Karrimor Orkney III Mens Walking Boots

As a novice walker with a number of challenges pencilled in for this year I thought it was essential to get some decent boots for the walking I was going to do.  On advice from the long haired general (The Wife), who is a more experienced hill walker I went with the Karrimor Orkney III Mens Walking Boots.  I'd never had leather walking boots before and was looking forward to trying them out.  The unfortunate thing was the boots only arrived two days before taking on a 50+ mile stretch of the Scottish National Trail which left no time for breaking them in.  In my infinate wisdom I thought, what better way to break them in than to wear them on the walk, how much pain could they possibly cause over 3 days?  Well let me assure you I won't be making the same mistake again but I think it's fair to say they are well worn in now.

 

The boots have a strong, sturdy look about them and much better grip than boots I had previously owned.  The uppers on the boot are, as expected, quite stiff, initially and after around half a days walking I have to loosen the top part of the lace to allow a little more freedom for my ankle but the rubbing around my achilles gets a little sore as the days go on.  At the end of the first day I feel like I have got the boots set up as I need them and I only have one blister.  The boots themselves have remained completely waterproof and given me great protection over stones due to the solid sole.  Having walked over a number of hills over the 3 days on lots of different terrain I am proved right about the tread on the bottom of the boot.  Where I may well have slipped previously these boots give tremendous grip, even on the most slippery mud when the tread is filling up with dirt.  My feet can breath in the boots and they are exceptionally comfortable and appear very well made.  On my return home I find the boots are so easy to clean, as expected for leathers and easily treatable.  Despite the pain over the three days the boots are nicely worn in now and on the last day were really comfortable and I felt as though I could walk further in them if I had new legs.

 

Definitely a boot I would recommend but if you do go for these or any boots for that matter, make sure you break them in before going out into the wilderness.