Gear: walking shoes

Dispense with stiff, heavy boots and slip your feet into summer footwear that’s lighter.

SUMMERTIME, AND THE walkin’ is easy… or drier, at least. Long spells of fair weather mean firmer ground, and so, if you’re not planning to venture anywhere especially high or wild, you can confidently dispense with stiff, heavy boots and slip your feet into footwear that’s lighter, cooler and more nimble. It’s the season for walking shoes. While most often thought of as summer footwear, they're also an excellent choice for year-round hiking. For many walkers – experienced and newcomers alike – low-cut shoes are the preferred option, perfectly adequate for most meanderings.

When ankle-clamping boots aren’t called for, striding out in shoes can feel liberating. Unlike street shoes or plain old gym trainers, you can expect extra grip, beefier soles and waterproofing with walking shoes. And, as with boots, the choice out there is wide ranging, from ultralight sneakers with added off-road bite to armoured clogs as stout as any mountain boot. There are styles to suit every level of walking, be it bimbling or scrambling, as you’ll find out in the following pages.

Over the past few months we’ve put 10 very different pairs through their paces and, in the process, have proved categorically that you don’t always need hiking boots to hike.

About our reviews We’ve chosen 10 walking shoes which should be widely available in the UK at the time of going to press. Philip and Rachel tested five each, and all come (or will do shortly) in both men’s and women’s sizes (indicated by these dots

). We rate each pair of shoes on comfort (how they fit and feel), support (how stable they keep your feet on the move), versatility (how well they perform in varied terrain and weather conditions) and value for money. We focus on the pros and cons of each pair, but we’ve also picked our stand-out favourites and the one pair we felt represents the best value for money.