Today has been somewhat disappointing in that I haven't had time for anything more tham a ten minute walk. Tomorrow looks as though it will be little better, what with work and family commitments. It makes my Saturday trip all the more appealing.

We're having some very odd weather at the moment. Some parts of the UK are expected to reach 13C 55F tomorrow and Saturday. Not that I'm complaining you understand. It makes being barefoot in the winter far more comfortable, especially as this is my first one.

I have to admit that so far I've been pleasantly surprised by the fact that I've not received any negative comments about being barefoot. The worst that I've encountered is a few people nudging each other or simply looking bemused. Of course, there's bound to come a time when some dipstick who wants to impress his/her mates will make some comment in an attempt to pour scorn and ridicule on me. I'm not sure how I'll react at the time. A few years ago I'd have probably lashed out but I'm a bit old for all that now. Hopefully any events of that nature will be very few and far between.

Earlier today I was thinking about those people that try to make others wear shoes. It seems to me they are no better than fashion victims and it brought to mind some lyrics from the song 'No Direction' by 'Bad Religion.'

Everyone's looking for something
And they assume somebody else knows what it is
No-one can live without decisions of their own
It seems so they look to someone else
To tell them what to be
Tell them what to wear
Tell them what to say
Tell them how to act and then compel others compulsiveley until the world is all like them. 

Sadly I don't think that situation will ever change.

As expected I haven't had time to post for a few days due to the Christmas rush and all the family duties it entails. I've also been somewhat restricted barefoot wise due to a combination of not getting out much and when I have, having to aquiesce to my wife's demands that I at least wear flip flops as she says she is embarrassed to walk with me when I'm barefoot outside. I don't ever see this changing and it's simply something I have to live with.

So my rare barefoot outings have been largely opportunistic. Last night was a case in point as I took the opportunity to walk to the pub to watch the football and was barefoot all the way there and back. I also managed 30 minutes along the sea front this afternoon but I'll be glad when the new year celebratons are over and we can all get back to normal as that will allow me more barefoot time outdoors.

Having said that, this Saturday I'm hoping to go to Arundel on the south coast to watch a match and I'll be barefoot for most if not all the day. My main problem is still the discomfort of walking on certain surfaces. Paved streets are easy to walk on but where I live they are very few in number. The pavements seem to predominantly consist of two different materials, the first of which is grey asphalt concrete.

 
When fairly new this is ok to walk on. But over time it becomes uneven and jagged and I've found it very difficult to walk on with any degree of comfort in many places.

The other pavement surface that predominates in Clacton is polished aggregate.

I don't know how long ago the pavements were last laid in Clacton but in many places the small stones stick up and out from the asphalt binder making it very difficult to walk on. I'm hoping that in time my feet will toughen up enough to make it as easy for me to walk on these surfaces as it is for me to walk on our carpets at home. Maybe someone with barefoot experience can advise me of the likelihood of this happening?

Another new experience for me tonight. I went to my local Tesco's and shortly after entering the store took off my flip flops and shopped barefoot. I had the advantage that there was only one manager on and he was too busy with staff to notice me. In fact, nobody seemed to notice my lack of footwear, or if they did no-one said anything. There weren't many shoppers there and I'd say they were probably outnumbered by the amount of nightshift staff who had just started filling the shelves.

I have a feeling that I'd attract negative attention if I tried it during the day. I used to work in retail and I found that one truism is there's always one among the management team who goes out of his or her way to be a complete twat.

I can't wait for tomorrow. I haven't a clue which match I'll end up at as it depends which pitches recover from a frosty night in time to be playable. I'd enjoy the day anyway but I get an extra buzz now that I've started travelling to matches barefoot, ay least for part of the journey.

According to the Metcheck website it will be 2C in Didcot (which is where I'm hoping to go) but will feel like -3C. I don't plan to take any trainers with me, only flip flops, so it will be a real challenge for my toes as I'll be standing still on a terrace for the best part of two hours. Still, at least this one is only a ten minute walk from the station, unlike last week which took 35 minutes!

