We analyse the impact of rising inflation on a walker’s biggest expenses – and give some tips to keep your costs down.

UK inflation hit a 40-year high in April, as millions of people faced a £700-per-year increase in energy costs and food prices rose 3.5% month-on-month.

But it’s not just everyday essentials that are affected by the rising cost of living. If you make regular trips to the mountains to feed your hillwalking habit (and even if you live relatively close to a range of hills), you will inevitably see your expenses rise, as the cost of car and train travel, food, accommodation and gear is set to increase too.

To help with your budgeting, we’ve looked at some of these key areas and worked out the cost increases you are likely to expect in each one – and we give a few tips for keeping costs down.

CAR TRAVEL

Rising oil prices are one of the biggest drivers of global inflation, and the last few months have seen meteoric price rises at the pump. These calculations are based on the fuel consumption rates of the average UK car (36mpg for petrol vehicles and 43mpg for diesels).

Return car journey London – Keswick (630 miles):

Petrol

April 2021: £100.64 – April 2022: £129.18

Diesel

April 2021: £86.08 – April 2022: £117.66

Return car journey Glasgow – Fort William

Petrol

April 2021: £42.08 – April 2022: £54.02

Diesel

April 2021: £36 – April 2022: £49.20

Return car journey Birmingham – Llanberis

Petrol

April 2021: £39.88 – April 2022: £51.20

Diesel

April 2021: £34.12 – April 2022: £46.62

Source: www.racfoundation.org

TRAIN TRAVEL

We’ve calculated the prices below based on an average rail fare inflation of 3.8% from April 2021 to April 2022, but that isn’t the full picture – fares are predicted to soar by up to 12% early next year in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI). These prices only apply to tickets purchased on the day. You can save significantly by buying in advance.

Manchester – Penrith return

April 2021: £52.50 – April 2022: £54.50

London – Aviemore return

April 2021: £184 – April 2022: £191

Bristol – Bangor return

April 2021: £89.90 – April 2022: £93.40

Edinburgh – Corrour:

April 2021: £63.50 – April 2022: £65.90

Source: www.gov.uk

FOOD

Grocery price inflation hit an 11-year high in April – so how will your pre-hill supermarket sweep be impacted?

Fruit

April 2021: £1.62 – April 2022: £1.74 (7.4%)

Crisps (multipack)

April 2021: £1.84 – April 2022: £1.96 (6.5%)

Pre-packed cheese sandwich (Waitrose Essentials)

April 2021: £1.40 – April 2022: £1.55 (10.7%)

Pasta pot

April 2021: £0.72 – April 2022: £0.83 (15.3%)

Porridge sachet

April 2021: £1.98 – April 2022: £2.25 (13.6%)

Source: www.trolley.co.uk

Pub meals

Spring / summer 2021: £12.50-£24.00 – Spring / summer 2022: £13.40-£26

The cost of pub grub is set to go up. Photo: Jessie Leong

ACCOMMODATION

The accommodation sector has seen some of the biggest price rises over the past year, driven in part by a staycation boom. Price variations make it tricky to calculate real values – but, on average, these are the percentage increases seen between April 2021 and April 2022, according to government figures:

Holiday centres, campsites and youth hostels: 22.9%

Hotels, motels and inns: 10.7%

Source: ONS

However, it is worth nothing that the above figures group different types of accommodation together and may not be representative of price rises within individual sectors. Representatives of the hostel sector, for example, have provided The Great Outdoors with information that suggests price rises in hostels may have been less than the 22% ONS suggests.

Independent Hostels UK says: “Over the last three years the average increase in prices charged by hostels and bunkhouses has been between 2.1% and 2.4% per year, and approximately 50% of places have made no price increase at all.”

We have also seen data which suggests that the price of dormitory accommodation in the Hostelling Scotland network has actually dropped by 1% since 2019, while the average private room rate has only risen by 4%.

Dominique Drewe-Martin, Chair of the Board of Directors for Scottish Hostels, has also pointed to what she claims is a flaw in the way the ONS figure of a price rise of 22.9% between April 2021 and April 22 has been calculated.

She said: “In April 2021, no hostels were open in either England or Wales. The only hostels open in April 2021 were independent hostels in Scotland, and only for 5 days.

“You cannot compare 2021 to 2022 prices. The product on sale during the five days of April 2021 when hostels were allowed to be open was a very different product from that on sale in April 2022.  No shared dormitory accommodation was available in April 2021.  Therefore no valid price comparison is possible.

“If anything prices have dropped – in April 2021 you could only offer private rooms, now you can offer cheaper dorm beds as well, so the average price of a bed at a hostel has dramatically dropped since April 2021.”

GEAR

According to the Office for National Statistics, the cost of ‘equipment for sport and open-air recreation’ has risen 9.9% in the past year. Here are the stats for clothing more generally:

Footwear for women: 7.9%

Footwear for men: 5.9%

Garments: 8.7%

Cleaning, repair and reproofing: 9.3%