Hiking Hadrian’s Wall was such an amazing experience, and one of my biggest accomplishments to date. It was hard but so so worth it! I had a lot of questions about how much something like this costs – is it possible to do on a budget? How expensive does it need to be? So here is my full budget guide to Hadrian’s Wall!

If you’re wondering how much it will cost to do Hadrian’s Wall (on a budget or otherwise), I can’t necessarily give a hard-and-fast answer. I can only share how much it cost me to do it! Your trip’s budget will depend on your own personal travel style and the type of trip you choose to take. I definitely recommend getting the Trailblazers Hadrian’s Wall Path guidebook, which has lots of information on costs and budgets. I also recommend the OS Maps app – it’s £29/year, but you can get a free 7-day trial. It’s a lifesaver.

Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Overall, your budget for hiking Hadrian’s Wall will really depend on how many days you’re planning to spend on the hike, what type of accommodation you’re staying in, and if you’re splitting accommodation/transportation costs with someone else or doing it alone. It will also depend on how far away you live from Newcastle and the start of the trail. You can check out my 6-day Hadrian’s Wall itinerary here.

Planning My Hadrian’s Wall Trip

I had first planned to do this adventure with someone else, but when that changed I decided I would do it on my own. This meant an increase in costs as I wouldn’t have someone to split accommodation and transport costs with. I originally planned to do it in July 2020. Then back in January 2021 I decided to do it alone, set for May 2021. I planned on staying in shared accommodation, mainly hostels and bunkhouses, as I wanted to keep costs as low as possible without camping. With coronavirus restrictions and the UK in lockdown for so many months of 2021, I pushed my trip back to June 2021. And then due to changes in various work commitments, it became clear that the best opportunity would be to hike Hadrian’s Wall in the middle of July 2021.

This was before shared accommodation had reopened in the UK. So I knew that I would be paying more than I wanted. But I didn’t want to wait any longer due to work, and I felt like it was a “now or never” situation. If I was going to do it, I needed to do it now, while I was fit enough and while I had the time and funds. So this whole trip could have been much cheaper had I either waited until hostel dorm rooms and bunkhouses reopened, or when I could go with someone else! But I decided to do it on my own, and I’m really glad I did.

I don’t really recommend camping on Hadrian’s Wall. Besides having to haul all your gear, there aren’t necessarily conveniently placed campsites along the trail. You can add on a lot of mileage to an already-long day this way. I also do not recommend wild camping on Hadrian’s Wall. It’s illegal in England and Northumberland National Park (without the landowners’ permission), and the landscape surrounding the trail isn’t suited for discreet, safe camping spots. For me, I knew that I would want a comfy bed to sleep in after walking all day.

Wondering what to bring? Read my Hadrian’s Wall packing guide here. I already owned all of the outdoor gear I needed (sturdy hiking boots, hiking poles, large comfortable backpack, drybags, etc.), so I didn’t need to spend extra money on buying new equipment. You can read my outdoor gear guide here!

I stayed in accommodation for 7 nights over my Hadrian’s Wall hike. I drove from where I live in York to Newcastle, and parked my car at the airport for the week. At the end of the walk, I made my way from Bowness-on-Solway back to Newcastle Airport to pick up my car. I bought snacks and two easy meals of pot noodles beforehand, but also ate out several times on the hike and treated myself when I wanted.

Category Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown in costs by category!

Accommodation (7 nights): £277

Food/Drink (including the food shop before I left): £78.70

Miscellaneous: £4.05

Sightseeing: £0

Transportation: £78.90

My accommodation costs ranged from £18/night (for sole use of a 14-bed hostel dorm room in Bowness-on-Solway) to £65/night (a fantastic B&B in Newton). Most of my accommodation was between £30-35/night, however my B&B in Newton and my private room at YHA The Sill (£59/night) were by far the priciest.

I had two big, expensive meals out, at Twice Brewed Inn after Day 3, and at the King’s Arms on Day 6 after I finished. These two meals made up nearly half of my entire food budget! But I have no regrets and they were definitely well-deserved! Thanks to my English Heritage membership, I spent nothing on sightseeing costs. I visited pretty much all of the English Heritage Hadrian’s Wall sites, and spent absolutely nothing! If you’re planning on hiking Hadrian’s Wall and interested in the Roman history of it all, I definitely recommend an English Heritage membership.

Wondering what my daily costs were on the Hadrian’s Wall hike?

Day 0, this was getting to Newcastle before setting off: £13.20

Day 1, Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall: £10.50

Day 2, Heddon-on-the-Wall to Black Carts: £8.45

Day 3, Black Carts to Steel Rigg/Once Brewed: £18.45

Day 4, Steel Rigg/Once Brewed to Newton: £6.25

Day 5, Newton to Carlisle: £14.75

Day 6, Carlisle to Bowness-on-Solway: £23.70

Day 7, Bowness-on-Solway back to Newcastle: £21.80

How much did it cost to hike Hadrian’s Wall over 6 days?!

GRAND TOTAL: £439 // $609

The Takeaway

Including my day getting to Newcastle, and my day getting back to Newcastle at the end of the hike, my Hadrian’s Wall trip was 8 days in total. This gives a daily cost (including accommodation and transportation booked in advance) of £54.90.

Excluding accommodation and pre-booked transportation, I spent £117.10 of daily costs. Over 8 days, this gives an average daily cost of £14.65 that I was actually spending on the road.

I easily could have cut costs. Camping is a lot more work and not necessarily easy on Hadrian’s Wall. There aren’t conveniently located campsites close to the Wall at certain points – but it would have been cheaper. Obviously, if I had gone with someone else it would have cut most of my accommodation costs in half. I probably would have saved about £100 overall. I could have resisted temptation and not treated myself to food and drinks quite as much (but where’s the fun and reward in that?!). But overall, I had a really enjoyable time and I’m glad I spent the money where I did.

Hiking Hadrian’s Wall could definitely be done on a much lower budget! But at the end of it all, it will really depend on your own personal travel style and how long you’re spending on the hike. I hope this post helps planning and budgeting the Hadrian’s Wall walk!

Have you walked Hadrian’s Wall? What was your budget like?!

You might also like my posts:

What You Need to Know About Hiking Hadrian’s Wall

A 6-Day Itinerary for Hiking Hadrian’s Wall

Hadrian’s Wall Packing List: What to Pack for Hiking Hadrian’s Wall

My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking and Camping in the UK

Exploring Northumberland: A Coastal Road Trip Itinerary

Why You Should Visit Alnwick, Northumberland

How Much Does it Cost to Do the North Coast 500 in Scotland?

All of my hiking and budgeting posts!

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