I'm happy at the moment. After dropping my wife at work I went to the beach promenade at Holland-on-Sea and had a lovely 20 minute walk in the rain and sleet. The temperature at the time was around 0C 32F, although I think it's gone up a couple of degrees now. I'm optimistic that my soles are just beginning to be more tolerant of at least some of the surfaces in my local area and can't wait until I can walk around without giving it a second thought.

Despite the weather I'm still hoping to get to a football match tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I'll get to a game somewhere, I just don't know where. I think it will be a case of ringing round until I find a club that says, "yes, our game is definitely on". Hopefully wherever I go entails a route through London so that I can go barefoot on the underground again.

Today's the day when the schools break up for the Christmas holidays so I expect my posts to be less frequent. Although my girls are teenagers they are no less demanding than little 'uns and I find that I often have less, rather than more, time to do the things I want to than when they were young! I fear my barefoot walks will be somewhat curtailed too.

Nevertheless I will endeavour to post when I can, even if it's just on Twitter. Just in case anyone is reading this I'm at @barefootdave100.

I'm planning to do some shopping later but may leave it until 10 or 11PM so there's less shoppers to get in my way. I hate shopping at the best of times but at least at that time the worst I have to contend with is the night shift crew who will be stocking the shelves.

The other thing I'm aware of is recent reports of Tesco's asking barefoot shoppers to put on their shoes. At that time of night the only manager there should be the guy running the nightshift, and usually night shift managers are far less inclined to be bothered about how people are dressed. So I may get away with a barefoot shop.

One of these days I'll have a good look at improving the look of this blog. I'm completely ignorant of much of the functionality of these things but realise it could look much better then it does. I job to be done after the Christmas holidays methinks. 

I didn't have the car for work today as my wife needed it for her job as sometimes happens. So I rode my bicycle instead. I wore my flip flops on the way there but after a barefoot day at work I rode home in the same fashion this evening. Part of the journey involves going up a hill, but rather than ride up it I took the opportunity to get off my bike and walk up, thereby continuing my daily routine of walking on the pavement for at least a few minutes every day to toughen up my soles. I think I'm at last beginning to get used to outdoor walking.

Hopefully I'll find the time to have a barefoot walk tomorrow down at the beach front. The predicted temperature is 3C but according to the Metcheck website it will feel like -4C. There is also a risk of snow which would be the biggest challenge for me yet. 

I woke up this morning determined to have a walk. So after doing a few things at home I decided I'd walk to the post office to post my Dad's Christmas present. As I've already mentioned, some of the surfaces on which we have to walk in Clacton are cracked, broken and sharp. And I was also wary of doing any more damage to my foot. So for most of the journey to the post office I wore my flip flops.

One look at the queue inside the post office persuaded me to cross the road and head towards the cach point machine as I needed some money. Once across the road I walked along to the supermarket and then took off my flip flops as the surface here is easy to walk on.

After visiting the cash point I made the decision to try to get home barefoot despite the sharp surfaces. I made it to the post office, posted my parcel and then slowly walked home. In trainers it would take me no more than 5 or 6 minutes to walk back from the shops. Today it must have taken 15!

But I did it and the only side affects are an ache in my calves and of course the soreness in my foot. I'm fairly sure that my calves ache because they're used to having heel support from my trainers and walking barefoot stretches them further than they are used to. One major bonus is that I'm so far suffering no soreness on the soles of my feet. I really expected some discomfort but have been pleasantly surprised.

I've got a busy day tomorrow so may not have time for a walk. I'll be very disappointed if I don't get out for at least 10 minutes but I'll have to see how it goes.

Here's a picture of part of Clacton-on-Sea town centre, obviously taken during the summer.

I've had a very enjoyable evening. I drove to Canvey Island for a football match and despite temperatures of around 3C managed most of it barefoot. After driving back into Clacton I stopped off at the beach premenade to have a little walk. I managed only 5 minutes or so before my left foot started playing up again so returned to the car. I'd have liked to have had a good 30 minute walk as I really want to work on toughening up my soles. But at least I can look forward to another train trip on Saturday and this time I'm more confident about going barefoot.

