4 ms·

One of the classic British walking rations (we don't use the word 'hiking') is Kendal Mint Cake: http://oakden.co.uk/kendal-mint-cake-recipe/ http://oakden.co.

One of the classic British walking rations (we don't use the word 'hiking') is Kendal Mint Cake: http://oakden.co.uk/kendal-mint-cake-recipe/ http://oakden.co.uk/kendal-mint-cake-recipe/ It's a slab of peppermint-flavoured sugar, doused in glucose syrup, covered in chocolate. It's one of those things that you cannot possibly imagine yourself eating, until you're actually out on the hills after a long day (or several days) and you're cold and you're tired and then you've never eaten anything quite so delicious.

gaius 10y ago
we don't use the word 'hiking' Yes we do.
- chrisseaton 10y ago
  I don't have many sources but I believe the word 'hiking' is a relatively recent American import. The OED lists a lot of American historical examples, but only relatively recent ones in the UK I would just call it walking, or tabbing if it's at an aggressive pace. Old people seem to call it rambling, but that makes it sound a bit lazy I think.
  - frenchy 10y ago
    While it probably became popularized in North America, it seems to actually be of British origin: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hiking https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hiking
    - chrisseaton 10y ago
      > Compound noun of hill walking, British origination, c. 1920s OED, which I'd trust more than Wiktionary, says 'colloq. orig. dial. and U.S.' and gives US examples prior to the 20s.
    - panglott 10y ago
      etymonline cites it as an English dialectal word from 1809 http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=hike http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=hike Almost all American English words are originally of English origin, of course ;) However, Google Ngrams shows that the term "hiking" was very rare prior to about 1920, and the large majority of 1920s sources are American. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chiking%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking&year_st... Compare hiking, hill walking, tramping, and rambling: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking%2Chill+walking%2Ctramping%2C+rambling&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chiking%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Chill%20walking%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ctramping%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crambling%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking%2Chill+...
  - Steve44 10y ago
    We used to use rambling for a gentle country walk through fields etc. We'd say we were fell walking if we went out for a day up the mountains in the Lake District, we'd wear walking boots. If it was for a night or more it would either be camping or an expedition - as in DofE. Tabbing tends to be a military term as far as I'm aware. I don't remember using the term hiking until recently.
    - gaius 10y ago
      Tabbing tends to be a military term as far as I'm aware The MilFit community have brought it into mainstream usage. I don't remember not using/hearing the term hiking.
nether 10y ago
On my thru-hike, I ran out of candy (I always carried a bag with an assortment of gummies, hard candies) and just started eating sugar (intended for my tea) by the spoonful. I've never felt such an intense craving for simple sugars as I did on the PCT. It seemed to revitalize me, both physically and emotionally. So I can totally understand this mint "cake."

gaius 10y ago

we don't use the word 'hiking' Yes we do.

chrisseaton 10y ago
I don't have many sources but I believe the word 'hiking' is a relatively recent American import. The OED lists a lot of American historical examples, but only relatively recent ones in the UK I would just call it walking, or tabbing if it's at an aggressive pace. Old people seem to call it rambling, but that makes it sound a bit lazy I think.
- frenchy 10y ago
  While it probably became popularized in North America, it seems to actually be of British origin: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hiking https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hiking
  - chrisseaton 10y ago
    > Compound noun of hill walking, British origination, c. 1920s OED, which I'd trust more than Wiktionary, says 'colloq. orig. dial. and U.S.' and gives US examples prior to the 20s.
  - panglott 10y ago
    etymonline cites it as an English dialectal word from 1809 http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=hike http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=hike Almost all American English words are originally of English origin, of course ;) However, Google Ngrams shows that the term "hiking" was very rare prior to about 1920, and the large majority of 1920s sources are American. https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chiking%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking&year_st... Compare hiking, hill walking, tramping, and rambling: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking%2Chill+walking%2Ctramping%2C+rambling&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chiking%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Chill%20walking%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Ctramping%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Crambling%3B%2Cc0 https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hiking%2Chill+...
- Steve44 10y ago
  We used to use rambling for a gentle country walk through fields etc. We'd say we were fell walking if we went out for a day up the mountains in the Lake District, we'd wear walking boots. If it was for a night or more it would either be camping or an expedition - as in DofE. Tabbing tends to be a military term as far as I'm aware. I don't remember using the term hiking until recently.
  - gaius 10y ago
    Tabbing tends to be a military term as far as I'm aware The MilFit community have brought it into mainstream usage. I don't remember not using/hearing the term hiking.

nether 10y ago

On my thru-hike, I ran out of candy (I always carried a bag with an assortment of gummies, hard candies) and just started eating sugar (intended for my tea) by the spoonful. I've never felt such an intense craving for simple sugars as I did on the PCT. It seemed to revitalize me, both physically and emotionally. So I can totally understand this mint "cake."