Children’s walking boots/shoes

[scenario8]

Afternoon,

Could anyone help with a recommendation or advice with respect to children’s walking shoes? We’re just looking for something suitable for relatively easy ground - think wet and muddy lowland parks/pebbly beaches in winter time/tow paths for family walks etc.

We’ve had a couple of circa £25 Mountain Warehouse/Regatta own brand shoes and they disintegrate quicker than the bairns grow out of them. Which really isn’t acceptable.

I’ve been wearing Merrell Interceptors myself for thirty years or so and am only on my third pair so I’m blown if I can understand why kids shoes should be thought of as disposable.

Think 10 year olds so while I accept it’s daft to pay crazy money for shoes that might last only one year I’m also happy to pay £50 or so for shoes that will prove durable and can be passed down the line.

Can anyone help?

[LimaDelta]

If its easy paths then just some decent wellies? That's all ours have worn for that kind of walking. It's hardly the sort of terrain which requires dedicated footwear.

Dunlop do some insulated ones (Blizzard) for winter, and non-insulated for summer.

[vaud]

Went to Cotswold for our 11 year old and a pair of Salomon which fit her, but your mileage may vary. Better than the Mountain Warehouse for build quality.

You can go slightly bigger and add insoles to give a chance of a bit more life...

[addey]

Maybe look for something from the adidas terrex range, they are basically off-road trainers rather than full-on walking shoes but should be adequate for kids (plus they'll be able to wear them for PE/other sports if required). My daughter had a pair that held up amazingly well for general wear and dog walking (until she grew out of them)

[Mobile Chicane]

Do Muck Boots do kid sizes?

Everyone round here seems to swear by them.

[Spare tyre]

If you have a decathlon near you have a look in there, always good kit for the €

[1690cc]

I spent a few years working in Mountain Warehouse and can vouch for all their boots being very short-lived. We were given pairs to wear in the store and they would generally split within a month. They look the part on display but were very cheaply made.
Unfortunately you do need to spend a bit to get quality boots that will last, even more so for kids as they are generally much rougher on them.
The level of footwear returns was laughable in MW it felt like we were taking back as many as we sold some weeks. Management didn't seem bothered, they were just binned and replaced.

[scenario8]

Thanks for the comments, experiences and insights.

Hopefully we’ll get to try on a pair of these over the weekend which appear to be the sort of thing we’re after and come with good reviews (as much as you can trust online reviews!).

https://www.salomon.com/en-gb/shop-emea/product/xa...

[fourstardan]

Ive just bought a pair of Adidas terrex for my 4 year old, it's not goretex level but I think they will keep his feet dry enough in long grass, puddles, muddy walks.

£25 quid I think in sports direct.