I'm not yet sure what I'm doing tomorrow. A lot depends on whether my foot shows signs of healing. I'd like have a barefoot walk round the corner but I'll have to see. It's so frustrating, and yes I know I'm being greedy. But I'm enjoying being barefoot so much I just want to get out there and do it.

Here's part of the walk along Clacton-on-Sea promenade that I want to do when my foot is a bit better.

 

It's been a good day so far. After attending to family duties this morning I returned home to find that we were in need of butter. So I drove round the corner and parked the car in the supermarket car park. From there I went barefoot first to get some money from the cash machine, then into the newsagents to put on the lottery, then to the supermarket for said butter. Then it was back to the car and a short drive home.

While I was out I noticed that the car windows were quite dirty so after I'd eaten lunch I went ouside to clean them. The concrete surface was very cold (it's 5C here) but my feet dealt with it ok. The question is, how long will I last tonight standing barefoot on the concrete terrace at Canvey Island football club? I'll probably start by wearing my flip flops and then take them off after a short while and see if I can last longer than the 20 minutes I managed at Sawbridgeworth Town last week.

The muscle in the top of my foot is still painful when I walk but it's very gradually getting better. I'm still struggling with walking on very rough surfaces but I'm doing it as much as I can to toughen up the soles of my feet. I'm looking forward to the day when I can just walk out to the street without giving it a second thought. I doubt I'll ever get to that point but I console myself with the fact that I'm not only enjoying being barefoot but also enjoying the challenges it presents.

I went to work this evening and told my boss about my foot injury and that I can only wear flip flops at most at the minute. She was fine about it so I spent the entire shift barefoot. I drove home in the rain and walked from the car to the house (about 50 yards) barefoot on the cold, wet ground. Fantastic!

My left foot is very gradually becoming less painful and I'm hoping that it's fully recovered by the time I go to a football match at Didcot in Oxfordshire next Saturday. I'd love to be able to go the whole distance from home to destination and back barefoot, but the soles of my feet are still very sensitive and I really struggle on any surface that isn't totally flat. How frustrating.

Before that however I've got another challenge tomorrow. I'm planning to drive to Canvey Island to watch a match. I'll drive there barefoot (I always drive barefoot now) but I'll take my flip flops as I expect I'll need them due to a predicted temperature of around 3C. I hope that in the future I'll be comfortable standing barefoot on a freezing cold concrete terrace for the best part of 2 hours. But for now I can't manage more than about 20 minutes without my feet going numb so I'm sure I'll need something between my feet and the terrace at some points in the evening.

It has been for the most part a very successful weekend. I went all the way from Essex to Dorset on Saturday and was barefoot for most of the time, and I got to watch the football match I wanted to see. The only blot on the last couple of days has been the muscle strain in my left foot that has become very painful.

From the time I woke up on Saturday morning I knew it would be a day where I would suffer some discomfort in my foot. I’m pretty sure that the problem has occurred due to wearing flip flops, although there has not been a corresponding problem with my right foot. Putting my foot down isn’t the issue. The pain occurs when I lift my foot up.

Nevertheless I was determined that I was going to go ahead as planned, so at around 08:40 I made my way to the railway station in flip flops. As soon as I took my seat at the back of the carriage I removed said footwear and placed them in my ruck sack. I was very nervous about going barefoot on the underground but on arrival at Liverpool Street station I alighted from the train with my footwear still in my ruck sack.

I got some quizzical looks on my way to the central line but pretended not to notice. The floor was easy to walk on and I was soon on the platform. Two train journeys later I arrived at Paddington station where I emerged onto a busy concourse thronging with people. More looks came my way but again no one said anything as I waited for the platform information for my train. Fifteen minutes later I was on my way to platform seven, the only barefooter among hundreds of people.

I found a seat on the train and was relieved that I could once again be fairly inconspicuous. At one point a lady sat in the seat next to me and despite chatting for a while didn’t mention my lack of footwear. At that point I was fairly astounded at how well it was all going.

On arriving at my destination one look out of the window told me that walking barefoot would be too much of a challenge given the rough, uneven surface of the platform and the ensuing problem with my foot. Besides which, there is no bus service to this particular game so I knew I had a walk of about 35 minutes in front of me. By the time I got to the ground I was in quite a bit of pain but I felt a sense of achievement that I’d got that far.

