Not-Ugly Shoes for Scotland Weather?

[Anonymous]

Going to Scotland, mostly for hiking, and plan to spend a few days in Edinburgh. Need shoes for urban walks, can hold up to rain, not ugly, and can be worn into a nice restaurant. Is there such a thing? Please help!

[Anonymous]

Birdies. Cute waterproof styles. Can probably get away with socks if it is cooler. Very comfortable with good grip for cobblestone/slippery surfaces.

[Anonymous]

We were there last summer and I asked this same question. It ended up raining in the 40s the whole week. We may have seen some snow flecks.... Middle of July.....

If you're doing any hiking (Skye, the highlands etc) just have real hiking shoes or normal good quality sneakers. Once we left Edinburgh, we didn't see another person dressed to look nice again. In Edinburgh, it was pretty low key and I didn't feel the need to be well dressed when we ate out. I was wearing dark grey all birds and they were fine. I wouldn't want to wear those for big hikes though.

When I do trips like this, I also always bring a pair of black flats like these, which crush into nothing in your suitcase and can be worn to a nicer dinner.
https://www.madewell.com/the-greta-ballet-flat-99107129386.html?source=googlePLA&noPopUp=true

[Anonymous]

I was just there and wore All Bird Mizzles. You could also wear ankle height black leather slip-on boots. Edinburgh is pretty low-key when it comes to fashion. This is not LA. Nobody will care. There's a certain "gauge" when it comes to fashion there from what I saw. Reminded me of Seattle in the 1990s.

[Anonymous]

^^Grunge, not "gauge"

[Anonymous]

Just do a nice chelsea boot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just do a nice chelsea boot.

You're not going to want to wear a Chelsea boot for anything off road - like Skye or the highlands. you need something with a real rubber sole - sneakers or all birds or hiking boots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just do a nice chelsea boot.

You're not going to want to wear a Chelsea boot for anything off road - like Skye or the highlands. you need something with a real rubber sole - sneakers or all birds or hiking boots.

And I say this as someone who wouldn't deign to wear a hiking boot in my life - too ugly. But Scotland is pretty downscale outside the cities and very muddy. We didn't even have any official hikes planned, but did drive through the highlands -- which involves some pulling off to the side of the road to look at pretty nature things - and even that involved a few times of scrambling up some craggy wet rocks. You need rubber soles.

[Anonymous]

Assuming you also have a hiking shoe and are looking for a companion city shoe.

I'd do something like a leather sneaker or a loafer. What would you wear if you were doing the same thing here -- a rainy day walking around downtown/the mall, then grabbing a meal? Wear that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just do a nice chelsea boot.

You're not going to want to wear a Chelsea boot for anything off road - like Skye or the highlands. you need something with a real rubber sole - sneakers or all birds or hiking boots.

What about something like Blundstones?

[Anonymous]

Blundstones is a great suggestion. I spend a lot of time in Scotland and that’s what I bring.

[Anonymous]

blundstones or ll bean duck boots are maybe your only options.

[Anonymous]

Duck boots??? No. For dinners you just can’t. It doesn’t matter how casual it is. Also, in the city you’re not going to be trudging through deep water or mud go to dinner. Bring a black Chelsea boot or black loafer.

[Anonymous]

I travel there often, and wearing suede boots in Edi is an option. There is no gushing water on the streets. Never had a problem during colder months

[Anonymous]

I’d bring hiking boots and a Chelsea boot like La Cannadienne