Best Wide Fitting Shoes For Flat Feet

According to one study, up to 30% of people could have fallen arches (often otherwise known as flat feet or “over pronation”), which would equate to around 20m people in the UK alone!

If you’re one of those people, read on to learn about the best shoe features for your feet.

Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature and should not be taken as a diagnosis. All questions and concerns should be directed to your Doctor, Podiatrist or other health advisor.

Typically, feet have an arch in the instep, leaving that classic footprint shape in the sand or wet on a dry floor.

Having flat feet means that the sole of your foot doesn’t arch. Instead, the entire sole touches the ground when you stand.

Flat feet can cause a person’s feet to roll inwards (or pronate) as they walk or stand, due to the arch having dropped and therefore not offering the support to maintain a stable footprint.

Many people have no problems from flat feet and need take no corrective action but others find it can cause pain and affects the way they walk or stand, which can in turn lead to undue stress and injuries to other parts of the body, particularly ankles, knees and hips.

Flat feet is often something that people have their whole life but others may find that their feet flatten – or their arches fall – as they age. This can be caused by general wear and tear on bones, foot or ankle injury, hypermobility in joints and ligaments or more complex medical complications and can lead to flat feet in adulthood.

Other possible causes of flat feet include deformity present at birth, tendon injuries, muscle or nerve problems, joint hypermobility and arthritis, among other things and, as mentioned previously, can come on with age.

The best shoes for flat feet offer:
- Raised arch support to take pressure off the middle of your foot
- Enough width to accommodate feet that “spread”
- Support across the sole and heel
- Adjustable fastenings that can be set securely enough to prevent movement of the foot within the shoe
- A slightly raised heel

As specialists in footwear for wide, deep and problem feet our mission is to offer shoes which give the freedom to be able to walk in complete comfort and the joy of living your life to the full without thinking about your feet.

So naturally, our shoes are designed with foot conditions such as flat feet in mind and come with many of the features outlined above as standard.

For good arch support our footwear offers extra versatility: rather than offer shoes designed especially for fallen arches, or other conditions that require their own specialist insole, we supply shoes with specially designed removable insoles so that you can remove one or both insoles and insert your own specialist insole.

This allows you to cater for your issue with the insole designed by the experts in that field for your need.

All of our dual width fitting styles (V, 2V or 6V – see below) come with removable insoles, allowing extra room for your specialist arch support insoles, making them ideal for people with flat feet.

I am thrilled with the shoes and slippers and they fit beautifully. I have developed a bunion and hammer toe on my right foot, in the last year or so and walking, of late, has been so painful. I have seen a podiatrist and been given orthotics as I have rather flat feet as well, nothing comes in halves! The boots are great as with both inner soles removed I have room for my orthotics.
Mrs S

To provide the width you need to accommodate wide or flat feet, all our shoes are wider than High Street shoes, with availability in 3 different variable width fittings:

Wide V (E-EEE) fitting – can be converted from E-EEE fitting through removal of insoles
Wider 2V (EE-4E) fitting – can be converted from EE-4E fitting through removal of insoles
Extra Wide 6V (6E-8E) – can be converted from 6E-8E fitting through removal of insoles

Our 6V variable width fitting is the widest and deepest fitting available on the market without buying bespoke, so you can be sure that we have the shoe for you!

For support and stability across the sole and heel many our shoes come equipped with a built-in heel cup for support and some have flared soles for stability. With flat feet comes a wider area of support needed, so our shoes are especially designed to accommodate with specialist lasts that are made wider, for wide, wider and extra wide feet.

Our slippers and sandals are no different, with a wide offering in both slippers and sandals with hard-wearing, supportive soles and built in heel cups for stability.

For cushioning and flexibility, many of our shoes come with a lightweight, flexible Air-bubble sole, offering extra cushioning as you walk and making it feel as though you’re walking on air, or our flexible yet grippy rubber sole to ensure sure-footedness alongside flexibility with air-cushioned insoles for extra comfort all day.

New walking sandal Starling is just one of many styles featuring our Air-bubble sole. It also features a broad tread, ideal for flat feet, alongside full back and side support.

