If you are making a shorter pilgrimage, you will be able to carry everything you need, and money will not be a large part of the equation. Nevertheless, try to celebrate the art of spending as little as possible.
First things first, once you have a pack with all the basic kit you need, your costs following on shall be far lower than ‘normal’ life.
However, even with deeply reduced outgoings, you will still need money.
If you have a well-paid job, or comfy savings, the following list may appear irrelevant. Eat what you like, stay where you like, right? Well, money can be a burden as well as a blessing, as its insulative comforts can make it harder to truly find immersion with self, others and nature. Needing the help of others is an astonishingly powerful magic that restores gratitude, connection and community. I have made a number of pilgrimages where I deliberately set off money-free for this very reason, and these are my strongest journeys.
If this makes you twinge with awkward Protestant revulsion, you can always balance out your guilt by making generous donations to worthy causes identified on the path. Make yourself a Secret Hundredaire/Thousandaire (if not quite Millionaire) and enjoy practicing both humility and delayed reciprocity.
Meanwhile, this is my estimate of the basic financial requirements of making pilgrimage:
Pilgrimage Costs
Food and Drink
Water can be found everywhere, whether from taps or from wild sources. If you want to also drink beer or fruit juice, this is expensive, so budget for your needs or learn to enjoy going without.
Food can be partially foraged, if you know how and are in season, but even experts struggle to survive solely from foraging in the UK. You will inevitably have to buy food. This will be probably your biggest cost on pilgrimage The key part to cutting costs is to cook for yourself. Using a twig burner will reduce your costs even further, as you’ll avoid the need to buy gas cartridges. To enjoy a basic, low-meat diet, you can eat very well for £10 a day. This is for local vegetables and grains, with occasional meats. Daily morning porridge, tea and coffee, bread, fruit, eggs or cheese for lunch, and a hearty stew for supper - it’s not a bad food life for a decent cost.
To make this work, you’ll need to buy core supplies like oats, often by the 500g/1kg bag, which may feel heavy, but compared to visiting cafes and having them cook for you, this a far cheaper and more liberating choice. Also, you’ll want to cook sufficient food to provide for the next day, to save time and costs. You may also want to include a little budget for the occasional treat. I would budget around £100 per week for food and drink.
Accommodation
If you have managed to acquire reliable shelter and sleep systems, accommodation need not cost you anything. Claiming Sanctuary and Coldharbouring - with the occasional benefit of meeting old/new friends for Hospitality - is a no-cost option for Wayfaring. That said, you may want to budget for three nights in a campsite per week, to use their cleaning and drying facilities? This would make accomms cost £60 per week. However, if you plan to stay in a hotel every night, expect to pay £700-£1000 per week. The choice is yours.
Emergency funds
It is recommended to carry an emergency stash of cash, sufficient to get you to a safe place. This might mean for a taxi and a train fare. Try to keep £100 squirreled away, and don’t touch it until need arises, if at all.
Subscriptions
Before setting out on a long pilgrimage, review outgoing subscriptions that can be put on hold for the duration of your journey. Newspapers - computer software - clubs - these costs can add up. If they will not serve you while on the pilgrim path, be sure to pause them before departing. If you are using smartphone navigation, and your maps are on subscription, this will cost you around £1 per week.
Pilgrimage Income
To ensure you have enough money coming in to support your journey, there are a number of options.
Selling Off
You can raise funds before setting out by selling off possessions via eBay or Facebook Marketplace, or to friends and family.
Busking
One way to raise funds while making pilgrimage is to offer a gift and ask for support. Some people perform poetry, others juggle. I like to give songs. These weigh nothing and makes me feel healthier, even if I sometimes earn very little. I like to consider this a service to improve the environment of a place, and the financial reward a secondary concern. A key tip is to make a sign for when you perform. People are good at ignoring sound, but few can resist the written word, due to monkey curiosity. In big letters, write “Walking to …”. Let people know you are a pilgrim passing through. This makes local folk feel better about supporting you, and even those who don’t like your music much might chip in to help send you on your way.
Peddling
You can pay for a Pedlars’ License at a police station near you. Simply go in and ask. You’ll need a letter from a referee and two photos, technically. It should cost £12.50 for a year. This allows you to sell on the street, but only goods you carry with you. So if you make hazel washing pegs, or carry shrink-wrapped tea-towels, this will allow you to make a little money as you walk.
In the UK, if decide to be self-employed (as a pedlar or musician for example) and you don’t earn much, you can request support from HMRC via Universal Credit. This can be upt0 about £100 per week. This will help keep you on pilgrimage. As long as you are not ‘out of work’, you should find this is a relatively seamless option. This only works if you do not have savings of £10k+. And it takes a wedge of time to get sorted. Plan ahead.
However you make it work, enjoy entering the low-pressure economic world of pilgrimage, where costs are small and simple.
