Family travel writer Rebecca Hay reviews Grubs' new BROMLEY 4.0™ boots — warm, waterproof and grippy enough for the school run, the commute and everything muddy in between.
Family travel writer Rebecca Hay has been putting Grubs' new BROMLEY 4.0™ boots through their paces on the school run, the commute and everything muddy in between — and the verdict is in: they're brilliant. Named after Bromley Cross, the leafy corner of Bolton where Grubs has made boots for generations, the collection is designed for exactly the kind of unpredictable British weather that makes choosing footwear a daily gamble.
Rather than a boot that only earns its keep in the countryside, BROMLEY 4.0 is built for real life — nursery runs, train platforms, dog walks and everything else a typical week throws at a parent. It's this everyday versatility, paired with genuine technical performance, that won Rebecca over.
Warm, waterproof and ready for anything
Inside, an INSUFOAM-ULTRA™ bootie with a soft willow-pattern lining keeps feet warm without feeling bulky, while a tough DURAPRENE™ rubber upper handles the waterproofing. The result is a boot that looks smart enough for daily wear but doesn't flinch at a wet field or a flooded pavement.
Grip that goes the distance
Underfoot, the all-new PATH™ outsole does the heavy lifting: a 3 mm tread at the ball of the foot and a deeper 5 mm at the heel keep grip firm across mud, grass and wet stone, while an HEXZORB™ shock-absorbing heel takes the strain out of long days on hard ground.
Colours for the season
BROMLEY 4.0 is available now in Sage Green, priced at £75.95, with Sea and Indigo shades reserved for a limited number of retailers. A wider range of brighter colours is set to follow in Spring 2027.
Eight generations of bootmaking
Grubs was founded by the Foster family in 1776 and has been making footwear in Bolton ever since — across eight generations, including boots for Britain's 1942 Olympic athletes and the family roots that would later found the Reebok brand in 1960. It's that heritage of getting boots right for real British conditions that keeps winning over reviewers like Rebecca.
Read the full review on Oh Mummy Oh Travel ↗.