I watched the game in my flip flops and no one passed comment. It was very cold though and there was a point with a few minutes to go where I began to wonder if I can really get used to being barefoot in the winter. It certainly didn’t help that I was in quite a bit of pain by that time. At the final whistle I was already by the exit ready to make my way back to the station. With two fully fit feet I’m sure I would have made the 17:20 train. As it was I missed it by five minutes so went into a pub opposite the station and had a pint.

I was back in the station in time to catch the 18:06 back to London and as soon as I’d taken my seat once again put my flip flops away. Another three barefoot underground train journeys later I was back at Liverpool Street station. Given the late hour the floor of the station concourse was much colder but still easy to walk on. Unfortunately I’d missed the 21:18 train, again by five minutes, which meant waiting for the 22:18. So, remaining barefoot, I went up the stairs and outside the station to the Hamilton Hall pub for a drink.

I had quite a few looks and I’m sure some people thought I was nuts. I had two pints, and while drinking the second one I got chatting to three guys. During the course of the conversation one asked me about my bare feet. I explained that my toe injury prevents me from wearing covered shoes and that walking barefoot is more comfortable that wearing flip flops. He asked if I would be wearing shoes and trainers again after my injury heals up and I told him that I enjoy being barefoot so much that I’m not sure. He asked if I was concerned that people would think I’m weird and I confessed that yes, it is a concern but I was more worried about abuse.

I made my way onto the platform to catch my train and passed a guy I used to work with. We said hi but I didn’t stop and chat as he was with other people and I really didn’t want to have to explain why I was barefoot at 22:10 on a Saturday night in December on Liverpool Street station. I went to the end carriage and took a seat.

At Clacton-on-Sea station I put my flip flops back on and made my way home. Most of the fifteen minute walk is on paths that are not paved but are made of concrete with stones embedded in them. The paths are worn and the stones protrude which is why it is so difficult to walk on them. There is however one route home that crosses a community field, and when I reached the grass I removed my flip flops. The grass was freezing cold and frost was just beginning to form. By the time I reached the other side of the field my soles were pleading for warmth and once again my doubts about coping with being barefoot when the snow arrives re-emerged.

Shortly after this I was indoors and it wasn’t long before I was tucked up in bed.

I have very mixed feelings about my barefoot experience on Saturday. For although it was successful and I enjoyed the comfort of not wearing any footwear, I was always conscious of the fact that I stood out and I’m not one that likes attention. I was relieved that I didn’t receive any abuse and that there weren’t any problems with officialdom. In fact as always there were quite a few police on Liverpool Street station to monitor weekend revellers but they didn’t bother me at all.

But despite these successes I found the exercise mentally challenging to the point where I was never able to relax. I was always very aware of what was going on around me and felt a tremendous sense of relief when I reached the point where I put on my flip flops. I don’t want to feel like that. I want to be able to go barefoot without being on tenterhooks and I don’t know if I will ever be able to do that. Maybe I’ll feel a bit better about it when I go to a game next Saturday.

On Sunday morning I awoke to a painful foot and the prospect of having to go into town with my wife to do some Christmas shopping. I applied some muscular spray to the injury and hobbled around town in my flip flops for a couple of hours, and was glad to be home at around 14:00. Since then I’ve tried to nurse the injury and I’m hoping that it will recover in the next couple of days.

One interesting side effect of being barefoot is that my feet have become very dry and the soles have started to flake. I’ll have to keep an eye on this as I don’t want them to crack and bleed as it would be very painful and there would be a very great risk of infection. Hopefully it’s just another natural process that my feet have to go through as they get used to the rigours of barefoot living.

This week I am back at work, beginning Monday afternoon. I’ve yet to explain my inability to wear closed footwear to my boss but I don’t think it will be a problem. I’m also planning to be at another football match on Tuesday night. If I go I’ll be driving to this game and the challenge will be the low temperature that my feet will have to deal with.

Any barefoot walks at the beach this week will depend on how quickly my foot muscle injury recovers.      

