The best walking sandals are trail kit, not picnic accessories. A proper pair has a fixed heel strap, a rubber outsole that holds on wet rock, and a footbed that still feels good after 15km. That rules out slides, flip flops and most of what gets sold as a "walking sandal" in a supermarket, and it is the standard every pick in this guide is judged against.
Sandals earn their place in a UK kit list on hot days over decent paths: coast paths, riverside routes, chalk downland, campsite-to-beach days, and travel where one pair of shoes has to do everything. They drain instantly, dry fast and keep your feet cool in the kind of July heat that makes boots miserable.
They also have limits, and this guide is straight about them. No sandal gives you ankle support, toe protection worth the name (closed-toe models excepted) or any business being on scree. If you carry a big pack or walk rough ground year-round, start with the best hiking boots instead, and if you want closed, lighter-than-boot footwear for the same trails, the walking shoes section covers that middle ground.
Eight sandals made the cut. All are stocked at Blacks with Amazon as the alternative, and four have full Coast & Fell reviews linked below.
1. Keen Newport H2
The Newport H2 has been the default answer to "which walking sandal should I buy" for two decades, and the numbers say the market agrees: more than 25,000 Amazon reviews, which is an order of magnitude beyond anything else in this guide.
It is closer to a shoe with drainage than a strappy sandal, and that is exactly why it works on UK trails. The rubber toe bumper wraps the front of the foot completely, so kicking a flint or a tree root is a non-event rather than a walk-ending one. The polyester webbing upper is quick-dry and machine washable, the bungee lace snugs the whole foot with one pull, and the non-marking rubber outsole uses razor siping, fine cuts across the lugs, the same idea as a winter tyre, which is what makes it dependable on wet rock and slick harbour slipways.
At around 400g per sandal it is not light, and the recurring complaint in reviews is grit working under the footbed on sandy beaches. Neither changes the verdict. Reviewers consistently praise the toe protection and the all-day comfort in and out of water, and that combination is why it is the top pick. Keen's own guidance is to go up half a size, and the review consensus backs that.
Read the full Keen Newport H2 review for the complete picture.
2. Birkenstock Arizona Birko-Flor
The Arizona is not a hiking sandal and I am not going to pretend otherwise. There is no heel strap, the sole is flat, and nobody should take one up Pen y Fan. It sits at number two because for a lot of people searching for a walking sandal, the real job is comfortable days out: the country show, the harbour town, the campsite, the pub garden after a swim. For that job it is the best thing here.
It is also the one for afterwards. The cork-latex footbed has a deep heel cup and proper arch shaping, and after a full day in boots on the coast path, swapping into a pair at the car is one of the cheapest recoveries available. The cork moulds to your foot over the first few weeks and gets better with age. The Birko-Flor upper is a durable synthetic that shrugs off drizzle and wipes clean, and this black two-strap version, with 2,762 Amazon reviews behind it, is the classic buy.
Also consider: the Arizona EVA
The Arizona EVA is the same shape moulded entirely from foam, and the appeal is obvious: around £40, roughly 110g a sandal, fully waterproof, and you can hose it off after a muddy campsite. With 9,634 Amazon reviews it actually outsells the original. The trade-off is the footbed. Soft foam instead of cork means less support, and it compresses over time where cork improves. Buy the EVA for water, camp and the drybag; buy the Birko-Flor for everything else.
Read the full Birkenstock Arizona review for sizing, break-in and the EVA vs original comparison in detail.
3. Teva Hurricane XLT3
The Hurricane XLT3 is the lightest true walking sandal in this guide at around 330g per sandal, and it is the one to buy if you want a pair that disappears into a rucksack and handles everything from a river crossing to a city break.
The build is classic Teva done properly: quick-dry webbing made from recycled REPREVE polyester, hook-and-loop adjustment at the ankle, heel and forefoot so you can dial the fit to your actual foot, an EVA midsole with a nylon shank for stability, and a rugged rubber outsole with sharper, more angled lugs than earlier Hurricanes. That shank is the detail that separates it from beach sandals; the platform does not fold under you on uneven ground.
