The boots looked attractive in dark grey with a plum coloured trim. Putting them on I felt the customary Brasher comfort and quality. The size 8s enveloped my foot while still feeling as if I had plenty of room for movement but in a supported way. The collar felt quite thick and padded compared to a pair of leather Brasher Hillmaster GTX boots I have and on tying the laces did feel quite bulky. The boots are laced up through four sets of fabric loops before two pairs of metal hooks. The fabric loops are quite small and while haven’t caused issue to date, if not kept clear grit could feasibly wear the laces quite quickly at these points.

But you can't judge a pair of boots on just slipping your feet into them at home no matter how comfortable they feel; they are made to be walked in! Tested over a variety of terrain in the Peak District (they're designed for UK hills and valleys), these have been worn for a total of about 45 miles to date. Straight from the box they have been comfortable with no need to be broken in. My leather boots usually cause me a blister at the 5 mile mark but with these I've not had a problem at all on any of my walks. The terrain has included peat bog and hags, limestone, gritstone, grass slopes and streams, as well as woodland and mud. Rather than a Vibram sole, the Brasher rubber sole provided great grip on all but the muddiest of slopes, though judging by the number of skiddy tracks I saw I wasn't alone in this. On gritstone of course the grip was superb, on limestone it was excellent although when wet it had slightly less traction, which is usual.

I was pleasantly pleased with the GORE-TEX Extreme lining after walking along footpaths that had temporarily been turned to streams, and again where walking in peat bog on the uplands where the smelly, stagnant water covered the boot but without any ingress whatsoever. I could feel the coolness of the water over the top of the boot but the fabric panels just seemed to shed that and any associated water quickly. In the event that specialist orthotics were needed, the footbeds are completely removable.

Tramping across the moorlands I usually forgot I was wearing a pair of boots. They are pretty light at 990g for the pair, and the shock absorbing midsole does a great job of providing an almost floating feeling at times. Across heather, over and around boulders, the earlier feeling of bulkiness from the ankle collar had gone, just replaced by a sense of support. They are cut lower towards the achilles which did mean I felt a combination of both support and freedom, which was useful when clambering over the boulders at the bottom of Stanage.

Price: £100.00

Weight: 990g

Colour: Grey/Plum

Features:

• Durable 1.6-1.8mm abrasion resistant suede upper with fabric panels
• Waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX® Extended Comfort lining
• Brasher rubber sole unit for superb grip, traction control and durability
• Shock absorbing EVA midsole
• Memory Foam in the collar for additional comfort

Pros:  The EVA midsole and light weight construction give a light footed feeling without sacrificing support . The sole is grippy over different terrain making the boot pretty versatile for a 3 season offering. The fabric panels allow breathability but the GORE-TEX lining keeps feet dry.

Cons: