Mcleod Wide Fit Women’s Walking Shoes Review

The Mcleod Wide Fit Women's Walking Shoes are advertised as a great option for walkers and hikers thanks to the durable, breathable, and padded material – which is great for support, grip, and protection when out and about.

I ordered a pair in light brown from Amazon, they arrived in a standard cardboard shoebox, which was securely packaged in brown paper. The packaging was well-suited to the product, and I found no damage to the shoes or tears in the paper, overall, everything arrived in great shape. The first thing I noticed when opening the box was the colour, and the two-tone laces, I thought they looked smart. When I lifted them out, I noticed how light they were and was looking forward to giving them a test run.

When purchasing shoes intended for walking and hiking in the past, I have found it is best to go up half a shoe size to allow your feet to naturally swell when being used. However, these shoes state that they are designed with a wide fit, so I chose my normal shoe size 5. Wearing a thick pair of socks always does the trick though, should you find your shoes are slightly larger than you would like them to be!

Testing Mcleod Wide Fit Women's Walking Shoes

At 51, I need a sturdy pair of walking shoes as I live in the countryside and walk my dog twice a day along the local paths and bridleways. The surfaces are uneven and often muddy, so it’s essential that I have shoes with good grip. The McLeod walking shoes are advertised as having deep lugs and I found this to be true, the soles offer great traction for walking over all manner of country terrain.

I was so impressed how light the shoe was, yet they also felt very well made. When I tried them on, I realised there was plenty of room for my toes to wiggle, as they are wide fit. The laces allowed me to tighten the shoe perfectly, the lace material is high quality, and the top metal lace hook holds the lace securely, so it doesn’t slip when you are tying the knot. They are also long enough for me to tie a double bow, so there’s no chance of them coming undone.

As you’d expect with a walking shoe, the heel cage is very sturdy, it felt snug around my foot, this product isn’t a hiking boot, so does not cover my ankle. You therefore need walking socks, otherwise your ankle feels exposed. The cushioning around the collar felt soft inside, but firm on the outside.

For my first walk, I found the shoe comfortable, the cushioning underfoot felt normal, not particularly springy, but enough to protect your knees when walking for longer distances. As mentioned, there is a low collar, so no specific ankle support, so I’m not sure whether I’d recommend these walking shoes for hiking over rough terrain. However, for walking on the flat and on muddy bridle paths they are perfect, plenty of grip, I felt very secure and didn’t slip once, even when the treads were getting full of mud.

After I’d been walking for half an hour, I did notice that the tongue of the right shoe was digging into my shin. This is my smaller foot, so I need to try them with a thicker sock and hopefully the material gives a little, otherwise this will be uncomfortable.

The upper material is mesh, which did mean my feet didn’t get too hot. They aren’t suitable for snow or very wet conditions.

Naturally the treads pick up a lot of mud, so you’d need to hose them down if you want to store them inside your house, if you don’t have a boot room. The upper mesh does dry quickly if they get a bit wet though.

Final verdict

Overall, I would describe these shoes as like a high-quality trainer, but with the addition of superb grip. They support your foot and provide some cushioning of the ground for your knee, but do not support your ankle. Perfect for walking on the flat.

I think these are quite expensive for a walking shoe and I'm not sure they could also be your only hiking shoe, so they only really serve one purpose. They certainly deliver the internal space, within the shoe, plenty of room for toes. The grip is excellent, but with no ankle support, these are only suitable for walking on the flat. I would recommend the shoes as they are a great walking shoe for women with wide feet, that need good taction underfoot. I found that the main reason to buy was the need for a wide fitting shoe with excellent grip for country walks. The highlight of using this was happily trudging through muddy pathways knowing I wasn’t going to slip over.