These boots are made for walking . . . Francis Fulford reviews the anti-fatigue Aigle Parcours 2 ISO Boots, handmade in France in natural rubber, waterproof, comfortable and more: Top marks!

‘These boots are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do. One of these days these boots are gonna—walk all over you.’ That was Nancy Sinatra strutting her stuff in a pair of stiletto high-heeled black leather boots back in the Sixties (writes Francis Fulford).

What a song. What a girl. And there wasn’t a red-blooded schoolboy in the country who wouldn’t happily have had Nancy walk all over them even though those stiletto-heeled boots would have made it an extremely painful experience! Now if only she had been wearing the new handmade Aigle Parcours 2 Iso rubber gumboots it would have been another matter.

I mention this because Aigle have launched a new version of their revolutionary Parcours 2 Iso boot, and I am testing them for Club Members. They are still made in France, by hand, step by step in the time-honoured way, by French girls (and chaps) who seem, when you look at the video of the boots being made, to be lovingly stroking each one. (Makes me think of Nancy Sinatra.) So now I will cut through the technical stuff and concentrate on what you want a gumboot to do.

Keep your feet dry for a start, that goes without saying; and give a good grip so you don’t spend your time falling over; make you comfortable and not make your feet all sweaty; and, most important, keep your feet warm when you are standing around on a freezing cold January morning waiting for a cock pheasant to come over your head. They must also look good when you are in your best shooting kit—and, if they can, we’d want them to prevent us getting tired on a day’s shooting, wouldn’t we? That might seem a long shot, but we’ll come to that later.

So, do the boots match up to the claims and can they do all these simple tasks well? The answer is yes, they can. I even tested them over several miles of rough going on Dartmoor and couldn’t fault them. And what about that anti-tired-feet idea? Well, it seems that anti-fatigue ingenuity is what Aigle is famous for. They invented the technology. However they—and the French girls who make the boots—do it, the result is that you get an extra spring in your step at every stride, and by the end of the day you are less tired than you would be otherwise.

I’ll be continuing to test these boots throughout the new season—but on the ‘star barometer’ so far they get a five-star award and you can’t get higher than that.

Features: Natural rubber upper; waterproof and adjustable gusset; anti-fatigue technology; 4.5mm neoprene lining for warmth; 4.5mm lining in the insole to protect around the foot; extra lining in the sole to protect the sole of the foot against the cold; Three density natural rubber shock absorbing sole, for cushioning, stability and abrasion resistance; multi-directional grip to prevent sliding in all directions. Designed and made by hand in France.

Members receive an advantageous price for the new Aigle Parcours 2 Iso Wellington Boots (which, by the way, are unisex). They are not to be confused with the less expensive Vario models. Sizes are 4 to 13. Colours: Bronze (dark green) or khaki (brown).

RRP £230 plus delivery. CCUK Members £159.50 including free UK mainland delivery.

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