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CHOOSING THE PERFECT WALKING BOOTS By RichardVillar for Silver Travel Advisor “How do they feel?” asked my grandmother, as she watched me march the length of the climbing shop. “Fine,” I grunted monosyllabically. I was only 12 years old. Granny nodded. “We’ll have these,” she declared to the shop assistant and pointed at the leather walking boots that were weighing down my feet. “They’ll last forever and will see him out.” Granny was wrong, as my feet grew, the boots leaked and were soon replaced by others.Yet that was the understanding of the era. Walking boots would last for life and be with you to the end. I now know differently. Granny’s shopping was followed by a lifetime of poor footwear,
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including a spell in the British Army, which seemed to feel that all feet were identical. One look at my shoe cupboard and a disorganised pile of mountaineering footwear falls out. Boots, trainers, approach shoes,
even mountain sandals. My favourites are the trainers, as they are lightweight, should not leak but do, and carry the Quicklace system, which saves me tying a bow. One tug with ice-cold hands and the trainer is secure. For a day’s walking in the mountains, especially when carrying a rucksack, my trainers struggle. Should that happen, on go my boots. I try to be lightweight, which means synthetic, as leather is generally heavy. Lightweights can wear out quickly, so I buy a new pair each year.