Today has been a mixture of good and not so good for me. For although I got out for a barefoot walk earlier today, I fear that my efforts over the last two days may have resulted in a muscle strain or two. I was out fairly early this morning and got to the beach just after nine. I knew today would be a challenge as the soles of my feet are still sore from yesterday’s walk. And as soon as I took my first few steps it became apparent that I would be unable to tolerate much walking on the uneven concrete surface that forms most of the path along that part of the beach front.

Fortunately there is, for some of the time, a grassy area that runs alongside the path. So I walked on the grass where I could despite the fact that at only around 3C there was a heavy dew and my feet were soon very cold which made occasional walking on the concrete even harder. For some sections I put my flip flops on, but I soon noticed an ache in both calves and in the muscle between by big and second toes on the top of my left foot whenever I walked with them on.

After about half an hour I turned around and began to make my way back. There is a part of the walk on the sea side of the sea wall where you can access a concrete walkway. As the tide comes in this becomes submerged and today the sea was just beginning to lap over the edges as I made my way back. So I decided to remove my flip flops, pull my track bottoms up over my knees, and walk along the walkway as the waves came in over my feet. This made walking on the concrete much easier, but I was surprised at how high some of the waves came crashing in and ended up with wet track bottoms as a result. Nevertheless, it was great fun and was surprisingly not as cold as walking on the grass.

Bt the time I reached my car I had been walking for about an hour and boy did my calves and feet let me know it! Even now as I sit here typing this in the evening there is quite a bit of discomfort in that muscle on the top of my left foot and my calves are very sore. I realise that this is probably due to walking in flip flops, but my soles are still sore and certainly not yet tough enough to go the whole day barefoot outside, and having now gone five days without encasing my feet in socks and trainers I really don’t want to go back to wearing them.

I’ll wait to see how they feel tomorrow and if I am still sore, particularly in that muscle between my toes, then I may have to let caution be the better part of valour and put on trainers. Hopefully however, a good night’s rest will allow my body to recover enough to allow me to stick to flip flops.

Plans for tomorrow are far from settled. I was planning to travel to the other side of England for a football match but there is going to be an overnight frost which may mean the match doesn’t go ahead. I won’t know until I ring the club tomorrow morning whether I’ll be travelling to that match or whether I’ll have to ring some other clubs and wait until I get a ’game definitely on’ reply before picking which match I go to.

This is a very common occurrence in England between the beginning of December and the beginning of March and is a ritual English football fans are very familiar with. Whichever match I go to I’m likely to be travelling through London which means using the underground. I’m still very unsure whether to keep my flip flops on or go barefoot.

The advantage of going barefoot is I’ll be walking on flat shiny tiling which means my soles should meet few problems save any objects on the floor. But I am very nervous about the reactions of my fellow passengers. With so many people in such a small area I’m almost certain to run into types that will either ridicule me or be abusive. Twenty years ago I would have just thought ‘sod ‘em’ and gone for it. But being now older and far less confrontational I really don’t want the hassle. So the chances are I’ll stick to wearing flip flops and see what kind of reaction that gets first.

What a fantastic morning I've had! An hour long barefoot walk along a very windy seafront promenade and a paddle in the sea at the end. It rained overnight and was still drizzly this morning so the pavements were wet when I arrived at the start of my walk. I found it incredibly difficult at first because I kept stepping on small stones, and I had to keep reminding myself to look where I was putting my feet. Also, there was a vast variation in textures and undulations on the concrete path, and each had it's own differing effect on the way I walked and the way my feet dealt with the vaious surfaces

I found the wind difficult to deal with as well. It really was blowing a gale and some of the gusts were so strong that it was an effort to walk against it. But I slowly adapted and there were times when I managed to get into something of a rhythm.

I passed a number of dog walkers and one lady walking in the opposite direction saw I was barefoot and asked me if I was alright. I told her that yes I'm fine, I just like being barefoot. She looked quite surprised but I thanked her for her concern and she went on her way. A number of other dog walkers said hello as they passed and I'm pleased to say that no one expressed any negative comments. Most just looked at my bare feet quizzically.

After returning to where I had started I rolled up my track bottoms and had a paddle in the very tempestuous sea. It was cold but in a way refreshing. By the time I had walked to my car I was aware that my feet were quite sore which is to be expected for the time being.

