Trip of 26 days wearing Clarks women's Wave Trek shoes, they were fabulous, will never wear anything else! My plantar fasciitis never hurt, and they are waterproof. I did notice most Europeans now wear very colorful tennis shoes.
Posted by
Pennsylvania, USA
812 posts
I once had a pair of Clarks shoes for 13 years. I will have to look for the Wave Treks when I go shopping soon.
Posted by
Peterborough, ON, Canada
1742 posts
I wholeheartedly agree, having done two successful trips on them (Scotland and Ireland). They are perfect for that climate and I can walk miles in them.
Now I need to get my hands on those merino wool socks everyone was raving about!
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
I have taken 13 trips to Europe in the last 14 years including 13 RS tours and I wear Clark AirMovers shoes which are no longer available. I have several pairs that I keep getting resoled. I also have a pair of Mephestoes (sp?) shoes that I bought in Paris in at their company store for about half of what they cost here in the US. I take them along when visiting places that have a forecast for lots of rain for an extended period of time since they are water proof. On the RS tours I have taken, I make it a practice to check out what brands of shoes fellow tour members are wearing. I have seen as many different types of shoes worn as there are types of shoes. If someone is planning on buying a pair of shoes to take to Europe be sure to wear them a lot at home before going to Europe so they get broken in and you can make sure that those are the ones you want to take.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17612 posts
I bought a pair of Clarks Wave Trek shoes after reading the glowing reports here. They seemed very comfortable on short walks at home so I took them on our August trip to Alaska as an alternative to my hiking boots. The first hour I wore them was the last--- they hurt my feet so badly ( I have bunions on both feet) I could not wait to get them off. Had to wear either boots or water sandals the whole rest of the trip. So I would say they are not for everyone!
I did take them to a cobbler to have them stretched in that area but haven't had a chance to test them out as we left for Europe right after that. I am very happy with my usual shoes---a pair of Romika "City Light" shoes and a pair of Cole-Hahn/Nike Air sneakers. I would normally include good sandals in the mix but not for October.
Here are the Romikas:
They are extremely lightweight but offer excellent support and cushioning, even standing up to the challenge of Rome cobblestones.
Posted by
Peterborough, ON, Canada
1742 posts
I should add that usually I wear 7.5 but in my Wave Treks I take an 8.