Gear for new walkers

Wellies. ?

sports direct do  cheapo walking boots from about £20, so the bank wont be broke if they never venture out again.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/

SD wrote (see)

If  they are novices they will be fine with trainers, some of us walk many miles and never venture into boots. I started to walk in retired marathon trainers and have not really walked in anything else.

Include a little history in your walks. Pecsaetan - Ancient Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South Yorkshire - http://pecsaetan.weebly.com/

but to get them somewhere interesting they'll need more than trainers

I've done the Aonach Eagach in a pair of trainers...  what is your particular value of "interesting"?

To be fair the trainers I used on AE had a pretty agressive sole unit I'd trust (as much as I'd trust anything much) on steep grass, but as long as the weather's not going to lead to frozen feet then trainers will do plenty of interesting stuff.

personally i loathe wet feet

must make taking a shower a bit awkward...

Pete.

If they are wanting you to take them you call the shots.  If you don't think their footwear is up to it don't take them. 

As recommended above maybe take them somewhere not too demanding underfoot.  'Trainers' covers such a wide range of footwear I'd give them some pointers on the sort that may be useful.  If the route you choose is a bit rough underfoot they may benefit from the support of light boots as their ankles won't be used to the terrain.

I would personally much prefer to go for a dander in a pair of trainers then hire boots.  Chances of hire boots rubbing after a while is quite a bit, chances of your own trainers rubbing a bit minimal.

Pete.

trainers will be fine.

if you look at old photos/film footage people wore everyday shoes

I always wore boots until I did a mountain marathon and took the hint from the couple of thousand other folk not wearing them...  As long as the soles you've got give you adequate traction and nothing's rubbing holes then it doesn't really matter: at this time of year you might get wet and cold feet but they'll not drop off.  The more you look in to the much vaunted ankle support thing the more it's a non-issue unless you're standing on small ledges all day, and that needs a much bigger cuff than most boots.  If you're on very rough ground (big pebbles, say) a stiff sole spreads weight better so you don't get sore feet, but OTOH if you're on reasonably even ground then a stiff sole just makes it less natural and thus more tiring and less comfortable to walk.

Pete.

I'd say if you are going over broken ground and the colleagues haven't walked much and/or don't have the greatest fitness try to find them some cheap boots or hire them. Pretty sure that George Fisher know what they are doing and will fit them correctly.

Lets not get into the whole shoes vs boots arguement again, but please can we recognise that for some people boots are best and for some people trainers, depending on fitness, ankle strength, past injuries and preference. I would suggest that anyone new to walking is probably safer starting in boots if going over broken ground and trying trainers later on if they like it.

Pretty sure that George Fisher know what they are doing and will fit them correctly.

Knowing what you're doing and having a variety of stock to cover the different shapes of feet people have isn't the same thing.  I don't know what variety Fishers have so it's possible this isn't an issue, but IME places hiring kit generally stick to a limited range of models from a limited range of manufacturers and there's little differentiation beyond shoe-size.  And if you have boots that are not a good fit because you have, say, a broad forefoot where your hire boot has a narrow forefoot, they can make a walk unpleasant all by themselves.

Lets not get into the whole shoes vs boots arguement again, but please can we recognise that for some people boots are best and for some people trainers

I don't have any trouble with that at all, but you do rather start off deciding "boots" for everyone here... Whle I fully agree that boots may be best for some of our notional punters, OTOH they may not be and they'll already have trainers that won't cost them any more and will fit them comfortably.  If it turns out they like this walking business they can worry more about optimised kit next time around, rather than spend considerable sums on a taster that will be limited in any case by muscles not used to it.

Pete.

I rarely wear anything other than what could be classed as trainers or trail shoes when I'm not at work.  They are all really comfortable for everyday use, on the bike or short walks of a few miles with the dog etc.  I've worn the odd pair on longer hill walks  & while suitable for the terrain they've been really uncomfortable by the end of the day.  As a result I only use them on pretty flat walks. 

There's a wide range of trainers & even if they had good grip originally they may have worn down.  If a novice, even notionally under your leadership, slips & breaks something wearing a shite pair of trainers the finger of blame will likely point at you both even if the same would have happened in better footwear. 

I've taken novices out before & hire boots were sourced locally before we went without issue.  That was the days before there were decent trainers suitable for trail use & after Parkys days of yore where everyday shoes would likely cope.

For myself, I'm still intending to get a pair of trainers specifically for hill use (keeps eye on classifieds) but it's not high on my list of priorities as I find lightweight boots just fine & with my experience so far of my everyday 'trial' shoes I always think they'll be uncomfortable on the hill & end up used as everyday shoes.

Peter Clinch wrote (see)

Lets not get into the whole shoes vs boots arguement again, but please can we recognise that for some people boots are best and for some people trainers

I don't have any trouble with that at all, but you do rather start off deciding "boots" for everyone here...

No that is not what I was saying. I was recommending that people new to hiking walking across broken terrain may be better off starting off in hired or inexpensive boots, not "boots" for everyone here. Quite a difference I'd say.....

I use trainers (TNF Hedgehogs) more than happily on the South Downs, Chilterns, and parts of the Brecon Beacons, but ask me to walk Sca Fell from Gt Langdale and it will be boots every time as thats what I find works for me. I'm not saying that no one should either, I'm merely recommending that for a walk like that I'd suggest boots for people new to hiking.

My reason? If you have boots that aren't the best fit then the worst that you will get is some blisters and may cut short your walk. If you use trainers and it turns out that you don't have the fitness/ankle strength you are much more likely to turn an ankle and that is going to make your day one hell of a lot worse.