Now that spring is with us and there has been some sunny weather to encourage people outdoors, many people will be planning some big days out.
However, few things cause more consternation for seasoned walkers and Mountain Rescue teams alike than the sight of people heading into the hills without the right clothing, footwear, maps and provisions. Often, call-outs come because such people get into trouble in rough weather, or make navigational errors and cannot get to places of safety by dark.
Young people in particular have been tempted out more by social media and mapping apps, but with many not being properly prepared, this has led to a sharp increase in callouts.
If you want to be more adventurous in the great outdoors but avoid such problems, now is a good time to invest in the equipment you need. Good, sturdy boots are important and you need to wear them in, but so too are really good boot socks.
Some people might try to get away with putting on two or even three pairs of ordinary socks, but this risks a situation where one of the inside socks slips out of position and can’t be easily adjusted, which means it may rub on your foot in the wrong place and cause a blister.
There are two specific things that your socks need to do. One is to hold the boot firmly in place, which should be easy enough as boots can be adjusted, while the other is to ensure plenty of comfort and protection for your foot.
Above all, you don’t want blisters, something that can be caused either by too loose a fit (especially around the heel) or too tight (which can affect the toes). Some of this can be caused by the wrong-sized boot, but unless it is too small, the issue will be the combination of the sock and boot.
There are other ways in which you can minimise the chances of getting blisters. Take extra socks so that you aren’t putting wet ones back on the next day of a multi-day trip. It helps to keep your feet dry while walking as well, which is hard if you sweat a lot, another reason (alongside rain) for investing in extra socks.
Of course, if you do get blisters, you can use things like blister plasters to cover them and keep you going, but you don’t want your feet covered in these all the time and if you get large blisters, you may struggle to get your boot on, so prevention is better than cure (or plaster).
Finally, you need your socks to be hard-wearing, not just to last big walks, but to survive many washes and come back for more, giving you years of great service to help you make the most of your time outdoors. That’s why it makes sense to invest in quality.
After all, once you have enjoyed some great hikes, be they in high Scottish mountains, the Pennine moors, the chalk downs of the Chilterns or the craggy coast of Pembrokeshire, you will want to put them on again and go for more.
