Womens Lightweight Walking Shoes - Scotland in June/July

I love these shoes. Wore them on two recent trips, in hot sunny weather and cold rain. Worked perfectly for both. Allowed air through on hot days, and dried within an hour on the wet days. We walked at least 5 miles a day on everything from cobblestones to dirt trails, and they "held their ground" easily. Very comfortable, and the front toe detail makes them look a bit dressier. http://www.easyspirit.com/hiking-sandals-splash/58450162,default,pd.html

Just returned from 26 days in France and Spain, walking an average of 8 miles a day. I bought Clarks Wave Trek shoe, they were wonderful. I suffer from planters fasciitis and walked without pain and tired feet. They are also waterproof, come in many colors. By far the best shoe I have ever worn. I use to travel with athletic shoes but not anymore.

I have gotten caught in the rain wearing my SAS (San Antonio Shoes) sandals. I thought they would be ruined, but they dried in perfect condition. My mom has had the same experience.

Another vote for SAS! I love them; they're well made, come in lots of styles, from sandals and walking shoes to dressier pumps, and, as a bonus, they're made in the USA! I have several different styles - actually about 4 or 5. I've mentioned before that I started wearing them because I have big feet: (just try finding a good looking, well made shoe in 11W;) and the SAS provide good support with a number of different arch/insole choices.

I love my Ahnu waterproof hiking shoes. They keep my feet completely dry. I wore mine on my trip last year and they were terrific.

A lot depends on what those "standard tour group activities" are. I'm planning a trip to England and Scotland in May-June. I expect to be walking on wet grass, wet dirt, wet cobbles, wet sidewalks often in active rain. It will be very chilly and wet compared to Tucson in late spring and early summers. In fact, the numbers I'm finding for London and Edinburgh are similar to our winter temperatures.

No matter how cold or hot or wet, I'll be wearing my go-to footwear for any trip anywhere: Ahnu Montara boots with Sockwell Circulator compression socks all day most days and Abeo SMARTsystem 3590 Mary Janes sometimes in the evening weather permitting or on days I'm not on my feet for 6+ hours walking or standing. The former can take me almost anywhere with no blisters, foot, leg, knee or hip pain and with dry feet at the end of the day. The latter are good for in-city, smooth sidewalk use, but for a much shorter period of time.

Everyone's feet are different, but unless you know for sure you will mostly be on a bus and not walking or standing much, I'd make sure your footwear will handle the job. There's nothing that will ruin a trip faster than having the wrong understanding, as my mother used to say.

FYI, I saw an interview recently on TV where someone in London said they could always tell the tourists because they wear flip flops and shorts, regardless of weather, in the city. Also, don't assume that it will be warm in any of the locations you plan to visit, even though it is summer. Summer doesn't always happen in northern Europe. It could be hotter or colder or wetter or drier, but the averages for London in June and July are lows, 49 and 53 respectively and highs are 69 and 73. And the average number of days with precipitation are 18 and 17.

I love the responses I've gotten here and am now looking at some additional options. It's very hard to find "comfort" shoes that aren't "old lady" shoes since I'm in my early 40's with no foot issues. All I want to be is comfortable while touring around the country and still be stylish and age appropriate. I just came across this article from NPR in my Facebook newsfeed and thought I'd share it here for those of you who might see it. Seems Clarks is it! LOL! Right now, I'm leaning towards a pair of Fly Londons as my third pair to bring with me. We'll see!

If The Shoe Fits: The Rise Of The Stylish Comfort Shoe

"Old lady shoes" !!!!!????

Jane - read the article in the link I posted. That was what I was referring to when I said old lady shoes as that is the terminology they used. I didn't mean to offend anyone here. That was not my intent. :o)

Rapidly approaching 70 (January) qualifies me as being an old lady, but I've been wearing "comfortable," not "prescription," shoes since I was much younger than 40. In fact, on my first trip to Europe in the late 70's when I was in my early 30's, I had hiking boots and comfortable mushy clogs.