Across 5,165 Amazon reviews the pattern is clear: comfort straight out of the box, secure straps, and versatility across water, trail and town. The most common criticism is that the footbed feels slick under wet skin until it scuffs in, which is standard for EVA footbeds and settles within a few outings.
It gives away toe protection and outright grip to the Newport H2 and Terra Fi 5, so it is the pick for lighter, faster, hotter days rather than rocky ones.
Read the full Teva Hurricane XLT3 review for the long version.
4. Keen Newport Leather
Same anatomy as the Newport H2 at number one: the full rubber toe bumper, the bungee lace, the razor-siped outsole. The difference is the upper, which swaps washable webbing for full leather sourced from Leather Working Group certified tanneries.
That swap changes what the sandal is for. The leather version looks like proper footwear rather than water kit, which matters more than it should if one pair has to cover the trail in the morning and a pub in the evening. It breaks in to your foot the way leather does, and with 8,556 Amazon reviews behind it, the durability consensus is strong; these are sandals people report wearing for five or more summers.
The limit is water. Leather takes far longer to dry than webbing and repeated soakings age it, so if your walking involves constant river crossings or sea swims, buy the H2. If your sandal spends most of its life on dry paths, days out and holidays, with the odd shallow ford, the leather version is the better-looking, longer-wearing buy and worth the extra £10.
Read the full Keen Newport Leather review for the H2 comparison in depth.
More walking sandals at Blacks
Prices pulled live from Blacks, updated daily. Links are affiliate links.
The North Face Women's Explore Camp Shandals
£85
Teva Women's Hurricane XLT3 Sandal
£75
Keen Men's Hyperport H2 Sandal
£79.97
The North Face Men's Explore Camp Shandals
£85
Columbia Women's Konos Globetrot Sandal
£34.97
Columbia Men's Konos Globetrot Sandal
£34.97
Teva Women's Tirra Sport Hiking Sandal
£70
Teva Men's Hudson Sandals
£70
5. Merrell Kahuna III
The Kahuna III is Merrell's long-running walking sandal and the only pick here with a Vibram outsole. The TC5+ rubber with a 5mm tread is a walking-shoe sole grafted onto a sandal, it bites well on mixed UK ground and, usefully for anyone on chalk or clay, reviewers note it does not clog easily.
The upper is pig suede lined with soft stretch neoprene, treated with an antimicrobial finish, with hook-and-loop adjustment and an external TPU arm stabilising the heel. There is an air cushion in the heel for impact, and at 340g it sits mid-pack for weight. The result, across roughly 3,000 Amazon reviews, is a sandal consistently praised for immediate comfort; the neoprene against skin means no break-in and very little rub.
The suede is also its limit. It handles a shower and the odd splash fine, but it is slower to dry than webbing and repeated dunkings will age it, so this is a dry-trail sandal first. For long summer days on the South Downs Way sort of ground, with real grip underfoot and no wading planned, it is an easy sandal to recommend.
6. Teva Hudson
The Hudson is the comfort pick. Where the Terra Fi below is built for hill miles, the Hudson is built for easy ones: suede and mesh upper, a compression-moulded EVA footbed, and Teva's Shoc Pad absorbing impact in the heel. Across 3,118 Amazon reviews the word that keeps coming up is cushioning.
The three hook-and-loop straps give a proper locked-down fit, the rubber outsole is more than adequate for paths and tracks, and at around 354g per sandal it carries its comfort without feeling heavy. At £70 it is also the cheapest true walking sandal in this guide, undercutting the Hurricane XLT3 while offering a softer, more padded ride.
The trade-offs follow from the materials. Suede means it is slower to dry than the webbing Tevas, so it is the wrong choice for in-and-out-of-water days, and the softer platform gives less feedback on technical ground. For dog walks, holidays, canal towpaths and gentle day routes where comfort per pound is the whole question, it is the value buy.
