In Scotland and the north of England in May, we're going to be walking out in the fields to view stone circles and that type of thing.
Will I (a woman) be OK in sturdy outdoor boots that come up around the ankle bone? Or do I need calf/knee high boots? I know it will be chilly, so we're bringing warm clothing, but I'd rather avoid the bulk of high boots if possible. Advice most welcome!
Ankle high hiking boots should be fine. The only poisonous snake in Briton is the adder. The adder rarely attacks.
Your bigger problems will be mud and manure. No matter how high the boots - or how low - you will still be dealing with sheep and cattle.
And it may not be chilly. 21 later this week.
Thanks! I've also asked a couple of friends & family living in the London vicinity, and they concur that sturdy ankle-high outdoor hiking boots should be adequate.
To that end, I highly recommend the Ahnu Montara. I tried a pair of these high topped boots on at our local REI and then ordered them online because REI didn't have the color I wanted. They are not for serious mountain climbing, but they are very comfortable and saw me through about 6 weeks in Istanbul, Greece and Italy last fall.
I later learned that my daughter wore a pair of them on an archaeological dig on the Swedish island of Gotland. They worked exceptionally well and were very stable in the wet, mud and manure as she worked. Whatever you decide to wear, be sure to wash off as much of nature as you possibly can for the trip home. There can be questions about that when you return.
In terms of packing, I wore mine on the plane over and back, well, actually just about all the time everyday except at the end of the day when I would usually change into a different pair of shoes for the evening. In addition to the typical cobblestones and very rough terrain at some Greek ruins, my boots got me through lots of rain on our trip. They sound like they are not totally waterproof, but I waded through puddles and never got my feet wet.
In terms of fashion, they are boots after all, but there are some great colors and all that was visible of them was the toe and bottom under the hem of my pants. One strange phenomenon, they made my feet look smaller. I wear a 9.5 in this boot.
There are lots of great, light weight boots similar to these out there. I tried some of the other brands, but these were comfortable from the beginning. Thank goodness for today's technology. On my first trip to Europe in the late 70's I wore very heavy, leather Vasque hiking boots to muck around the areas you are going. They worked well, but even with waterproof spray, they got wet and and never really got dry.
I also have a pair of the short Ahnu Montara II hiking shoes. They are truly waterproof, they don't seem to breathe like the high tops and they certainly aren't as stable or as comfortable on me. And they don't work as well with my socks. I needed a 10 in these, and they don't make my feet look smaller!
I wear Sockwell Circulator compression socks. They are made of "cashmerino" and breathe well regardless of the environment outside your shoes or boots. There are many brands of socks that blend wool with synthetics for the best temperature and moisture regulation. My sock drawer is full of other sock experiments, but these are the ones that work the best for me.
If you can find a pair of boots that you feel comfortable wearing in many situations and that are comfortable on you for hours and miles at a time, you will have a much better trip overall. Enjoy the search and the trip.
Thanks for all this!
I hadn't heard of those special socks, will have to check them out.
My husband has a pair of Propet ankle boots that are ideal for him: lightweight, waterproof, and professional looking. It's always more complicated for women, isn't it? My ankle boots are the Andina leather boots sold by Duluth Trading. They are super comfortable, water repellent, provide good traction, and don't have indentations in the sole to pick up mud or pebbles. But they are decidedly not going to work with a dress. My taller boots are a fashion brand but I have worn them for rough walking and found them quite satisfactory. The advantage of bringing them is that I can also wear them with a dress, such as going out to dinner in a city if it's raining cats & dogs.
We aren't planning serious hiking, just walking from the car to view the various stone circles. Still, I have walked trails in Britain before and I know there is mud no matter what. And you're quite right about questions when leaving the country about whether you've been in an agricultural area, walking over manure, etc.
Also the wisdom of applying extra waterproofing before leaving home!
If you need to walk through something deep as Nigel warns, you can use "gaiters" to extend the height of protection above your boot top. Outdoor Research (OR) has a wide range of styles:
http://www.outdoorresearch.com/en/womens/gaiters.html
I'm partial to the low (short) style of gaiters in that I only need them to seal the space between boot and pant.
If you are concerned about adders, you can even buy special gaiters for snake bite protection:
http://www.turtleskin.com/Snake-Gaiters.aspx
If boggy moors are your concern, I found trekking poles helpful for vaulting over soft, wet spots and by using the poles to carry some weight, limit the depth to which you sink when needing to walk over soft ground.
We did Northern England and Scotland in May of 2013. I wore Clark's wave trek and they were a perfect choice. In fact I'm purchasing a new pair for my trip to Ireland this September.
It was mostly pleasant enough that I was happy with just a spring coat. A few days I didn't even need that; but a few other days I wore a toque (more because I don't tolerate wind in my ears very well).
Thanks for these replies, too! Sounds like a lot of the folks on this thread are very serious trekkers.
We are not adventurous enough to need gaiters or adder protection (as in, if it looks dicey, we'll stay in the car!), but Edgar's is wise advice for those who are.
The Clarks recommendation is also good to know, as I've had some other Clarks shoes that killed my feet. Of course, everyone's feet are different.
BTW the other shoes I'm bringing are (a) a pair of extremely cute suede ankle boots for city wear which I don't want to ruin in the mud, and (b) fold-up Nufoot slippers from Footsmart that are unbelievably sturdy -- I once unexpectedly had to walk a good 2 miles in them on the hilly streets of San Francisco and neither the slippers nor my feet were any worse for wear. The slippers roll up to pocket size so they don't even count as "shoes" IMO, but my feet thank me for them when I unwind in the hotel at the end of a long day.
Which one the ballet or Mary Janes slipper?
@teani, the Footsmart slippers I have are the ballet style. I keep them in a miniature cloth bag that I can carry in a coat pocket or medium-size purse. They are ideal for indoor wear and much less bulky than regular bedroom slippers, yet far sturdier than the grippy-sole socks you get in the hospital.
I imagine the mary janes style would be equally sturdy.
