My latest niggle was feeling OK this morning so I headed out to put my new HOKA Torrent 3s through their paces in Garth Woods.

I started off with a steady ascent up to Pentyrch. After getting used to the new feeling earlier in the week, the latest Torrents felt like a second skin as I climbed up through Morganstown woods.

The route through Pentyrch to Garth Woods is tarmac and the shoes felt comfortable on the hard stuff.

Garth Woods are the perfect place for testing trail shoes. The dense paths and forest floor contain every surface you can imagine and after yesterday’s rain they were all slick and muddy!

I still think the outsole is more protective than last year’s model while being slightly lighter. This is important for keeping your feet off the ground to avoid the roots and rocks.

I’ve still got a few hundred miles left in the older model but I’m going to keep using the Torrent 3s so I can get a full review up.