9 best walking socks that keep feet warm, comfortable and dry

Best: Overall

These thick, snuggly and good-looking trial socks are ones you want waiting for you in your tent at the end of a long day trekking. Made from a merino wool mix, they’ll easily survive a night in a sleeping bag followed by a mountain trek the next day, with no trace of a whiff. They’re almost entirely seamless, so there’s no areas to rub and they’re very well padded. Despite that, our feet didn’t overheat – even on a hot day’s trek. A great choice for wearing with sturdy walking boots.

Best: For wearing with wellies

This pair of knee-high trekking socks are great to hold in reserve in case you get a very wet day. They’re comfy alpaca wool with a reinforced toe, and have a turn-over at the top, which makes them ideal for staying up when wearing wellies – or during a day’s grousing. They come in an array of colours: our favourite is the Malvolio mustard yellow.

Best: For long rambles

If you’ve not experienced bamboo socks, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with this warm, well-cushioned and surprisingly snug pair. They’re medium thick, so work well with all boots and trainers, and stay up reasonably well in a wellie too. The mix is bamboo, merino wool and recycled polyamide, as well as some virgin elastane. The fig shade has a pleasing retro feel, like something a 1950s schoolboy might wear.

Best: For hot weather

With a subtle mountain graphic in tonal shades and three colourway options, these trekking socks definitely win in the style stakes. They’ve got substance too: the padded sole worked hard on an eight-mile trek, but as they are notably lightweight they are brilliant for hotter climes and wearing with hiking trainers or sandals. They’re a merino wool blend, but only made from 16 per cent natural fibres.

Best: For shorter walks

Despite their chunky appearance, these organic cotton mix walking socks are a lighter weight, good for warmer weather and shorter treks, and come in a stylish array of colours including saffron yellow, moss green and a claret red. They’re soft and stretchy, so don’t grip your calves too tightly, yet stay up well in both ankle wellies and walking boots, and have a reinforced heel. For every pair sold, London Sock Company donates a pair to either Choose Love, Crisis or Footworks Homeless Podiatry.

Best: For snug factor

While these are not technically walking socks, these warrant inclusion thanks to their level of comfort. What they lack in technical arch support they make up for in the snuggliness of the Peruvian alpaca wool mix and the dreamy tangerine colour.  They also have a light cuff that didn’t leave a pressure mark, even after several hours of wear. Noctu also wins plaudits for donating money for every purchase to the World Land Trust.

Best: Soft cuff grip

Designed to address the swelling that can accompany diabetes and oedema, these bamboo and wool-mix walking socks were one of the most comfortable we tested. To offset the lack of grip around the ankle, they have good arch support, which stopped any rucking and slipping on our two-hour ramble through Warwickshire. Padding under the sole is a welcome addition and they wash very well.

Best: For forests and wilderness

These knee-length wool-mix socks are great for combating nettles and ticks.  They’re reinforced around the toe and heel and give medium-weight comfort with no bulkiness. They dry easily, as we found out on a walk in the sheeting rain.  We are also a fan of their policy to donate a pair to someone homeless for every pair bought.

Best: For distance trekking

These may not be the most-exciting looking socks, but the Peruvian merino wool mix is comfortable, supportive, and thanks to the ribbing around the foot part, they don’t crumple inside your boot. They do have a bit of a death grip round the calves, so are better for those with slimmer legs. The pure wool sits next to your skin and the nylon forms an outer layer, which is useful if you have synthetic fabric allergies. Teko’s nylon is almost exclusively recycled and the wool is obtained under the bluesign sustainability process.