These Boots Were Made for Walking (Tours) #6

LW guides know London. LW guides know shoes. We’ve been blogging about the best shoes for long walks this week. And Kim is in no mood for argument…

“Got to be MBTs.  Another London Walks guide - Simon - put me on to these a few years ago and I haven't regretted it.  I've also spotted other guides wearing them so there may be a few votes for these.

They are a bit weird when you first encounter them as they have a curved sole and here is the advantage.  As you can't stand still but are always readjusting your balance they don't allow your back muscles to seize up when you stop - which is what we do a lot, start, walk and then stop over and over again so our poor muscles are never quite sure what we are supposed to be doing.  The other good thing is that they have a very thick, spongy sole that really cushions the shock from walking on our hard London pavements every day.  Some time ago I took to wearing a stepometer to ensure that I did the necessary 10,000 steps a day to keep healthy and discovered that on a 2 walk day I'm completing between 22,000 and 26,000 steps a day - so my poor feet need a break!

They are quite expensive but I look for them introducing new styles - which they seem to do every year - and then they sell the old stock off a bit cheaper.  Major disadvantage?  They are totally "uncool" and when you have a style-conscious teenager (my15-year-old son!) there is a bit of persuasion involved in getting them to accept you can wear them out in public. 

Check me out wearing them – in need of a new pair at the moment so not in the best condition – on a visit to Bletchley Park on Sunday 16 September.”

For more on that Bletchley Park trip CLICK HERE. 

Thanks Kim – comprehensive, scientific, enlightening… and we loved the appeal for new shoes ("in need of a new pair at the moment" indeed). If any Daily Constitutionalists can help poor old Kim out with a pair of new shoes, the best way is to join the aforementioned Bletchley trip… 

Alternatively, send postal orders or old stamps to: Kim's New MBT's Appeal, Daily Constitutional House, London E21. 

Kim

Kim, who has worked in the House of Commons and the European Parliament, is another 24-carat Blue Badge Guide: she won the London Tourist Board's Guide of the Year award in 2001.

For earlier posts in our boots'n'shoes series, click the following links…

Doctor Martens 

Flip Flops 

Keen Sandals 

Fitflops 

POST UPDATED 17/3/16

A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.