Real stories · The sandals my feet asked for by name

The strap sandals that hold my feet properly — no gripping with my toes, no aching arches by lunchtime

Sandals that hold on by themselves — that's what my summers had been missing. I'm 67, and most sandals make your feet do the work: you grip with your toes to keep them on, your arches carry everything with no support at all, and by lunchtime your feet have filed a formal complaint. The 'comfort' ones, meanwhile, look like they were prescribed rather than chosen.

What I wanted was one pair that supported my feet properly, stayed on without effort, and didn't announce itself as orthopaedic from across the road.

Then I found the Feylinn from a British label called York Boutique — orthopaedic sandals, and I chose the soft blue-grey, which is prettier than anything the word 'orthopaedic' usually produces.

The support is built in where you can't see it. The footbed is contoured, so the arch is actually held — which takes the strain off feet, knees and, unexpectedly, my lower back on long days. The wide strap adjusts to your own foot, so the sandal holds you instead of your toes holding the sandal; nothing rubs, nothing slips. And the open design keeps feet cool on the warmest days, while the soft cushioned sole makes pavement feel like carpet.

The contoured footbed supports the arch, the strap adjusts so the sandal holds my foot instead of my toes holding the sandal, and the open design keeps everything cool — whole market mornings, no complaints from below.

The proper test was market morning: two hours on cobbles with a full basket, then the walk home the long way round because — and this genuinely surprised me — nothing hurt. They've since done the garden most days, a hospital visiting afternoon of endless corridors, and every warm dog walk with Winnie.

They were £29.95 in the sale, half the usual £60. I'd checked before ordering that I could send them back if they didn't suit — you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free — so there was nothing lost by trying. They come in six colours and in sizes 2.5 to 9.

If your feet also file complaints by lunchtime, do treat yourself to a look. The Feylinn is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 320 women, it's £29.95 in the sale instead of £60 — half price — and the popular sizes always seem to go first.