I'll see how my feet feel tomorrow but hopefully they won't be too sore and then I'll try to to find the time to have another walk along the seafront. I'm not sure yet whether to do the same walk or choose a different location. We shall see.

On Saturday I'm planning to go to a football match in Dorset. That means getting the train and I'm toying with the idea of walking to the station in my flip flops then going barefoot on the train to London. From there I'll be on the underground and then it's another train from Paddington. Do I dare to go bare for the whole journey? I'm excited at the prospect but also quite nervous. One of the things I need to consider is that there will be around 500 people at this one which increases the chance of a negative response.

I plan to take my trainers and flip flops in my rucksack so that I can leave my options open, and I'll probably leave it until Saturday morning before I come to any decision. In the meantime I look forward to having a barefoot walk tomorrow morning.  

Yesterday was a day of little steps, albeit most of them in some kind of footwear when outdoors.
I did the shopping in my unlaced trainers, and after returning home donned my flip flops to ferry the shopping bags back from the car. Later on I went out to clean the car windows, again in flip flops. Some would no doubt say that's no big deal, but those people in all probability don't live in such a conservative town as the one I live in where any deviation from the established norm is viewed with suspicion and in many cases outright hostility.

There is also the issue of friends and acquaintances. Ours is a small seaside town with a population of only 53,000, and you can almost guarantee that if you don’t know each person you pass in the street, someone who you do know does. So there is no anonymity and one could very quickly become a social outcast.

That on its own would not deter me from simply going barefoot all the time. But I have also to take into account the affect it would have on my wife and most of all my children who would be at the risk of heavy duty teasing from their friends. At the moment they are going through those teenage years when image is the beginning and end of their lives, and it’s bad enough that Dad wears flip flops in town, so they would be absolutely mortified if I were to be seen barefoot in town, especially in winter.

Despite these barriers to my desire for barefoot living I have at least a partial solution that would be applicable in some circumstances. Recently I had an accident when a heavy box landed on my bare feet. It bruised my toes and feet and recently the nail on my right big toe came away. This has left it tender to any pressure, and although I can tolerate wearing trainers and socks I am obviously far more comfortable when barefoot.

I put this to the test last night when I went to a football match. For those not acquainted with the structure of football in England I should explain that this was what is termed a non-league match, that is to say not professional. Although I’ve been to football matches in flip flops before, it’s always been around August or April and May when, due to the warm weather it’s socially acceptable for men to be seen in flip flops. This was different simply because it’s December and everyone is wearing shoes, boots and the like.

The reasons I chose to experiment with wearing my flip flops at this particular match are that I knew there wouldn’t be many in attendance (there were only 51 paying customers in the stadium) so the chances of ridicule or hostility would be limited, and the fact that it was a midweek match meant that it would be dark so my footwear, or lack of, wouldn’t be as apparent.

I drove barefoot to the match through rain, some of it heavy, and although by the time I reached the ground it had stopped and the sky was clearing, the gravel car park was very wet. I put on my flip flops to walk to the entrance and was immediately struck by how cold it had become, my breath clearly visible in the night air.

The entrance to the stadium was attended by three teenage girls who took my money but then, on noticing my summer footwear, had a little giggle to themselves at my expense. I encountered one or two quizzical looks as I made my way to the tea hut but no one said anything. After buying my tea I made my way to the small seated stand and sat down in the second row. Shortly afterwards a guy sat in the front row and as often happens at football matches we fell into conversation about the game. 

He kept having to turn round in his seat to talk to me so I decided to join him in the front row. He soon noticed my lack of appropriate footwear for the conditions although he said nothing. So I offered him the explanation regarding my foot accident and he told me that something similar had happened to him in the past. As we sat watching the game I took the opportunity to slip off my flip flops and put my feet on the wet ground. I must confess it was bloody freezing! Not surprising really considering the temperature had dropped almost to freezing.

