Guidebook writer VIVIENNE CROW shares her love ofthe great outdoors

Last updated 12:38, Wednesday, 21 May 2008

THERE’S nothing I hate more than buying new walking boots .. apart from going to the dentist .. oh, and donating blood .. and EastEnders...

Okay, so there are a few things I hate more, but buying boots can be a pain.

Every time I wear down an old pair, I’m faced with the prospect of trudging around Keswick for two or three hours, trying on dozens of boots, attempting to absorb all the technical information the shop assistants throw at me and slowly being ground down by the monotony of tying and untying all those laces.

Then I go back to the first shop I visited and buy the same boots that I’ve been wearing for more than 20 years.

I’m not kidding you!

I go through this same ritual every four or five years and, every four or five years, I buy exactly the same model of Scarpa boots that I first bought in 1986.

What can I say in my defence? They’re comfortable!

Well, that is, they used to be comfortable.

I bought my last pair of Scarpas 18 months ago, and they recently started aggravating my Achilles tendon. The pain was so bad, in fact, that I decided I would run the gauntlet of Keswick’s outdoor gear shops before my time was due.

This time my friend Deborah – who happens to be a chiropodist - came along.

“Ah! Your tibi-doo-dah post-e-wotsit muscle’s not working properly and your proximal phaling-amejig looks unusually long.”

I’m pretty sure that’s what I heard her say as she looked disdainfully down at my bare feet in the first shop. My naked toes curled under in embarrassment.

When trying on boots, she explained to me, it’s worth taking the insole out. Standing upright, you should place your foot on it, ensuring your heel is as far back on the insole as it will go. There should be about a finger’s width of space between your toes and the end of the insole.

Once you’ve done the laces up, your heel should not move and your big toe should not be pressing against the uppers. Good outdoor retailers will have an incline board so you can find out what the boots feel like when you’re walking downhill - your feet should not slip forward.

The key to buying boots is to know exactly what you are going to need them for. The rougher the terrain, the firmer the arch and ankle support you will need.

Stiffer, leather boots take some time to break in, but many shops will allow you to take the boots home, wear them around the house and then return them if you decide they’re unsuitable.

So, six shops and 14 pairs of boots later, I came away with a pair of relatively lightweight leather boots for £120.

Now all I need to do is find a new home for a pair of Scarpas, low mileage, one lady owner . . . Any takers?

• Vivienne Crow is a freelance writer specialising in outdoor pursuits.