Walking cool and comfy with Bridgedale socks

Socks. They seem to take up a lot of our conversations in our house (sounds exciting doesn’t it?!).

I think most families have issues – well, at least the person who does the washing does. Single socks galore, although I do solve that with the OH’s by him only having black sports socks style – all from the same shop. Apart from the single sock problems, we also have welly and boot problems with socks.

The OH wears wellies or boots all day every day for work, and finds most socks get worn through quickly and also slip down inside his boots instead of staying up (sock braces aren’t really going to be a goer!). As with most people, N finds he ends up taking his wellies off and his socks come off with them. I tend to wear walking boots to slop around in if needed because I struggle to get my legs and jeans inside my wellies (fat calves!). Less of a sock issue for me, although I do get hot feet, so need breathable socks.

So when we were sent Bridgedale socks to try out I was interested to see if everyone’s issues were solved.

N opened his Hike Junior Coolfusion socks and wanted to put them on straight away. All the socks we were sent looked really small but as they’re all sized, they do fit really well. N found his very comfortable. He said they weren’t hot, and that he wanted to wear them always. Hmm, not really summer weather socks given he mostly wears pumps or sandals. The children’s ones were a sandy/stone colour, and were just as good quality as the adult socks. He did wear them on one of the warmest days of the year, and was perfectly happy with them.

These socks have T2 anti shock cushioning for impact protection, giving a bouncy feeling when wearing them.

I loved the colour of mine. They were purple which made them a bit more girly compared with some other walking socks which can be a bit dull coloured. I wore them round town in my walking trainers as they were the first socks close to hand. Although it was a warm day, my feet were hot in the thick socks (I should never wear trainers in summer), my feet weren’t sweaty at all. They feel really nice when on, nicely cushioned. They’re plenty thick enough to withstand walking for miles, but they don’t bulk out too much – I can still fit my feet wearing the socks comfortably in my walking boots or walking trainers. They also have the crucial ribbing over the instep which is perfect for keeping socks from falling down inside boots. My OH was sceptical but they don’t do it. They stay up.

With fat calves, I often find that the tops can be quite restrictive and tight round the bottom of my legs, but these were fine. I didn’t feel like the circulation was being cut off, they were soft enough and stretchy enough to stay up without cutting in.

They’re Bridgedale Trekker socks – so are an Enduro wool mix, meaning they use the wool from the first spin – the softest part. It also gives durability, thermal balance and and moisture control properties.

The OH’s a man of few words. He looked at his Trekker socks, felt them, and read the bumpf on the wrapping. ‘Bit hot for summer’ was his only comment, and as they had the wrapping removed, were taken straight upstairs and put on his clothes dumping chair, I’d say that was a result. He’s not left them downstairs with the tags still on like he does with clothing items he can’t be bothered with or doesn’t like. So I think he’ll be wearing them in his wellies this winter.

Brigdale socks have great technical properties meaning they’re good all year round, and are so sure about their durability and quality that they come with a guarantee from 1 to 3 years depending on the range. I’ve never come across that before which should be a sign that they’d last well. You can buy them from various outdoor shops like Go Outdoors, Cotswold Outdoors and Blacks, as well as Amazon.

Disclosure: We were sent some Bridgedale socks for the purpose of review. All words and opinions are our own.