I was surprised to discover that despite the cold the experience was not unpleasant after I’d got over the initial shock, and I remained barefoot for the remaining twenty minutes to half time. At the break my companion offered me a cup of tea so I put my flip flops back on and we made our way to the tea hut. We watched the second half standing up in a different part of the ground which gave me the opportunity to once again go barefoot. I managed about 30 minutes standing on the cold, wet concrete before it became uncomfortable and I put my footwear back on. At the end of the game we said goodbye and made our way back to our cars. I drove home barefoot and walked from the car to the house the same way.

When I got up this morning I realised I’d left something in the car last night, so in just my dressing gown and nothing else I went outside to the car which is parked about fifty yards from the house. I soon realised how sore my heels are after last nights barefoot adventure and it reminded me that my feet still have a lot of toughening up to do. I had contemplated taking a letter to the postbox round the corner barefoot, but my sore heels and the fact that one of our neighbours was outside their house dissuaded me so I put on my flip flops. I also spoke to my wife about my sore toe and I’m hoping that this will induce a more tolerant attitude towards me wearing little or no footwear outside the house. 

It’s a week now since I began my barefoot quest and I feel I’ve made some small but significant steps towards living a more footwear free life. For one thing I’ve been barefoot indoors for a full week. I’ve attended a public event and managed to be barefoot at least part of the time. And I’ve begun to look for opportunities to be barefoot outside so as to toughen up my feet. I haven’t got the car today but the next time I have I’m planning to go to a less popular part of our beach and walk along the front, maybe even getting into the habit of walking on the pebbles.

This will all take time and not a small amount of effort. But I’m enjoying the experience and looking forward to the next thing, whatever that may be.       

Last Wednesday 30th November I made a decision. It was arrived at after much thought and I know not where it will take me. For years I've conformed to the social norm of wearing what most would say is appropriate footwear for the occasion, be it shoes or most often trainers. Going barefoot outdoors is out of the question, although women would get away with it because not unlike wearing clothes, women tend to have a far deeper breadth of choice than men. Only in the last two years or so has it been deemed acceptable, in my town at least, for men to be seen in flip flops. To walk around outside, except in the garden or maybe to the car and back, without anything covering my feet would be seen as a little strange at best and downright weird to many.

Even my own family couldn't begin to understand where I'm coming from with this. My wife was most displeased last summer when we were in a pub restaurant and I kicked off my flip flops and walked to the bar barefoot. No one else even seemed to notice but she said she felt embarrassed by it. And my teenage daughters are so obsessed with shoes that for them they are an all important fashion accessory never to be left behind.

This obviously puts me in an unfortunate situation given that if I had the choice I would never cover my feet again. Indeed, I'd much rather my feet are cold than covered. So last wednesday I decided that as far as is possible I would henceforward eschew footwear where possible.

In some areas of my life such as work, footwear is unfortunately a requirement so there's no way I can be barefoot 100% of the time. But I have at least managed to be bare indoors now for 5 whole days. I have also taken to not wearing socks when I'm outdoors, and I've kept my laces undone and made the trainers really loose so as to give my feet as much room to move as possible.

Given that we are now in December and the temperature outside today was only around 3 Celcius, I've spent the last few days with perpetually cold feet except when I've been in bed. To be honest I've really enjoyed it, not least because I've experienced new sensations. Anyway, from what I've read on the few barefoot sites that I've found it seems that this is simply a case of acclimatization as my feet get used to lower temperatures. It will be the same when it comes to walking barefoot outdoors as my feet will no doubt need time to toughen up, although how I'm going to find a way to experience that without offending my wife I've yet to work out.

One thing I have done many times and have continued to do is drive barefoot. I discovered a long time ago that I have more control on the pedals without the deadening affect of footwear and am therefore a far better driver when I've nothing on my feet. This is the one thing that my wife is happy with as she can see the logic in it, although I haven't driven her anywhere since before last Wednesday so what she'll make of me driving barefoot in these low temperatures remains to be seen.

Tomorrow evening promises a new experience as I am going to a football match and I will be wearing only my unlaced trainers with no socks in a temperature not much above freezing. the difference between what I've done so far and tomorrow is that thus far when I've been out without socks I've been on the move which of course generates heat. Tomorrow I shall be standing still to watch the match which means I'll really feel the chill. I can't wait!