New Balance’s Allerdales — the brand’s new hiking shoes — are way too chic to hike in. Sure, they were comfortable, but they also remind me of a loafer I would wear out. In any case, hike I did!

New Balance recently took me and a group of other editors, creators, and journalists from all over the world to the English county of Cumbria, home to a special little town on the coast of the Irish Sea called Flimby, where the brand’s U.K. factory operates. Yes, it was as picturesque as you are imagining: rolling hills of greenery and views of more sheep than you can count. We arrived at a village of fewer than 2,000 residents to celebrate the latest launch of the Made in the UK collection.

The day of our factory visit, we left our cozy estate and hopped in Land Rovers branded with the logo of New Balance and made our way through the countryside to the sea village. We sat with Dawn Brankey, the senior product manager for Made in the UK, and Samuel Pearce, the senior creative design manager for Energy and Made in UK, who walked us through the history of Made (we even got a look at the archive room), the impact of Made on British culture, and its ever-evolving designs and functionality. The Allerdale is still as comfy as most New Balance shoes but also has a formal, tailored look.

The team showed us how they achieved this: by using a construction technique that uses a hiking-inspired bottom with leather and suede fabrics. We strapped on safety goggles, earbuds, and gloves to tour the factory itself. The craftspeople work in unison while preparing, cutting, molding, sewing, pressing, and assembling each shoe to the final product in an almost-familial rhythm. The walk-through began with a man investigating premium leather for impurities and ended with a woman doing the final quality check before boxing the finished product.