Hiking boots

[Kirsty9130]

Myself and a few friends are walking the Yorkshire 3 peaks this summer and I am in desperate need of new walking boots.
I currently have some super cheap Gelert ones which I thought would be fine until we've done a 20km hike today and my feet are sore/have blisters where they've rubbed, so they're clearly not up to the job!
Does anyone have any recommendations? Budget isn't really an issue for the right ones. I will go out and try some on this week but I always like a recommendation first. Thanks in advance!

I have guided Y3P as a Mountain Leader many times. You are on a well maintained path or road on the entire route. I never wear hiking boots for this kind of thing. Approach shoes or trail running type trainers are much more suitable.

Socks matter too. I would always go to a good hiking shop and have them properly fitted.
If you go for shoes just make sure they are waterproof. And probably get them fitted too.

I am a fan of Merrell as their boots and shoe/trainers are light and I find them really comfy. Wear mine all day often for work and never had any issues.

I wear trailrunners rather than hiking boots and sweat by Altra Lonepeaks. They have tons of space for your toes and when coupled with the right socks (I wear Injinji toe sock liners and Darn Toughs) don't rub or cause blisters at all. They served me brilliantly when I walked the Camino Frances across Spain last year.

I used to work at an outdoor shop and had quite a lot of experience in fitting and selling boots. I would strongly recommend going and getting fitted. There's not much point in me saying go for a pair of Meindl boots that I find comfy (my feet are mid-wide) if you have narrow feet, for example.

Scarpa are a good middle fit and popular. Meindl good for the wider side. Salomon can really vary depending on the shoe - generally narrow in shoes but wider in boots and more squishy. But there are loads of brands and a huge range of price brackets. Merrell tend to be on the mid-wider side and do more on the shoe/mid type thing. They are a really popular option. It depends on how much support you want, both around the ankle and underfoot.

If it's literally just for this one event I wouldn't break the bank as you could be looking at like £150+ for something decent but it depends on whether you will get use out of them. Otherwise go and try a few things on, get properly measured (try somewhere like cotswolds or Ellis brigham) and wear them in. I have found the prices in go outdoors really good but not sure how good their boot fitting is as I have never needed it.

If your feet are uncomfy it will ruin the experience. But equally it is possible to find a good option without spending ridiculous money.

Also worth noting that many outdoor shops do lots of discounts for things like being National trust members etc so it's worth thinking about if that might apply to you!

Hope that helps!

Oh and also there are different lacing techniques you can use to reduce movement as well if boots are rubbing or need adjusting so that's another thing to be aware of!

I have heard a lot of good things from scarpa hiking boot from friends but I haven't tried them yet. Last year I went to India on a trail (named Buran Ghati). As recommended by a colleague, I bought Solomon Quest 4 hiking boots to try them on the trail. Quest 4 are good fit for easy to moderately difficult hiking routes. Traction is good and it felt comfortable even after hiking for 6 days straight.

I've just bought my first pair of Scarpa boots (Terra 2 GTX) and I love them. They are a bit lighter than my previous Berghaus ones and fit really well. I will only buy leather walking boots as they are imo the only ones that stay waterproof. I live in Cumbria and there's a lot of rain and marshy ground.