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It was a nice sunny day but I was busy working at home on the computer when Lisa rang. Did I fancy a quick stroll up to Heptonstall with her? Actually, I did! I wanted a break from the PC and I also wanted to test my new walking shoes which had arrived yesterday. I dashed about and got ready just before Lisa arrived.

I’d decided to buy walking shoes rather than walking boots this time. My current walking boots have holes in the uppers and my normal everyday shoes have holes in the soles. I thought a pair of lightweight walking shoes would be able to replace both. A quick visit to the local shops convinced me to buy online. I like using local shops where possible but I’m on a very tight budget so I needed to get maximum value for money.

This is the pair I chose:

New walking shoes by Hi-tec

They felt pretty comfortable when I first tried them on, but experience has taught me that an hour or so of hilly walking can soon reveal problems!

Sorry, to disappoint you – the new shoes remained comfortable throughout the walk! They are a good fit for me and seem well designed. They are slightly lighter than my old boots and felt easy to walk in. It’s amazing how a few ounces difference can be felt at the end of quite long legs. I suppose it’s because the weight has to be swung backwards and forwards constantly as you walk.

The shoes are supposed to be waterproof and breathable. I’ll no doubt test the water resistance of them on future walks but today was dry. They definitely won’t be as good as boots in that respect because it will be easier for water to get in over the top of them since they don’t go up over the ankles. I think boots would be better for real hardcore hiking but I mainly do moderate to intermediate level walks (2-12 miles, flat to hilly but not mountainous, easy to fairly rocky surface, usually dry but some squelchy peat bogs) so shoes will be fine for most of what I do.

I tend to suffer from hot feet and these shoes did make my feet feel pretty warm. Bearable, but ideally they would be a little more breathable than they are. I suppose I’d have to pay more to get that.

I dropped Lisa off at work and came back via the allotments where I complimented a gardner on her fine work. Lisa and I have been noticing the improvements made in the allotments at Heptonstall. The allotment holders have been working hard all Spring.

Coming down off the hillside, I couldn’t help but notice how much the vegetation has sprouted over the past few weeks. A month ago, I could walk upright down the path at the top. Today, I found myself bent almost double to pass through a mass of greenery.

When I came out onto the open path, I was struck by how green the view was so I stopped to take a couple of snaps. (Don’t forget to click on the pictures to see the ‘widescreen’ versions!)

How green was my valley? (View to west)

How green was my valley? (View to east)

I’m lucky to live somewhere like this. I can walk home in 15 minutes from up there, or 20 minutes if I call in at the shops, which I did today.

Oh yes – overall, the shoes get a big thumbs up from me! If it’s time for you to buy a pair of new walking shoes (or boots) I highly recommend that you…

CLICK HERE for the best new walking shoe deals in the US

CLICK HERE for the best new walking shoe deals in the UK

CLICK HERE for the best new walking shoe deals in the EU

[The search results I linked to are for hiking shoes. If you were looking for more fashionable walking shoes, you can easily refine the search for them by replacing the word 'hiking' with 'walking' in the search field at the top of the retailer's page]