It may be a strange time to be talking about wellies, but anyone who owns a dog knows we are not quite out of the mud yet when it comes to appropriate footwear for a walk in the park/marshes/hills.
Over the last few months, I have become no stranger to mud and despite living in the city, Big A and I have found ourselves in some pretty muddy/wet situations, while out and about.
Weather is of course no reason to give up on style – as we all know – and I have been in pursuit of the perfect welly, ever since I got a dog. Hunters may be the rubber of choice for Yummy Mummies, but they are not for me. I spent a small fortune on a pair of knee high Red Hunters and have to admit, I don’t love them. Unless you have super skinny calves (I don’t) they are claustrophobically tight and need a member of your family to help get them off. The are also cold in winter and not comfortable to to walk long distances. They may look good on Kate Moss at Glastonbury, with hot pants and a Barbour – but I’m afraid they don’t work for me on a five mile trek on Hackney Marshes.
I then went to the opposite extreme and bought a pair of (also over priced) Margaret Howell wellies. Ankle length, navy Blue and a much looser fit, I added sheepskin soles for maximum warmth and off we went. They were great for a few months, then they started to leak – not so great for a “waterproof” boot!
I had more or less given up and when even my trusty old Blundstones looked like they were on their last legs, I despaired of ever finding the perfect all weather dog walking boots. Until out of the blue came an invite to view the new range by footwear designer Julia Lundsten, for traditional Finnish welly brand Nokian.
Julia is also Finnish, so knows a thing or two about weather (and footwear obvs) and had approached Nokian as they are specialists in high quality rubber footwear and she felt there was a gap in the market for stylish all weather boots.
Each boot in the collection is made using the finest natural rubber, which makes them durable and extremely flexible and Nokian’s s extensive research and knowledge of the Northern climes mean they perform outstandingly in harsh conditions. They are stylish without being gimmicky and the Biker style that I was given are fleece lined, therefore nice and warm.
They are not cheap (but neither are the alternatives) as prices start at £95, but they are far superior to any others I have tried – and they look good.
They are available from August online.
It took me 12years of freezing cold feet whilst dog walking to track down the ultimate welly. I also have sporty calves, try Aigle Parcours Iso. The neoprene lining works really well and they are so comfortable you can walk for miles. Whilst they are expensive mine are now 4 years old and still like new under all the mud.
i have just been to denmark where i treated myself to some ilse jacobson boots – they look super cool and hopefully will also be super durable.
Oh, I need wellies!
As a fellow dog owner I am a bit of a welly addict. I have a couple of pairs of Hunters which I love… and I certainly don’t have skinny calves!!! These look fab though, especially the biker style, which I find is a really versatile length for me. They are definitely going on my wish list.
You simply can’t beat Dubarry boots! OK, so the sales staff at Dubarry are totally up themselves (really? you are shop assistants so get off those high horses and start assisting) and the boots are expensive BUT they are soooo comfortable to wear and walk in and they are warm and totally waterproof. Mine are now 3 years old and getting better and better as they acquire the patina of age (and lots of mud) and are well broken in. There are many good reasons that so many people wear them.
Lots of fab welly info – thanks everyones – will check them out. Ofcourse as soon as I mention wellies the sun shines!
Jx
I followed the link in your post to find the boots and they dont appear to be available on the website. Can you direct us to a place to buy boots from this collection?
Thank you
Absolutely love these wellies! They’re absolutely gorgeous!