5 best hiking snacks to keep you energised

It might be tempting to pack your favourite lunch items and snacks, or to plan stop offs around a meal at a pub, and that’s fine for a Sunday stroll, but if you’re going on a hiking route that is potentially fairly demanding with significant changes in elevation and terrain, possibly in very hot weather, you’ll want to make sure you’re not lugging a backpack – or a stomach! – full of food with you.  

Sugary sweets and salty crisps are tasty and very easy to snack upon while on the go, but they are not necessarily the best foods to give you a boost. The energy that you get from ‘naughty’ processed snacks is short-lived, which means you will likely crash after a relatively brief time. What you need is slow-release energy  and the best way to access that energy over a long period is by eating whole foods.  

The right whole foods offer the right amount of carbs, sugars, protein, healthy fats and sodium: 

• Carbs: Carbs equal energy, but complex carbohydrates with a higher fiber content that take time to digest mean your energy doesn’t spike and then crash. 
• Sugar: The natural sugar that you get in fruit helps to maintain your blood glucose level. If you over-exert yourself and feel dizzy, a little fruit can help you to feel better quite quickly. 
• Protein: Protein keeps you feeling full for longer and helps your muscles to be nourished even after your hike.  
• Healthy fats: The right kind of fat (think avocado rather than doughnut) can help you to feel energised and stave off hunger while you’re hiking. 
• Salt: Sodium is an electrolyte, which helps your body to stay hydrated when you’re undertaking a long and tiring activity. Hold back on the temptation to pack a pipe of pringles, and instead include some salty rice cakes, wasabi peas, some mini pretzels or salted cashews. 
• And water! Don’t forget, you will need to replenish your water bottle whenever you have the opportunity – especially if the day is a hot one and you have a lot of sun exposure.  

We’ve listed some of the hiking snacks that are good for you and keep you boosted throughout  your hike! 

• Porridge with all the bits! Ok, so technically you’ve not hit the trail just yet, but you’ll want to begin your day on the right foot, and a bowl of porridge can help you to feel fortified. Oats release energy slowly and help you to feel fuller for longer. Sprinkle on some pumpkin seeds, some sesame seeds, goji berries, blueberries and maybe even a little maple syrup, and you have yourself an excellent start to the day. 
• Fruity flapjack: Fruity flapjacks (with raisons, apricots, cherries or blueberries) are easy to make in advance and they keep well in a lunch box. Most cereal bars are some version of this, but if you make a batch in advance you can control the amount of sugar you add to it, also you won’t need the additives and preservatives that are typically included in the ingredients list of a shop-bought variety. Plus homemade is cheaper and they are fun to share.  
• Dried fruits and nuts trailmix: By now, you may be noticing that the foods that could serve as the preferred snack of a small woodland mammal are great for hiking humans. As such, a simple handful of nuts, dried fruits and seeds are the easiest way to give yourself a boost while walking. Jazz up your trailmix by adding dried coconut, bananas, or chocolate peanuts.  
• Energy / protein bars: If you’re short of time to assemble snacks, then you can easily buy protein bars from any health shop and even most supermarkets.  
• Fresh fruit: Fresh fruit is bulkier to carry (and bananas in particular can become less appetising once they have bounced around in a backpack for an hour or two). Nevertheless, well-packed fruit – apples, oranges and grapes – can be refreshing and filling without overloading the stomach when you stop to snack and admire a view.    

For lunchtime, save the pub ploughman’s for your end-of-walk reward and instead go for a lunch item you can hold in one hand – a bagel, a wrap or a sandwich. If you can keep your sandwich filling ingredients separate and ready to assemble once you’re sitting down you don’t risk your hummus, egg-mayo, peanut butter, cucumber or tomato making the bread soggy in the heat.  

How much you can carry: Even a day backpack that feels manageable on mile one can feel very different ten miles into your hike and when you’re on your Nth hill climb. Make sure that your backpack is sitting in a balanced way on your shoulders and not overloaded with things you probably won’t need – including food enough for an overnight stay! Water is important, but also very heavy, so look out for opportunities to replenish your water bottle as you go along. How much water to bring depends upon all sorts of factors, like your pace, the terrain, the temperature and your own physiology. Take as much as you can comfortably carry to begin with, while taking opportunities to top up when you can. 

How far you must walk and how long it will take: It depends upon the length of your chosen hike and the pace you like to walk at. Some people consider a charity walk to be an opportunity to set a pace and beat a personal best, while others want to take their time to enjoy the scenery and stop for rests, naps or to photograph the wildlife.  

Our fundraising team will be in touch with you frequently ahead of the hike with encouragement and training advice to help you to feel prepared for the event.  

Your level of fitness: Our fundraising team and volunteers will be stationed throughout the walk to offer direction, support and encouragement. There are two different length of walk available, so the one to pick will be the one that suits your pace and fitness level. The terrain is variable in nature and elevation, so walkers should be prepared to cope with that variety. Training along stretches of that route, or similar routes makes for good preparation, not only to give your body the chance to increase in fitness ahead of time, but to get used to what you can reasonably carry, and what the weather may throw at you on the day.