhere to try a load on then you will find out. Some of the discount outdoor places in the lakes (ambleside), or N Wales – Cotswold rock bottom in Betws-y-coed are great for cheaper/reduced boots

Ive got a go outdoors near me in oxford but they sell stuff like karrimor which I always thought were budget shoes now as ive seen them for sale in places like sports soccer and sports direct.

Depends what type of walking you intend to do, boots are generally overkill for most, and you get very little actual extra support from them over a shoe (unless you go for a full on mountaineering boot). It is generally accepted now that a decent heel cup is more important for stability than a high boot.

I like my five ten camp fours, and have been alpine backpacking in them. I find them quite wide, and actually go a size down in them from my normal shoe size (rather than a size or 2 up as I do with cycling shoes).

Just go along to a few decent outdoors shops and try lots on, there are too many decent manufacturers to mention all by name.

edit: karrimor are now an Ashley brand and I would generally avoid these days, they built great rucksacks years ago, but are no longer the same company.

I am an North Face and Salomon fan and have a pair each of walking boots with higher ankle support and more trainer type – for normal Surrey Hills walking and leisure hikes the trainer type are excellent with good grip, I only use the more traditional boots for things like Lake District (3-6 hours) or Alpine hiking.

Important they are comfortable and you try them with the type of socks you’ll use (eg thin or thick and padded ?)

It’s sale time so have a look around, eg on Snow and Rock website to see if it’s worth travelling to one of their shops/superstore (call to check stock). Your budget is a bit tight but you should find something good.

Edit I just looked at Ellis Brighams site (they have shop in Milton Keynes ) they have quite a choice on sale I side your budget, North Face, Salomon and Merrill (good brand too)

MSP… Moving to Scotland in two weeks and we plan to more walking etc as a family. I have quite a weak left ankle from years of wearing ill fitting skate shoes etc so really want something with a bit of support but not looking like massive moon boots !!

I’ve recentlybbecome a big fan of wobble boards used for my knee rehab, have a look they are £20 or so and very good for ankles too, easy to do at home – best to try and fix your ankle

If you’re anywhere near Ulverston, get yourself down the market on a Saturday. You can get some Brasher Goretex boots within your budget.

Like I said, support comes from the heel cup, generally boots give nothing but psychological support, unless they are so stiff as to become restrictive. In proper mountaineering boots the trade off between being restrictive in normal walking conditions is worth forsaking for the advantages when needed. I have some scarpa manta that I thought would be a good idea when I first started getting into walking in the mountains. They are just sat in my cellar, didn’t wear them after the first two weeks, complete overkill.

Look for something that your heel sits in nicely, and is shaped to support it in the shoe (ie rounded and not made of flimsy foam).

Hagloffs come with sole moldable insoles, they are also available separately, which are excellent, and since discovering them I fit them in all my walking and cycling shoes. Although they are a bit expensive.

http://www.yoursole.com/uk/

Karrimor are a good fit for wide feet.

The top end leather boots and the KSB250/300 are still very good quality, despite being sold by Sports Direct.

I’m getting about 2 years of continuous use, used throughout winter and almost daily for work.

Spend some more money and buy Meindl Burmas. Mine are nearly ten years old, have been used in mountains all over the world, and are as comfortable as the day I bought them.

There will be bigger shops and much more choice in Scotland

Salomon are without doubt the most comfortable boots going and I’ve tried on the vast majority. However depending on your use of them you may find they’re less than waterproof, I’ve had three pairs now and they’ve all leaked and been returned. They’re a fabric boot so this is the problem really, the Outter rather than being repellent to water like leather absorbs it and it’s glen just down to the gortex layer so your odds are against you.

If you’re just using them once in a blue moon they they’ll be fine. However if you’re in the situation where you’re only gonna go walking in the summer and dry weather you could consider trainer type instead of boots.

While leather is infinitely more repellent to water I do a lot of kneeling and stooping and I’ve now destroyed two pairs of very expensive leather boots in less than a year per pair no matter how much I treat them, the leather just cracks. My next pair is going to be a fabric pair of perhaps scarpa or similar and more expensive.

Again depending on what you want them for will depend on your budget. Do you want them to last or buy a new pair each year like I currently have to!

Oh btw meindl do wide fit boots, my mum has a pair however being a member of a walking forum I warn you, there customer service is appalling. I know someone who returned their boots as they leaked only to be told it was their fault for having toenails too long! Clearly they thought the person was a yeti!

Ive got a pair of Meindl desert boots for work and they arent very wide??

Are these any good??……

http://www.snowandrock.com/salomon-men’s-x-ultra-mid-gtx/walking-boots/ski-snowboard-outdoor-sports/fcp-product/32381

If you are walking in the Scottish hills and mountains then you need a leather boot. Walking through wet heather will kill a fabric boot really quickly.

Salomons are only the most comfortable if you have Salomon shaped feet.

You really need to go and try as many pairs on as you can in a shop that knows what they are doing. Every time I go to buy boots it takes me at least an hour! Fortunately I don’t do it very often.

Finally if you can then spend whatever is necessary to buy quality. A £150 boot should last 10 years, a £70 boot may only last a couple (not always true of course, but google for reviews and see what is best value, not just what is cheap).

Do a lot of walking with dogs, so all times of year and in all weather, on quite a mix of terrain. Go for lighter trainer like walking shoes these days. Got some Merrell Pantheon goretex right now that I’m getting on well with. Unless you are doing proper mountaineering I’d not bother with much more than that.

Agree with the comment about getting less support in the shoe and sorting out any weakness properly instead with physio exercises. Reckon that getting boots with lots of support will just further weaken the ankle. Worth working on some foot strengthening exercises as a lot of ankle problems stem from foot problems.

as above -find somewhere reputable and go and try a load on…

last time I went for boots I went to George Fisher in Keswick, having ‘done my research’ – checking reviews and all that, I went in, bloke sat me down, asked what my walking intentions were, took a look at my feet and then asked me what books I wanted to try. I told him Scarpa xxxx as they were the 5* boot of the time.
He looked at me and, no word of a lie, told me I’d not be wanting them (Scarpa) but, he’d let me try a pair. Oddly enough, he was, of course, correct – Scarpa were far too narrow. Ended up with Meindl Burma…