Everyday stretch fabric shoe Winnipeg has a square toe shape to provide enough room for toes and stretch panels that expand to allow extra room for feet or to gently expand as feet swell.

Stretch panel casual shoe Hawaii is a casually styled active shoe on our rubber sole with almond toe shape and leather and stretch fabric uppers.

Men’s active style lace up canvas Archie also features our flexible rubber sole with breathable mesh uppers that feature a seam-free toe-box to reduce rubbing and a lace-up fastening for secure, adjustable fit.

For adjustable fastenings to ensure good fit we offer a wide range of fastenings to suit all needs, be they laces for ultimate adjustability and a secure fit, or straps for adjustability with less security but more suited to people with reduced hand motility.

Learn more about the different fastenings that we offer in our blog on The Best Fastening Types for Wide Feet »

For a slightly raised heel very few of our styles are fully flat. Most styles include a slightly thicker sole in the heel or a small heel itself and we have a selection of wedge heeled shoes and sandals like stretch panel wedge sandal Bobbie, pictured, to add extra height without compromising comfort.

For shoes that fit, to reduce movement within the shoe try our Online Fit Finder. Simply measure your feet with a fabric tape measure, enter your measurements into our Fit Finder and find your size and width fitting requirements along with a selection of styles available in your size and fitting.

Measure your feet now with our Fit Finder >

Just a selection…
These are just a selection of our wide and deep styles suitable for people with wide feet. For hundreds more browse our full range of ladies wide-fitting shoes or wide-fitting shoes for men and look out for some of the features mentioned above.

We know that it’s really difficult to order footwear online and find the perfect fit, but we want to make it as easy, risk-free and stress-free as possible. That’s why we offer free postage on returns and exchanges on all UK orders so that, if you’re in the UK and have ordered from us and the shoes aren’t right for whatever reason, you can give us a call to discuss the problem and return them to us, unworn except for trying on to exchange for a different size, style or fitting without paying a penny more in postage.

Once you’ve found your perfect fit, you’ll never look back!

We hope that you agree that our wide-fitting shoes, trainers and sandals offer the perfect fit for every wide, deep or problem foot!

Guys, Just to let you know (although I'm sure you know that already) your shoes are amazing. I've struggled with getting the right fit of shoes for more than a decade.
I have arthritis, flat feet which are also extremely wide (end of your scale), I need to have massive insoles, without them I can barely walk.
Two weeks ago when my first pair of your shoes arrived I nearly cried. Can't even remember the last time I had such a comfy pair.
I've just ordered two more pairs and it looks like after 10 years I'm going to go hiking again!!! Your product is a life changer!!! Many thanks.
Ms C

Did you know, if you need 6E, 6V or 8E fitting footwear and have a qualifying condition, that you might be eligible for VAT relief?

This means that you could essentially benefit from a discount of 20%. And what's more, our promotional discount codes still apply, meaning you can gain further savings.

We make it easy to claim your VAT relief by clearly listing the VAT exempt price against qualifying products, and provide a very short form to fill out as part of the checkout process when ordering your 6E, 8E or 6V fitting shoes.

Qualifying conditions for VAT free purchases include physical or mental impairment that affects your ability to carry out everyday activities, for example, blindness; conditions treated as chronic sickness, such as diabetes, arthritis or lymphedema; and long-term illnesses.

Look out for the link underneath our available fittings on each product page to claim your VAT exemption.

Need help?
If you’re unsure about anything at all to do with our styles, features or fittings and whether they’re right for you, please do contact us on +44 (0)1933 311 077, Monday to Friday, 9-5 to speak with one of our friendly, knowledgeable UK based customer services team, who will be delighted to help.

Browse all our wide-fitting shoes and boots for men and women now:
Wide-fitting shoes, trainers and sandals for ladies >
Wide-fitting shoes, trainers and sandals for men >

Disclaimer: This information is of a general nature and should not be taken as a diagnosis. All questions and concerns should be directed to your Doctor, Podiatrist or other health advisor.

Why not check out some of our other blog posts to help you with you feet.
Why the right shoes is important for diabetes sufferers »
8 reasons why it's worth paying more for quality wide fit shoes »
Best shoes for Arthritis »