Leather walking boots and gaiters for me. You could get some berghaus yeti gaiters which would cover the whole boot. They aren't cheap but army surplus often have the army version.
A good pair of boots will fit like a glove after they have been broken in. Both my summer and winter boots are as comfy as slippers and the winter ones are stiff crampon compatible but still comfy.
A good pair of leather boots with vibrant soles will last year's, breathe and if cared for will be completely waterproof. I clean off mud under a tap and wax them when it looks they need it. Combined with gaiters I'm confident to go big trotting and have totally dry feet.
------------- Hypercamp Alaska
Vango Force 10 mk3
Vango F10 Helium 1
Coleman Cobra Pro 3
Coleman Cobra 2
Naturehike Star River 2
Eureka! Solitaire
Dutch army goretex bivvy bag
My concern was in trying to find a way of stopping wellington boots from slopping about at the heel. Although they are the right size and pretty expensive as wellies go, the shape of wellies just don't fit the foot at the heel like a pair of shoes do. I have tried the stick on heel grips but the action of sliding my foot into the boot knocks the heel grips off. They don't stick too well on the boot lining.
Another problem I had with the second pair of 'No Bull' boots was that they have a loose (washable) lining but every time I withdrew my foot from the boot the lining came with it. I then had to wear it like a sock in order to push it back into the boot and hold it while removing my foot again...pain in the backside so I have stuck that inside the boot with superglue.
I wish I had stuck with my usual £12.99 green wellies from Homebase...had no trouble with those...except they don't last long.
and I tried them on the other day - so comfortable and weigh next to nothing. She hasn't had any problems with slippery socks, and she says they're really warm.
The problem is that I have already bought two pairs of wellies costing a total of nearly £80. I can't keep buying them until I find a pair that are perfect. I have put the first pair up for sale at a giveaway price but I doubt anyone will want second hand wellies even though they have only been worn for a couple of short walks.