Kind Protein bar. 50g bar containing 59% peanuts and 15% peanut butter coating provides 12g of protein and 252kcal

Like most hikers, Three Points of the Compass does enjoy a snack on trail. Easily my favourite are the various Kind Bars. Made in the U.S. by Mintel and first available in 2004, they are almost exclusively made from unadulterated foodstuffs that have undergone a minimum of processing. Stuff like nuts, fruits and spice. Oh yes, often a decent amount of dark chocolate too.

Just a few of the varieties of Kind bar available

Obviously there are any number of alternative bars available on the supermarket shelves but if I can find them, then Kind bars are my number one choice. Decent taste, decent amount of calories, decent hit of protein too. Kind proudly boast- Kosher, gluten free, dairy free and no artificial colours, flavour or preservatives.

I am pretty sure that every one of the varieties I have come across contains nuts. Bad news for Mrs Three Points of the Compass as she can’t handle them. All the more for me. The minimum amount of nut content I have seen is 49%, the most 73% and we all know that nuts are the hiker snack of choice. The Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate bars were recently awarded Taste Test Winner in Good Housekeeping magazine. There are also 50g Kind Protein varieties with 12g of protein mostly derived from peanuts.

If you can find them, the 20g Kind Minis each provide around a 100 calories

It is hard for me to nail down my absolute favourite amongst the twelve or so varieties I have come across, but if forced to choose, I would go for the dark chocolate, nuts and sea salt bar shown above. The 40g bar provides 197kcal.

The contents of my food bag photographed midway along the 177 mile Offa’s Dyke in 2018. This was sufficient for around four or five days.  I see that I had managed to locate Kind bars somewhere and a solitary one remains as a treat alongside Snickers and bars of dark chocolate

50g Kind double dark chocolate nut Protein bar. This provides 12g of protein and 249 kcal. 54% mixed nuts, 15% chocolate ‘flavouring’