Topic
Walking and approach shoes
Low-cut walking shoes and sticky-soled approach shoes for dry trails, rocky paths and summer scrambles.
- Typical weight
- 650 to 900 g a pair
Walking shoes trade ankle cover for lightness. They suit good paths, travel and summer days; on boggy or loose ground a mid-cut boot keeps grit and water out better.
Approach shoes have a sticky rubber toe and a climbing zone under the forefoot for scrambles and rocky approaches.
Guides on this topic
- What are approach shoes and who needs them?Sticky rubber, toe rands and lacing to the toe: what approach shoes are for, where they beat walking boots on British rock and where they do not.Guide
- Walking boots vs walking shoes: which do you need?Walking boots or walking shoes for UK paths? Ground, season, pack weight and wet grass decide it. A simple chooser with a boot and shoe compared side by side.Comparison
- Trail running shoes vs hiking boots for walkingTrail running shoes or hiking boots for UK walking? Weight, drying time, wet feet, protection and support compared for bog and rock, and who should keep boots.Comparison
- Approach shoes vs hiking shoesApproach shoes trade cushioning for sticky rubber and precise lacing; hiking shoes do the reverse. When each one earns its place on British paths and rock.Comparison
Buying guides on this topic
- Best approach shoes for scramblingFive approach shoes from La Sportiva and Scarpa compared by upper, outsole, membrane and the uses each listing names, for rocky paths and summer scrambles.Buying guide
- Best walking shoes for hill pathsSeven low-cut walking shoes from Scarpa, Hanwag, La Sportiva, Merrell and Salomon compared by upper, membrane, outsole and the cushioning each listing states.Buying guide