Can you recommend a good walking shoe/trainer?

[salsasue]

Hi! Please could you recommend a good walking shoe or trainer? With the weather being so gorgeous just now, I'm taking advantage to enjoy some lovely walks in the countryside village where I live as a form of exercise!

While my sandals give my toes/feet a chance to 'breathe', they're not good for walking relatively long distance, on footpaths etc and the soles of my feet suffer some when I return home. Are there any kinds of walking shoes/trainers which give support and yet a little ventilation plus 'cushioning' - sorry if this is a 'tall order' question?! Obviously don't want to give my walks up as great exercise specially as much of the village where I live on an uphill slant so a good walk workout too! But would be nice to give some protection and support to my tootsies, meanwhile, and in consideration; while I have lost 121bs since the start of May when was diagnosed/registered, still have a fair bit of weight to lose yet!

Any help/advice appreciated .... thanks in advance!

best wishes, salsasue

 

[Johnnyvee]

Visit your local running shop also Millets - I wear Merrell - I wear orthotics and you can easily replace the original 'liner' with your specialised supports. I also wear Mizuno trainers for regular power walking and workouts.

Good luck

 

[Spiral]

Hotter Shoes, I have been wearing them for years. Especially good if you have wider feet. They have been predominantly a mail order company until very recently, but they are becoming more and more widespread on the high street. The soles are removable so if you have anything from the podiatrist that can replace the original insole.

They have some lovely "tough" summer sandals in the mens range, which I have ordered, as they are often a lot more robust than womens shoes. I have loads of their shoes.

 

[viv1969]

I can only agree....Merrell. Utterley fabulous footwear for country walking.

I have both full walking boots and walking sandals from them and they are wonderful.

 

[ma5on]

Yup - my husband introduced me to Merrell - love them!!!

Also Salomon for hiking - really comfy!!!

 

[Dennis]

I've had Merrell and Salomon in the past and both were very good. But my absolute favourite for comfort is the Brasher range of walking boots and shoes.

 

[hanadr]

At the bottom of the price range, I have boots and trekking shoes from Cotton Traders. the boots are my third pair. they remain waterproof dor quite a while . the trekkers are odd looking thins, but I have very odd feet. and mostly I don't wear socks. For serious walking, i wear socks with separate toes from Toetoe. I also have some remarkable comfortable trainers from Lidl.

 

[salsasue]

Hi everyone who's so kindly posted and given me advice and suggestions as above, many thanks all! I will be going into town tomorrow and we have a 'Millets' so will definitely be checking that out. Also, my Mum has recently ordered some sandals from Hotter which she says are very comfortable too so having a 'shufty' (look) through their latest catalogue also! It's good to have an idea what you need to ask for as, though I appreciate the shops need to make a profit, otherwise the sales assistant's going to direct me towards the most expensive but not necessarily the best, shoes/trainers on the range! :wink: :roll:

That's great information and so very helpful too not to mention a little easier on those tootsies!

best wishes, salsasue

 

[Spiral]

I have had a couple of lovely pair of footwear from Cotton Traders too. The trainers have just worn out after a lot of wear. Again, they have removable insoles if you have any orthotics or custom made insoles to put in.

 

[kegstore]

Merrell and Salomon get my vote in the comfort stakes, and they're quite stylish too, if you care about such things...

 

[Trinkwasser]

I always used to wear great clumpy Totectors with steel toecaps. Since they went out of business (the name is still used by an importer) I went looking for alternatives. My podiatrist imports Aetrex boots, very light and comfortable, so much so that once I was looking everywhere for my boots before realising I was already wearing them - I though I was still in my slippers!

Another vote for Hotter from my mother, they're her favourites. Best bet is to find somewhere you can try them on. I used to ring or internet order from Totectors and could guarantee I could put them on and walk miles without problems even when they were brand new, but never had that sort of luck with some other manufacturers. IMO shoes and boots have undergone a major evolution in recent years.

 

[Jo123]

I have wide feet and have had problems with my knees in the past, I find asics trainers very good, I walk the dog 4 miles a day in them with no problems. I have tried walking shoes but found the shock absorbtion not as good and my knees started playing up - that was an expensive mistake! I do think they suit wide feet though if yours are narrow, might not be so good.

 

[salsasue]

[quoteI] can only agree....Merrell. Utterley fabulous footwear for country walking.
[/quote]

update: thanks again to all for advice! Decided to opt for Merrell after checking and trying on a fair amount of various types; must add that I'm one happy-walking country bunny now!!

best wishes, Sue

 

[jeenie1940]

i have narrow feet, i havent found anything, to fit properly
any ideas please

 

[deadwood2]

For trainers/ runners/ x-trainers, Brooks without a doubt. Asics aren't bad, but wear out in a few weeks...

 

[jeenie1940]

Hi Dave Thanks for the info, will google it and take a look

 

[Dennis]

Hi Jeenie,

Have you tried Sebago shoes? They are an American manufacturer and their shoes seem to be slimmer fitting than most UK ones. Here's a link to their UK range
http://www.shoes.co.uk/womens/sebago/

They are sold in the smaller independent shoe shops rather than the chain stores, or online from the link above (but I think you should always try shoes for fit and comfort so I never buy shoes online).

 

[jeenie1940]

Dennis, thanks for the info 8)

 

[Vivienne]

Asics Gel Cardio trainers are brilliant!
Vivienne