Water resistant/proof for London/Yorkshire September

I like my Vessi sneakers. Waterproof and very comfortable.

My Dansko Paisley shoes worked great in London last September; they are waterproof.

Leather Oxfords with a "Rubber" sole worked for me. Since I'm a women; boy's school shoes fit me. We were in York in September and the weather started out warm, but turn into showers off and on. You do need shoes that can walk on grassy/muddy footpaths, or wet cobbled streets. We did actually buy some Wellington Garden Boots so we could visit Castle Relics in the woods. Or seach for glass on the Beach. Have fun!

Agree that Vessi’s are very comfy, but a warning that women may find them too wide. I bought mine maybe 2 years ago and the women’s and men’s were the same shoe at the time, so they are on the wider side. Could be different now.

I do like the idea of a Vessi shoe, but I have wide feet. I also am now wondering if I would want hiking shoes for the 4 days in Yorkshore/North Moors. Kind of a pain to bring hiking shoes for 4 days of a 17 day trip. I think the Vessi might be great in town for York and London. I may try Dansko again, but I have weird feet and the last time I looked at them, none of them fit, but they were not a sneaker/hiking shoe type thing.

I'm understanding the the Vessi shoes can be wiped clean? If I were to wear them in the Moors?

I always travel with hiking shoes as my main shoes. I do a lot of walking whether in cities, towns or the country and the hiking shoes provide better support and stability for my feet. As for London, York and Yorkshire, London has mostly flat surfaces, but anywhere with cobblestones (like York and many small villages), you are better off with hiking shoes for the stability.

So my experience with Vessis is that they don’t easily clean up (again, mine are 2YO, so they could have changed some things). I have white ones and use a stain remover and wash them not infrequently. If you get a dark color, you’ll be fine, but I’d shy away from the lighter colors if scuffs and dirt on your shoes are an annoyance you’d rather not deal with. They are absolutely waterproof and very comfortable, especially if you’ve got wide feet. So I do recommend them still. Just maybe not in white.

I have a very wide forefoot and a narrow heel, plus I wear CorrectToes toe spacers which widens out my toes. I like the Altra LonePeak waterproof shoes. They are more minimalist than many athletic shoes and have a Zero Drop platform so if you are used to having shoes with a heel stack you'll need to give yourself time to adjust to the flatter sole. They are available at Zappos so you can order a couple of sizes to see what works. I have had to go up 1/2 a size in these. They are so comfortable for me I can wear them right out of the box.

Cons:
- The waterproofiness does not always last more than a year. The pair I have is 2 years old and I have some seepage between the vamp and sole.
- Colors range from tolerable to awful. Current models do not come in black.
- They are more expensive than it seems they need to be.

I currently have about 7 pr of Altras all in various stages, lol. I have some really old waterproof ones I still wear for hiking when it's muddy and they are from before the new improved waterproof ones and are still waterproof but look too battered to take on a trip. I have 2 pr of newer non-waterproof ones, a Lone Peak and a Torin leather one that I travel with. I have a bunch of ones in between that I wear on the trail or around home but which are not nice enough to travel with. I have not tried the other GoreTex hikers Altra has as the $200 price point is stopping me.

As to needing waterproof shoes...if you are going to go to any of the sites in Yorkshire that are outdoors - Hadrian's Wall, Vindolanda, Fountains Abbey - all those have grass to walk thru and the grass always seems to be wet! IF you are just staying IN York (and London), I'd say no, you don't need waterproof. IF you are going to do any outside activity or any hiking/walking, I'd go with waterproof.

Lace up or slip on?

Research Keen shoes to see if any meet your preferences.

I own 8 pairs because I’ve found they are durable, comfortable, and eliminated my plantar fasciitis.

Over the years pairs have been worn in Yosemite, London, Havana, Rome, Miami, Vegas, Albuquerque, Lake Tahoe, Dublin, and Venice.

IMHO wearing comfortable foot wear is the key to enjoying travel.

I’m a big fan of Vessis, too. So comfortable and really functional. Mine are about 2 years old.I have the coffee colored ones and they’ve done great with spot cleaning- still look great. I will get another pair when these finally need replacing.

These are the ones I have in oak brown.

https://vessi.com/products/womens-weekend-marble-white

Their front page mentions being a "proudly Canadian" company. Might want to buy soon if considering it.

edit: Should have mentioned I was referring to Vessi.

I really appreciate all this great information!

I usually wear tie shoes, they tend to fit me better.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to bring my hiking shoes. For city wear, Perhaps I'll go with my canvas sneakers and if the weather seems promising some Merrill Sandels that pack about as small as flip flops. I don't really have issues with brick/cobblestone walk ways but I do occasionally switch in the hiking shoes depending on the days.

I'm pretty sold on my Allbird Mizzles for most of the year, just not summer. I really do love the look and the idea of the Vessi shoes and I'll guessing I will give a pair a try sometime.