Hi Mike,
It depends entirely on the boots you get really! I've taken advice on this from many people, including friends that work in the industry...the reccomendations I keep getting are for Scarpa or Meindl boots, with the proviso that Meindl will be more "instantly comfortable" but Scarpa will last longer. One friend in particular has said this - and since he's worked in senior positions for Field & Trek, Blacks, North Face and now works for a specialist mountain equipment manafacturer I tend to believe him!
He's had a pair of Scarpa boots for several years and has had them re-soled once. Given that he spends a LOT of time outdoors I think thats a pretty good testament. That said though, these boots are £100-150 (or more!) so they're only worth the investment if you're actually going to use them a fair bit. Myself and Shell will be walking the Camino, many walks in teh Lake/Peak districts and hopefully the Inca Trail at the very least so its a worthwhile investement for us.
Otherwise I'd probably go for fabric hiking boots for more immediate comfort (assuming you're not going when its going to be very wet).
The very best thing to do is find a specialist store (in the uk: Blacks, Ellis Brigham, Cotswold Outdoors are great) and take their advice. You should be able to take the boots home and wear them round the house for a week or two to see if you really like them...if not take them back and they'll change them for you. (But dont wear them outside til your sure!)
Hope this helps!