Whenever I've tried to wear any kind of heel, it was a mistake. When I tried to be somewhat fashionable on a trip to France, and wore some rather nice Dansko Pippas, I really regretted it. They were very cute and comfortable and I could wear them with or without socks for hours of walking and standing. They worked great until it rained. Then all bets were off. I thought I was going to slip and fall on the very large and round and wet courtyard rocks at Versailles. And they were very bad on the cobblestones.

I realized that any elevated shoe like that, with a thick sole, made it very easy for me to turn my ankle on the edge of any kind of uneven surface. So after that trip, it was flat shoes with good support and I no longer own any sandals, flats or boots that don't meet that description. Fortunately, like the article said, there are lots of cute and comfortable shoes on the market these days.

I have tried Fly Londons. They are adorable, but they do not work for me. Partly it's the fit. Partly it's the wedges. The fit issue is also true for Tevas and Sketchers. The ones I tried simply did not have enough of the right kind of support. Like I hinted in my other post, you will probably walk and stand much more than you expect, even if you are on a tour.

There are several threads that mention wedge type shoes. You can search for those, but before you buy any of those cute Fly London wedges, you might want to read what people have to say about wedges. If you plan to buy flat Fly Londons, that's a whole different story, I would hope.

On an older posting, someone talked about the wedges they took on their trip. They were totally not needed. Here's what she said: "It seemed to me that most tourists were wearing travelling type shoes. I looked "out of it" in my comfort, open toed wedges. Advice: Choose shoes for comfort over style."

And another person who said the wedges were a mistake -- "I also won't take wedge heels again. I only wore them once and felt out of place. People just didn't wear them it seemed, or get that dressy for dinner. I felt a little out of place in them. Really fancy flat sandals would have been better."

Good luck with your shoe choices and packing. And if you find that none of the ones you take are working for you, they do have shoe stores where you are going.

I must say, I've never been all that interested in fashion, at least, not since high school. And most of my working life has been spent on my feet: waitressing in high school and college, then teaching. I also decided at one point that choosing support and comfort over fashion was a sign of maturity. However... my very fashionably dressed sister manages to find shoes that fill both roles. More power to her, and to the rest of you. I think it's great that there are options available now to look cute without wrecking your feet. But I'll stick with my SAS. Although, they do have some cute sandals...

A vote for SAS shoes. I have 2 pairs of T strap closed heel shoes and I have been caught in major downpours and they dried like new. I have worn them in Italy/Sicily and Spain and NYC and they still look great. I did spray them with their waterproofer and I think that helped. And they come in all sizes and widths.

I got the Keens Rivington MJ (http://www.keenfootwear.com/product/shoes/women/rivington-mj-cnx) and they were fantastic walking shoes. While not the most stylish, they don't stand out too much when paired with dressier pants. I did all my walking in them and they were very comfortable (although note that I wore them a lot before I took my trip and they were well broken in - I did get some blisters when first breaking them in). They are also fairly water resistant and I have worn them in rain.

God forbid anybody should be seen in "old lady shoes". Speaking as an old lady, the best walking shoes I have found were a pair of Blondo boots. I wore them everyday on our walk-intensive trip to Alsace, Germany and Austria.

I walked all over Europe in my Sketchers, took the insole out and replaced it with a Powerstep Pinnacle insert, so I got my arch and heels supported and the sketchers took care of the thick heel and outside padding. For walking in rain I got these beauties:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LQIZAD2?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

Great grip on all surfaces and my feet stayed dry and warm, plus I am using them as regular shoes for my normal life.

Both of these provided stylish comfort. I do care how I look and how my pictures look. I spent hours comparing cost, weight, comfort etc before I made my excellent choices. I also wore my orthodic flip flops because they are comfortable and being from California, I wear them year round...and I don't mind looking like I am from California. Also because I hate Hot feet, the flip flops can save me from having a hot flash panic attack.