A Quest to Find New Boots: Whalley Warm & Dry

This is not an article like others we have written. This is a straight up review of an independent outdoor shop that specialises in walking boots and shoe fitting. So why is this in the mini-adventure section? Well for us this shop was around a 6 hour round trip, so we ended up making a day of it, and Rob does not regret it one bit!

A good pair of boots can make or break an outdoor trip. If your boots don’t fit well then it can lead to blisters, bruising, broken bones, and lets not forget general foot pain. Both of us have experienced boots that do not fit, and the resulting discomfort that results. Believe it or not your feet can change shape at almost any time in your life due to a whole host of reasons. A few years back we even called off a long distance walk in the UK after just 3 days (just under half way) due to Katrina's feet having changed shape since she bought the boots she was walking in, which resulted in some painful bruising. So for us well fitting boots are a must.

A couple of months ago we were on a nice walk up in the peak district and we could hear a funny noise as we were walking. We quickly realised that this noise was coming from Rob's boots sucking in water and squirting it out again. The midsole had started to separate from the boot! It was unfortunately that time again where a new pair of boots was needed. Sigh.

For a bit of background Rob has wide feet with a narrow heel, and struggles to find boots that fit in your standard outdoor shops. Around where we live there are the likes of Go Outdoors, Cotswolds, and a smattering of your more general sporting goods shops, but none of these shops (at least at the time of writing) carry width fittings in the boots and shoes that they sell. So whenever we get to the point where Rob needs a new pair of boots, we know that we are in for a bit of a quest. This has ended up with us travelling to parts of the country that have shops that carry a wide range of boots, but mostly it’s just been trial and error. The process can often take quite a while, and is something that we have just accepted will be what it will be.

After a quick googling this time round, Rob found a shop up in Lancashire that specialises in boot fitting, and helping people who find it difficult to get boots from the highstreet. The only issue was that it was quite a drive from where we live and there were no weekend bookings available in time before our next significant adventure. So after checking that we still had annual leave left, one Friday we both made the trip to Whalley Warm & Dry.

This unassuming shop front set back from the street has some of the best boot fitters we have ever come across!

The staff were all super knowledgeable about boots, shoes, and (most importantly) feet. After a quick greeting we were introduced to Aggie, who would be helping Rob find a set of boots. What followed was the most comprehensive boot fitting that either of us has experienced. Measurements were taken, range of motion was tested, and questions asked. We learnt so much from Aggie as we were explained to about the why and how at every step of the process. It was helpful that at each step expectations were set, and right from the off we were told that there were only one, maybe two, pairs of boots that are likely to fit.

Once we had found a pair of boots that fit we then went into experimenting with insoles. This is the first boot fitting where changing the insoles was even considered, let alone the fitter being knowledgeable about what they could and could not achieve with them!

A really cool thing about Whalley Warm & Dry was that to get the boots to fit just right they can even reshape the uppers. They do this using steam and a variety of tools that look like they would be more at home in a mediaeval dungeon than they do in a boot shop. However barbaric they look though, you cannot question the results. To give Rob's toes a bit more room the boots were stretched a little in just the right place and it has made all the difference.

Now you might think that all this extra service would come at a premium, however not so much. This is not a pile-them-high-sell-them-cheap sort of place, and the boots are definitely not on the cheaper end spectrum, but the overall cost at the till was easily comparable with other higher end outdoor shops and worth every penny.

A fair amount of time was spent travelling, but once at the shop it took just over an hour of fitting and Rob walked out with a well fitting set of boots. Less than a week later Rob ended up spending over 15 hours straight standing in them without a blister in sight! So it was a fortunate thing that we were able to fit in our trip when we did.

If your feet are somewhat different from the norm, we would highly recommend going to Whalley, having a chat with some really knowledgeable boot fitters, and getting yourself a well fitting pair of boots. You won’t regret the experience!

Rob’s new boots in action!