UKH

Having planned on a nice Summer trip to Scotland (Glen Coe) for my first experience of Scottish mountains, I have now been informed by my guide/partner that I need to buy a crampon-compatible pair of mountain boots and a set of walking crampons for the descents, as there is still a lot of snow and ice up there at the top.
After three evenings pretty much spent trawling through website after website and a morning of ringing shops that are staffed by people who have never worn a mountain boot, or a crampon, or even tried either on in the shop just for fun, I am now at my wits end and my enthusiasm for the whole trip is melting away (quite unlike the snow in Scotland).

My main problems are this:
a) this is more money than I ever dreamed I would spend on a piece of footwear, so I really don't want to get it wrong; but at the same time, I have no interest in becoming a Winter climber, so this purchase is both unexpected and largely unwanted. (Hurts a lot more!)
b) although I have read and absorbed the grading system of mountain boots, I have only come across two online stores that actually put the grading system on their spec, so 98% of the time I have no idea if what I am looking at is crampon compatible or not. I can't seem to tell by looking at them at all.
c) I don't know what size to buy. Since starting climbing I now own boots/shoes in so many sizes I can't keep up, from climbing shoes, to multi-pitch shoes, to approach shoes, to running shoes, to winter walking boots. They are all different sizes and I now have no idea what to buy, as I have been given really bad advice by sale-hungry shop assistants, and then had to sell and make a huge loss on footwear after only one trip.
d) I don't know what type of crampons to buy. My partner (now incommunicado) said walking crampons, but I see there are three different types of walking crampons (of varying expense) so don't know which is best for snowy/icy descents in Scotland.

The advice I need is:
a) When buying boots to wear with crampons, should they be snug to avoid any movement at all on treacherous ground? Or roomy to allow for lots of thick, wooly socks? Do they tend to come up small because they are stiff, etc? What are people's experiences with these boots? (Mammut and Scarpa particularly)
b) Which type of walking crampons are best for snowy/icy descents in Glen Coe? But obviously 80% of the descent will be dry. (I don't know if we keep stopping and taking them off and on or what. No idea about all of this at all.
c) Any personal recommendations of first-time mountain boots for a lady, light and comfortable, crampon compatible. I'm most worried about the thought of having no sensation or feeling for the ground I'm walking on, I think that is what will be the most strange for me, having done noooooooooooooooooooo Winter climbing or mountaineering before. (Only Wales in the Summer months, in nice comfy approach shoes.)

All help/advice insanely gratefully received, before I cancel and jet off to Kalymnos instead (which would actually save me loads of money!)

Serena.

In reply to Serena Lambre:

You do NOT need crampons for summer in Scotland!

In reply to Serena Lambre:

If you're going to Scotland in the summer, and your partner says you need crampons, I would question his competence.

In reply to Serena Lambre:

As the others have said, you won't need crampons or mountain boots. Any normal walking boots will be fine.
If your partner thinks that you will need mountain boots and crampons in Summer then they are not familiar with Scottish conditions. It is true that it can be cold and even snow at any time of year up high, so you do need to make careful clothing choices and watch the weather forecast, but the ground will be unfrozen and the paths clear of snow and ice in the summer months.
Hopefully your partner / guide has good navigation skills? Scotland can be more challenging than elsewhere in the UK from this perspective (not least because of the weather).

Save your money for mountain boots and crampons, and spend it on some good waterproofs: Much more likely to be useful!

In reply to Serena Lambre:

Thank you to everyone who has replied to this.
I just called Glenmore Lodge and they pretty much said the same thing too.
Really glad I got on here before splashing out on hundreds of pounds worth of gear that I can ill afford.
Good old UKC, eh? What would we do without it?!

I have also just been told about the KTS crampons, which I hadn't come across despite three evenings of non-stop research. So they sound brilliant, as they will attach to almost everything bar flip-flops!

As for my partner - he does know the area and mountains very well. He grew up there and has done all the climbs we are doing many times. I think he was just being overly cautious (which is far better than being overly confident), and massively over-estimating my monthly income!!

Thanks again, all. My credit card is breathing a sigh of relief, as am I.

In reply to Serena Lambre:

As others have said, all you need is a decent pair of summer walking boots. So long as they are waterproof you should be fine.

A pair of gaiters is probably worth buying, but there's no reason why they should be too expensive. A head net is probably a worthwhile investment too as the midges are utter sods!

In reply to davidbeynon:

Hi David. Thank you for your reply.
I have purchased some KTS crampons so I can wear my regular hiking boots this weekend. And I am going to bring my sailing gaiters with me. (They should do the same thing!)

Of course now it's snowing up there!! I am rather hoping that if there is snow there will be no midges. Send a little unfair to have both!

Thanks again.
S.