I suppose you could call the Borneo's high boots... I tend to think of the more military style boots that go up on to the calf as high boots though.
I chose my boots based on 1. ankle support 2. general build quality and 3. their ability to withstand whatever I threw at them. For me that was the Camino, and the british mountains such as the Lake District. (maybe mountains is too strong a term since i climbed higher hills in spain than any that exist in the UK) So for those reasons they needed to be general purpose, and exceptionally good. It came down to Meindl or Scarpa (as they are probably the best boots you can buy with the exception of top of the range han-wag or real specialist boots)
Meindl's are more comfy straight away so that swung it!
However, when I do the camino again I'm going to have a look at alt-berg. They're a british manafacturer, based not too far from me (a days outing to go to the factory) and their top of the range boots are well reviewed. They make copies of the british army boots that a lot of soldiers (apparently) buy so they have better versions of the military issue. Thats a pretty good reccomendation in my book! Also - they will make custom boots for you if you cant find a perfect fit with any of their stock boots. They tend to be a mixture of fabrics, including cordura and kevlar so I think they would be better. But still sticking with the boot design rather than shoes. I'm used to wearing boots on the flat so that aspect doesnt bother me.
I think if you're an experienced walker..and more importantly practiced (so your ankles are still strong) then good tough shoes would be fine. But then I saw people doing the camino in sneakers and they seemed ok. For me I like the idea of a tough sole! Whatever you choose I would definitely go for something with a Vibram sole. They are made for a wide range of boots and shoes and they are exceptionally good at protecting your feet. Well worth it.
From what I gathered the early part of the camino is very hilly, it being the Pyrenees so I would go for boots. Given what you're planning..week long stints..you can have the luxury of using shoes for the meseta and boots for the hilly bits.
Ultimately I wanted boots that would last a long time and be perfectly happy with a wet british hillside, on slippery rocks, on shale, on grass, mud, dust...anything. And I believe thats what I have.
One thing to note though, if you go for leather boots make sure you go somewhere with a really good fitting service.Wear them as much as possible indoors to see how they feel. If theres a little hot spot you will get a blister there! The advantage of leather (besides being tough and waterproof) is that; if there's a spot that keeps rubbing you can get a shop to use a rubbing bar to stretch them at that point. Doesn't work on fabric boots because they're too elastic.
Oh..and brush your boot soff and rinse them each day. The leather has pores which can get clogged with dirt and dust and will make them less breathable and eventually less pliable. Five minutes each day will make them last longer and more comfy.
Hope this helps...sorry for the rant!! :lol: