As a UK hiker I did the 800km Francais in my favourite boots. I actually don't like wet feet at all. These always keep my feet dry (with waterproof trousers overlapping) and I only ever got one blister. I don't like trail runners, but each to their own eh!
This is from my blog in November last year.
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Walking boot recommendation.
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Okay, so if I start singing 'These boots were made for walking', you will all instantly know who sung it won't you. Actually it doesn't matter because you don't get any points.
In May 2017 my old walking boots (which to be fair were very cheap and were never really 'tested'), finally died as the stitching started failing. Knowing I was in Iceland in July I needed to buy some new quality boots.
My criteria:
Waterproof, Durable, Long lasting, Commfortable, All leather, Over ankle height, Goretex lined, As light as possible.
My old ones were cheap and had various fabric sections as a lot of trendy looking boots seem to have these days. This time I wanted ones there were totally leather so that they would stand more chance of surviving walks that involved a lot of rock work. Price was not important if the boots were right. As they were likely to be quite expensive (for me) I knew that I would have to take care of them. This involves washing them down as often as practical, and applying the necessary creams to keep the leather in good condition.
I then spent a lot of time in various specialist stores trying on boots that fitted my specifications. Once I had narrowed it down to a few, I spent ages, on multiple occasions, walking around the various stores with them on...wearing the right socks!!!
In the end I chose Scarpa Terra GTX boots. They are very 'traditional' looking all leather boots that Scarpa actually list as 'Entry Level'. At the time they were only about £130 although if you shop out of season then you could probably get them for quite a bit less.
To me, they felt really good. Every time I tried them on and walked around in the store, they just gave me all the right messages. I sized them for very cold environments where I would be wearing thick socks. I also tried them with thinner socks for warm weather work and was perfectlg happy with the extra space and movement available.
So, were they the right choice? Damn right they were...100%. I have to say they were one amazing investment that I will get years of good use out of if I continue to look after them properly! I am in fact so pleased with them, I think one can pretty well guarantee that I will do...me buying two Scarpa creams for that very purpose.
Firstly I did some short walks in the Lancashire hills and then I did the Iceland trip in them. They were perfect for the job.
Then I did the 500 mile Camino in them, involving not only a lot of 'normal' walking but also a lot of rock climbing up and down. They endured some really tough ground conditions and also some very very bad weather...at times even walking in inches of water. On that long Camino, when I think of all the foot problems and maintenance of seasoned walkers, then I knew I had a winner having had just one blister on the entire trip...that being due to a sock anyway. My feet were always TOTALLY DRY, and this was clearly very unusual. With what I have put these through so far, if Scarpa call them entry level, then I can't possibly imagine what any more expensive boot could do. I mean, these were perfect in every way. This coming year, with what I have planned, they will be one thing I do not have to worry about at all. Oh, and another thing...for the guys out there, they also have men's versions.
I would totally recommend these boots!
