Thank you for your thoughts and comments guys. To be honest I was looking at around the £700 pounds mark (happy to cook my own food in hostels some nights!).
I will get on it straight away regarding accommodation!
Googling around for accommodation in August (peak season) shows that with the budget your not going to be slumming it but by the time you add in food, drink, laundry, travel expenses etc its hardly the kings ransom your alluding to.
>I'm not suggesting that if people have oodles of cash they should not spend it on luxury >accommodation and restaurant food Now that hits the nail on the head as to the point I was addressing. If people who've worked hard and saved enough to afford themselves some nice accommodation and food so what? They do a damn sight more for the local economy than the bloke that turns up at a bunk house pays £5 eats a Tesco pot noodle and buggers off first thing in the morning.
>I was wondering if many people on walking trips actually do stay in such expensive places >and eat such expensive food. No idea BUT I don't look at them green with envy thinking posh bast'rds nor do I look at the person in the cheapo gear using a bivy bag to save money as an oink.... horses for courses. Maybe you should stop looking at what others are doing and concentrate on having a good time yourself?
I usually combine long distance walking with camping, so the most I usually spend in a day is about £30. Of this the most I've spent on a pitch is about £12 and the remainder I spend on food. The first time I did an LDP was the Anglesey Coastal Path and I made the mistake of carrying far too much food with me at the start of the trip. Now I just carry 1-2 evening meals as a back up along with plenty of daytime snack food. I then buy the rest along the route when I stop for the night. There can be exceptions to this though such as when I did the Hadrian's Wall Path, since there were so many museums and forts to see along the way, each of which costs money to get into.
I have occasionally spent the night in a B&B (once intentionally, once because I was so tired and soaked through that I didn't have the energy to find the campsite!) but they only usually set you back about £50 a night depending on where and what season.
Anyway I think Skip's point may have been just to point out that Leanne and others should not be worried that it is automatically going to cost £3,000 to do the C2C. It might cost that much, but it certainly doesn't have to. It generally cost me less than £300 to do the two major LDPs I've done so far. They were only week long trips, but its easy to see that you can get away with a range of costs depending on your preferences.
Skip definitely has a good time though on his trips though, of that you can be certain!
Actually I was just surprised that 3k over ~14 days was possible. I'd call 50/night for accom and 20/night for food fractionally generous if anything, and its a long way to 3k from there, even if going super luxury.
Of course no problem with people chosing to do that, but I would maybe question the logic a tiny bit. Its not like you're sitting in one place for 2 weeks, maybe staying in if the weather is awful etc.
You're out walking after breakfast and arriving a bit tired around 4-6. Don't need fancy places With food you're of course mostly after quantity.
On occasion I stay in hotels on long trips - and I eat as nice food as I can find when I can - beats the privations of the solo high camps I normally endure ....and as for Alpine Dorms...ugh
Most of my trips were leading groups of twelve people for an upmarket American travel company. In addition to me, as guide, we had an assistant guide/driver whose main job was to drive the dedicated 16-seat minibus and trailer.
The clients were picked up at Manchester Airport and driven to start the walk at Ravenglass. We normally stayed at AA/RAC-rated two and three star hotels as indicated below: Bower House Inn** near Eskdale Green for two nights Highland Hotel**, Keswick for three nights Brownber Hall (5-star b&b), Newbiggin-on-Lune King's Head, Richmond*** for two nights Wainstones Hotel***, Great Broughton for two nights Forest & Vale Hotel***, Pickering for two nights The clients were then driven to Manchester Airport where most of them stayed overnight.
With our own minibus it was possible to stay in luxurious accommodation off-route and be driven to the start of each day's walk and picked up at the end of the day. Wherever possible, the driver would meet us with the minibus at lunchtime just in case any of the clients wanted a shorter walk.
And the cost per client for all accommodation except overnights at the airport, based on two people sharing a room, all meals, services of the guide, driver and minibus, in fact virtually everything except the air fare? $4795 for groups of 10-12 clients $5095 for groups of 8-9 clients $5295 for groups of 6-7 clients Single room supplement $400
...Skip's point may have been just to point out that Leanne and others should not be worried that it is automatically going to cost £3,000 to do the C2C.
Skip definitely has a good time though on his trips ...
Wot he said (and I'm such a cheapskate too)
Coincidentally, the figure Hugh gives of $4,795 (USD) for 10+ groups is roughly £3,000 (GBP) - the figure we've been debating. The punters get an all-in holiday package with high levels of service, guidance, accommodation and food - but I imagine those of us who expressed surprise initially were thinking of more 'traditional' self-arranged or DIY long-distance hiking.
To each their own, of course. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' way to enjoy walking.
With food you're of course mostly after quantity. 
....and as for Alpine Dorms...ugh
