South of England Tour

We took that tour and neither of us had hiking boots. We both had good sturdy walking shoes and didn't have any problems at all.

Yup, sturdy walking shoes worked for me, too.
Actually, 2 pairs of sturdy walking shoes is what I bring on every Rick Steves tour.

I choose dark, solid black or brown shoes that are perfectly acceptable in cities as well as rural areas.

I'd not take hiking boots either. I did this tour and the most challenging "hike" was the day at St Michael's Mount. I found the rocky path up to the front door of the now "stately home" quite challenging because it was slippery and the rocks are kind of turned on edge. In Dartmoor it's mostly turf covered (and I've been twice with different companies so have trouble remembering which place I went with which company, lol) and not enough time to really need boots. Tintagel is listed in the description as challenging and TBH, I did not go across the bridge there as I have a fear of heights. My brother and SIL did go and they just had on regular athletic shoes. Dover Castle, even in the tunnels, was not a problem where you'd need boots.

I have awful feet and wear Altra athletic shoes. I always wear their Lone Peak style which are their trail runners. I do fine in low cut shoes unless I'm hiking on talus or scree and there was none of that on this tour. The Lone Peaks do have good traction.

Go for hybrid shoes rather than hiking boots - and trust me, you will see people wearing them in London if it’s cold or wet.

In my experience, trail running shoes (especially the waterproof variety) are the best possible footwear to take abroad. They work for hiking, city walking, general lazing about. In all-black they can be worn to a decent restaurant. And they actually work well as golf shoes, too. Find some in a last design that suits your feet and you'll be well outfitted.

I know you will love this tour! In Dartmoor, you will be doing some cross country walking where there are no trails to view some Neolithic sites. I wear a waterproof hiking shoe (looks like a pair of sneakers) and they have always served me well city or country.

I also had my hiking poles and was glad I did. I ended up sharing one of the poles with another tour mate who could never have walked on the moors without it. I used the other one.

I wore a pair of Rockport walking shoes on this tour and did not have any problem. Just remember that the deeper the cleats the harder it is to clean them after the Dartmoor walk with the sheep landmines (manure).

Helen Kachellek was out tour guide last year on this tour. Was always giving us history along the way of the countryside and cities.