I Found My Perfect Walking Boots

When I started going on more adventures, I knew I needed better walking boots. I'd been using a pair I'd bought reduced to £5.99 from Aldi about five years ago and while they were okay for shorter walks, they were starting to show their age and I needed thick socks and blister plasters on hand for anything over an hour. Don't get me wrong, they lasted me well, I just needed something a step up for full days exploring the landscape.

When I set out on the hunt for new walking boots I knew two things - I wanted leather boots and I had a budget of £150. I decided to hit up a local outlet park, as there are around five outdoors shops clustered together and a couple shoe shops, and I figured the odds would be in my favour. I pulled on my thickest pair of walking socks and set out.

I think that Trespass was the third shop I tried, and when I saw the Genuine Women's Vibram Walking Boots in Navy I pretty much fell in love. I knew the second that I tried them on that they were The Ones. They fit like a glove, supported my ankles and high arches. I waited until I had been round every shop and tried every pair that fit my criteria, and after around two hours I came back and bought my boots. They were on sale, and I ended up combining deals in store to get them for less than £50 including some walking socks.

Since then, I have been putting them through their paces. They've been all over the North of England, from the castles of Northumbria to the sweeping Durham dales to a tiny island off the Cumbrian coast. I wear them every weekend when I'm exploring, and clean them with a damp cloth,  then oil them with golden mink oil once a month. They've been tested on pretty much every terrain by now and I am just as in love as when I first saw them. They haven't given me a single blister, even when I've worn a normal pair of ankle socks.

I am so tempted to buy another pair and keep them away for when I wear these out, although I know it will be a long time in the future.