Hiking shoes for the summer

[Tarepanda]

Hiya, I'm looking to get myself a new pair of hiking shoes for the summer as mine just gave up on me. I used to do my walks in the Merrell Siren Sport but as they make them smaller now I am thinking of getting shoes that are more appropriate for hiking.

Would you recommend hiking shoes or boots for the summer? (in the UK so the weather won't be getting extremely hot)  Or are there any of you that have recently bought ladies hiking shoes that have turned out good and would recommend?

I should mention that I'm at best a size 8, usually a size 9, so any shoe would need to come in a big size!

Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated! 

[SteveH]

I seem to get through hiking footwear at an alarming rate.

For a while I switched from boots to shoes, especially for summer use, but I have switched back to boots as I missed the extra support for the ankle and still managed to find mud even at the height of summer.

Then I tried going for a budget boot as they cost so much but the cheap ones I tried didn't last long. So, I ended up going for a good quality boot. 

I'm currently using boots from Scarpa and have been very happy with them. I use a leather boot for winter and when hill walking in the Lake District and a fabric boot for summer. As it happens I have narrow feet and find that women's boots fit me better. I am currently using the Scarpa Bora and can recommend them - they are about £100 

[Tarepanda]

Wow this is incredibly useful! Thank you Steve, I'll try to find that brand so I can try them on in a store. From the photos they look much more appropriate for long hikes than what I've been wearing so far!

[Saturnio]

I consider male hiking boots more qualitative, strong and practical. Everytime when I went hiking in female new boots, I always ended up whether with a ripped sole or with the whole shoes in water. Since then I always buy skechers Men's relment pelmo chukka waterproof boot.