7. Teva Terra Fi 5
If you want to do genuine hill walking in an open-toe sandal, this is the one. The Terra Fi 5 is Teva's most serious walking sandal and the Spider Rubber outsole is the reason it makes this list: it is the most aggressive sole Teva makes, engineered specifically to hold on rough, angular, wet rock. Of every open-toe option here, it is the one I would trust most on a greasy descent.
The rest of the sandal matches the sole. Three-point adjustable webbing locks the heel properly, the contoured footbed has real arch support, and a nylon shank keeps the platform stable under load. At 383g per sandal it is the heaviest open-toe pick in the guide, and that weight buys structure you can feel.
The review base is smaller at 1,181, partly because this is a walker's sandal rather than a general summer buy, but the consensus within it is strong on grip and long-distance support. The straps are more sandal than shoe, so anyone wanting full toe protection should still look at the Newport H2 or the Targhee below. For everyone else who wants maximum airflow with minimum compromise on grip, the Terra Fi 5 is the answer.
8. Keen Targhee III Open Toe
The Targhee III is one of the most popular hiking shoes in the UK, and this is that shoe rebuilt as a sandal. I rate the boot version highly enough that it has its own full review on this site, and the sandal keeps the parts that matter: waterproof leather straps, an all-terrain rubber outsole with 4mm multi-directional lugs, and a TPU heel-capture system holding the back of the foot stable.
Despite the name it is a proper open-toe sandal, three adjustable straps over an open forefoot, and at 295g per sandal it is surprisingly light for how much structure you get. The removable dual-density EVA footbed has real arch support and can be swapped for your own insole, which no other sandal here offers. Across 1,702 Amazon reviews the traction gets singled out repeatedly, including on wet surfaces.
This is the pick for walkers who already trust the Targhee fit and want the summer version of it, or for anyone who wants hiking-shoe support and lug depth with an open forefoot. Like all Keens, size up half a size.
How we chose the best walking sandals for UK trails
This is a research-led guide, not a field test, and I will not pretend to have walked 200km in eight pairs of sandals. What it is built on: manufacturer specs checked at source, the pattern of judgement across tens of thousands of Amazon UK reviews, and the same criteria I apply to any footwear I cover.
A fixed heel strap, or a stated reason why not. A sandal without a heel strap is not walking footwear, which excludes slides and flip flops from consideration entirely. The Birkenstock is here despite failing this test because its job, days out and recovery, is stated plainly.
Outsole quality on wet rock. UK sandal walking means wet limestone, chalk turned to grease, harbour steps and stream beds. Razor siping (Keen), Spider Rubber (Teva) and Vibram (Merrell) all made the list because they are engineered for exactly that; generic smooth EVA soles did not.
Drainage and dry time. Webbing uppers dry in minutes, suede and leather do not, and each entry says which side of that line it sits on.
Support over distance. Shanks, arch shaping and heel capture separate a sandal you can do 15km in from one that folds up at 5km.
Availability and price honesty. Everything here is stocked at Blacks and on Amazon UK at the prices shown, between £40 and £115. Budget no-name sandals were excluded on build quality, not snobbery.
Closed toe vs open toe: quick answer
| Closed toe | Open toe | |
|---|---|---|
| Toe protection | Full rubber bumper, roots and rocks are a non-event | None, one stubbed flint ends the day |
| Cooling and drainage | Good, but collects grit and sand | Maximum airflow, sheds grit easily |
| Best UK use | Rocky coast paths, rivers, scrambly ground | Hot days on established paths, travel, camp |
| Weight | Heavier (400g+) | Lighter (295-383g) |
| Picks in this guide | Newport H2, Newport Leather | Hurricane XLT3, Kahuna III, Hudson, Terra Fi 5, Targhee III Open Toe |
If you are unsure, buy closed toe. The protection costs you some airflow and a few grams, and it is the difference between a stubbed toe being an annoyance and being the end of your walk. Open toe wins for pure heat, drying speed and packability.
Walking sandal FAQs
Can you hike a full day in walking sandals?
Do Keen and Teva walking sandals run true to size?
Can leather walking sandals get wet?
What is the difference between walking sandals and hiking sandals?
When are boots the better choice?
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