west highland way foot ware help

Hi im looking for some help with what boots or shoes to use on the west highland way,

I did the walk 2 weeks ago and had some shocking blisters on the ball of both feet, also i damaged managed to damage 3 toe nails so now there black and falling off, it was Hi Tec boots although i cant remember the model.

hoping to do the walk again later this summer and would really like a bit more comfort and much less pain.

any help would be great thanks

Something which fits rather better than it sounds like those boots did! I can't tell you what specifically because it is all about the fit here.

Not that its easy - long distance walks like that are rather good at amplifying any small fit issues into non trivial problems. Especially if your feet aren't used to it.

(I've definetly done it myself at times.).

Especially on the balls of your feet, because a tiny bit of grit or something getting in can do that quite easily.

The toe nails could be two things. Either there's just not enough room in the toe box or they're not locked down tightly enough to your foot so you're slipping into the front on up/downhill bits. Other dangers are socks bunching up after a fair bit of wear (get them tight fitting if possible), and your heel rubbing if there's any heel lift.

The blister plaster things do definetly seem to help. But mostly get some properly fitted footwear

I've always found the staff at the George Fisher shop in Keswick very good when it comes to finding properly fitting footwear for their customers. There will be others equally as good — I seem to remember reading lots of positive comments about Peglers, for example — and it's worth seeking them out imo. And don't let anybody sell you a pair of heavy and stiff boots just because you mention "Highland".