The best sporting boots and brogues
What’s on your feet can make or break a shooting day. Whether you’re on hill, moor or peg, these sporting boots and brogues will stand you in good stead
Selecting appropriate shooting footwear can be a gambit. In a 1931 issue of The Field, polo authority General RL Ricketts wrote: ‘Shooting boots are of many kinds, from the watertight white whale-skin production of the high-class London bootmaker, costing many pounds, to the grass shoe of the Kashmir mountains costing as many pence.’ The sporting arena is varied, spanning everything from blanket bog to walled garden, but to thrive across this spectrum of habitats the correct footwear is vital. Being appropriately shod is the difference between a memorable day in the field and trench foot, bone-dry elation and soggy misery.
Lindsay Waddell, a former chairman of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, says: “As a young man going into keepering, I was told by an elder statesman that my feet would be one of the most important things to take care of, as I was about to spend most of my life on them. That, of course, means wearing the correct footwear. It must fit well and do the job in hand, whether that be on the moor, in the river, wading through some foreshore mud or standing at a peg on a frozen field in mid-winter. It matters not the task, the shoe or boot must look after the wearer.”
With this in mind, loading up the car for a sporting holiday can feel a little like packing for a winter campaign in Russia, with bringing options to meet every meteorological and topographical eventuality a necessity. However, a quality pair of gumboots, a decent set of technical boots, some classic leather shooting boots and a pair of brogues should have you covered for any scenario.
Brogues
Wear-anywhere classics for early-season days
Arriving at the shoot to find the ground firm and dry underfoot is a common occurrence when shooting in shirtsleeves. If the temperature is well into double figures it feels silly to be clomping around in heavy boots of any kind. Enter the brogue. ‘Brogue’ refers not to a single style of shoe but to a range of different designs adorned with decorative perforations known as ‘broguing’. The brogue began life in the 16th century protecting the feet of crofters but was soon de rigueur among a loftier social set. When the weather is dry, a pair will see you through an entire day of shooting and socialising, and they’ll be just as welcome at supper too.
JOSEPH CHEANEY & SONS
Bexhill R Derby brogue in burgundy grain leather
An archetypal country shoe with a sleek outline and a studded rubber sole to help maintain traction. The pebbled leather helps hide the odd blemish for adventurous wearers.
Price £475
HOLLAND & HOLLAND
Harrow burnished calf brogue boot. Iconic brogue boots, with a waterproof bonded sole and half-bellows tongue, that are just as at home in the city as they are on the peg.
Price £585
TRICKER’S
lkley country shoe in brown Zug grain This smart yet rugged heavy brogue with storm welts and rubber commando sole will see you right standing on stubbles or picnicking on the hill.
Price £565
Gumboots
The trusty shooting staples
Rubberised wellington boots were first made in the 1850s when the founders of Aigle and Hunter began independently experimenting, on both sides of the English Channel, with Charles Goodyear’s newly invented process of rubber vulcanisation. Prior to this, the Arthur Wellesley-inspired wellington boot had been made of leather and was itself an updated version of the older hessian boots previously worn by light cavalrymen in the Regency era. Hunter, formerly known as the North British Rubber Company, provided the military with more than a million pairs of rubberised boots to protect soldiers’ feet during the First World War and they have been popular ever since.
Gumboots are waterproof, comfortable and grippy; no one who lives in the countryside or even so much as occasionally strolls around Richmond Park after a light dew can do without them. They come in many shapes and sizes, from the galosh for taking out the bins to the tall boot for wildfowling on the Solway. For most of the shooting season, and on the majority of shoots, the gumboot is the staple. There is a huge range of specs and styles to choose from, depending on your physiology and purpose. If you regularly succumb to icy toes or struggle with poor circulation, there is the ubiquitous neoprene- or leather-lined version. Proud owners of a stout calf can plump for boots with a full-length side zip or even options with a fully neoprene shaft, both of which offer extra flex and ease ingress to the boot. Many good-quality, modern gumboots now feature Vibram soles similar to those you would find on smart walking boots. These multi-density soles offer better grip on ice or in deep mud thanks to their proprietary tread pattern that allow wearers to cover longer distances without fear that their foot arches might come crashing down.
ARXUS
Primo Country Zip boot in olive
These light, quiet and wellproportioned natural rubber boots are bang up to date while maintaining a traditional feel.
Price £310
LE CHAMEAU
Chasseur leather-lined wellington boot
Dignified, easy on the eye and adorning boot rooms for decades, the Chasseur is an all-time classic.
Price £420
MUCK BOOTS
Muck Rancher tall boots
Warm and durable, this practical boot is up to any task, and with its advanced sole technology easily stakes a claim in the country market.
Price £180
Technical boots
Designed to excel on the most challenging terrain
For trekking miles across hummocked moorland in search of grouse or heaving downed stags over mossy slabs of Lewisian gneiss, one really needs to bring out the big guns. The technical shooting boot excels in the harshest conditions, providing essential support and protection for feet and ankles. Those at the cutting edge blend traditional craftsmanship with the latest material science. Substantial but flexible soles ensure that feet aren’t bruised even when leaping across rocks or putting one’s full weight on roots and fallen branches. Boots with the upper stitched rather than glued to the sole are less likely to develop leaks, while the best boast innovations such as Sympatex and Gore-Tex to wick away moisture. Top options also have rubber foxing to further protect the leather.
HÄRKILA
Reidmar Mid 2.0 GTX
Dial up a sporting adventure with these ultra-modern, breathable boots that are a breeze to slip on and off thanks to the U-Turn wire lacing system – even with cold hands.
Price £299.99
CRISPI
Highland Pro Olive
Integrated gaiters prevent undergrowth from ending up in your socks, plus they will keep you bone dry, tick and blister free.
Price £559
BRANDECOSSE
Cervo Rosso
With a high waterline, chunky treads and superb build quality, these boots combine tradition and functionality with style.
Price £369
The leather shooting boot
Blending vintage looks with modern performance
Leather shooting boots are an undeniably distinguished choice for the line. ‘The impression would seem to prevail in some quarters amongst gunners and their bootmakers that not much good can be done in the field unless the feet are encased in a castiron- like boot,’ wrote one columnist in an 1898 issue of The Field. Thankfully times have moved on, and today’s cordwainers have upped their game with offerings that are far more yielding to the podiatric form.
Many smarter leather shooting boots have a vintage look, blending visuals of the Second World War combat boot with those of the hobnail variety that were seen protecting the feet of guns on grouse moors a century ago. They often feature buckled straps to provide extra support and prevent any malevolent gorse or heather working its way inside. Most contemporary boots in this category benefit from modern additions such as deep treads, reinforced toe caps and storm welts. Whereas one might struggle to pull off wearing a full-blown technical field boot in town, leather shooting boots will keep you looking smart whatever the venue.
FIELD & MOOR
Osprey 11in laced country boot
These rugged-looking, greased leather boots impressively blend sporting and military aesthetics, with a wee kiltie providing further protection to the upper.
Price £340
HOUSE OF BRUAR
Three-quarter leather buckle boot
A practical pebbled leather boot with vintage brass buckles. The reinforced toe cap protects feet from injury in the field.
Price £245
PURDEY
Grain-leather Twin Strap boot
Cut the smartest of dashes in a boot that combines handsome form with field function, crafted in covetable burnished grain leather.
Price £995
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