walking shoes for scotland and ireland

Hi everyone!
I'm here to chat and make some new friends along the way. I'd much rather chat about travel, than depression.

My question is: I will be in Edinburgh / Inverness in Feb. 2023 - I know I need a decent pair of walking shoes. But this doesn't tell me if I should buy new ones, or stick with my sneakers/trainers. I am not a hiker, or adventure seeker - I do historic home tours, and historic towns. I plan to bring my cowboy boots because they are so comfortable for me, but what about walking shoes...what do you use? sneakers? or something else? I do want to go to the battlefield at Culloden, and not sure what I should do for footwear. What's your advice?
Thanks!

Stick with whatever you find comfortable if Culloden is as adventurous as you're getting.

Agree with Andy. You're not going to be hiking any great distance so just stick with the trainers you normally wear. Bringing your cowboy boots is fine too: at least they'll be water-resistant, which is important when you're visiting Scotland or anywhere else in the UK! But also see my caveat below.......

For Culloden: trainers if it's dry-ish, cowboy boots if it is or has been raining heavily/wet on and off for a few days (very likely in February).

BUT......Scotland in February can be very cold (UK damp cold feels colder than the dry cold of other places). Having cold and/or wet feet isthoroughly miserable so if you can't wear decent thick-ish socks with your existing trainers and/or cowboy boots it's worth buying either a pair of comfortable water-resistant trainers or lightweight walking boots which are wide enough to allow thicker socks. There's absolutely no need to spend a fortune on specialised walking footwear: just get something comfortable that'll keep most of the water out and allow you to wear those socks.

If you do buy new footwear make sure you wear it regularly before your visit. Breaking in new footwear on a trip is really not a good idea!

[ Edit: Edited on 14 Jul 2022, 17:01 GMT by leics2 ]

Thanks so much Andy and leics --- very helpful! I guess it's thicker socks for me then!
That's cheaper anyway...I agree. Thank you both! Happy travels!

Hiya. At that time of year, assume streets will be wet and and snow is possible. As for Culloden, the battlefield is a grassy field so your footwear should be robust and waterproof enough to deal with it. Iain

Hi. I'm a genuine antique and walked all over Culloden easily in my Ecco sneakers. They don't have much cushioning but are leather and sturdy. Unless you're doing something really off the beaten track, your average sneaker will be just fine. If you hit a spell of really bad weather, buy a pair of rubber boots (Wellingtons / Wellies) in Scotland. They are available reasonably everyplace. Donate them to a charity shop when you return home . . . unless you live someplace very rainy.

You will love Scotland and Ireland. People there are incredibly friendly and helpful.

Great - thank you Ian and Beausoleil - that's what I thought but just wanted to be sure. so off to pack my sneaks and my boots!

As an aside, I love travel gear....my latest is a luggage scale...lol!