Traditionally, in England and some other European countries, "walking out" was a declaration of something close to engagement. It was formal and ritualized and made a public declaration that this twosome was indeed a couple.

In Canada, going for a walk together was a chance for privacy in public, spending time in conversation and getting to know each other better. Library and Archives Canada has a series of delightful prints of a courting couple on a sleigh ride and sledding at Montmorency Falls in 1868. Such occasions were public enough to be "proper," but private enough for emotional intimacy (Ward, 91-92).