Ultra Glide 4 vs Peregrine 14

The Ultra Glide 4 is Salomon's soft, high-stack trail runner built for one thing above all: keeping your legs fresh over long, rolling miles. With 38.6mm of heel stack and a moderate 7.5mm drop, it sits firmly in the cushioned trail shoe camp, closer to a plush daily trail cruiser than a nimble racer. At 295g it is not the lightest option out there, but that weight buys you a genuinely comfortable, protective ride that soaks up rocky, uneven ground on the way home from a big day out. This is a shoe for runners who value comfort and easy-going stability over sharp, aggressive handling. It thrives on smoother, non-technical trails, gravel, forest paths and long ultra efforts where fatigue is the enemy. If you want a running shoe that lets you switch off and just log the distance, the Ultra Glide 4 makes a strong case at its £130 price.

Saucony has since moved on to the Peregrine 16, but the 14 is still an easy trail running shoe to recommend if you can find your size. It's low, flexible and grippy, with a rock plate and deep lugs, the kind of shoe you can take down a muddy bridleway on Saturday and up a rocky path on Sunday. Reviewers liked it. RunRepeat rated it highly for value and versatility, and most testers rated the grip well above average. Not everyone agrees on the wet stuff, though: iRunFar found it only adequate in mud and slippery on wet wooden bridges. The bigger catch is a firmish, fairly thin ride that gets tiring on long days. Think of it as a daily trail shoe rather than an ultra shoe. Fewer UK retailers carry it now that it's been replaced, so check sizes before you get attached.