RVs abundant at the shows; buy one and then go here!

RVs abundant at the shows; buy one and then go here!

The economy is the discussion of the moment, and most households are tightening their belts, reconsidering purchases and discretionary spending. When considering your own spending, one thing to think about is how an RV can save you money in the long run – on vacation costs.

According to a study by PKF Consulting, when comparing vacation costs, a typical RV family vacation is less expensive than other types of vacations studied.

Consider this, PKF found that for a 10-day vacation from Phoenix, Ariz., to Napa Calif.; vacationing with an RV saves money from a car and hotel trip, and a trip by airline and hotel stays. For a family of four taking the trip in a SUV with a towable lightweight RV costs $2,536, staying in an RV park and preparing all meals in the RV or at the campsite, the study found. The cost of traveling by car, staying at hotels and eating in restaurants raised the cost to $4,575, and for those traveling by air, renting a car and eating in restaurants the cost rose to $5,706, according to PKF. The study also showed that shorter trips were more economical in RVs than other vacation options.

And with the economy impacting the RV industry, this may also be the perfect time to purchase an RV. So, where do you go in the dead of winter to find your dream RV? To the RV/camping shows. Now is the time for RV/camping shows across the country – from the East Coast to the West, there are shows scheduled through the winter months. The shows allow you an opportunity to see the amenities and options that work best for your family.

A couple of shows you may want to attend are the Kansas City Mid-America RV Show Feb. 13-15, 20-22 at the Kansas City Convention Center; and the Minneapolis/St. Paul RV, Vacation & Camping Show Feb. 5-8 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

And when it comes to spring and time to take that new purchase out on the road – to the RV park, consider these options:

• Gwynn’s Island Camping Resort, Gwynn, Va. The park is located on Chesapeake Bay and offers 120 total camp/RV sites and 125 electric and water sites. There is lake, pond and ocean fishing, a playground and direct beach access.
• Roughrider Campground, Minot, N.D. This quiet park offers fishing and golf facilities, as well as hiking and biking trails. There are 76 sites, 33 full hookups, 24 electric and water and nine electric. Wi-Fi also is available.
• Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park – Mansfield, Bellville, Ohio. The park offers activities throughout the season, including fishing, a boat launch, golf facilities and the park is equestrian friendly. There are 150 sites, 49 are pull-thru and 142 are full hookup.

Finding your way to campgrounds

Finding your way to campgrounds and parks easier with GPS

Although the news was full of doom and gloom for retailers this Christmas season, it did seem like the GPS was the big electronic item of the season. At least it seemed like it with specials on GPS beginning on Black Friday.

For RVers and campers, the GPS can be quite handy, and I for one and happy to have been the recipient of one such device this Christmas. Having an assistant of sorts, letting me know when to turn is even better than mapping it out on MapQuest.

And for those of you who like to find the park that is tucked away for a weekend visit or longer vacation, the GPS can help you get there without the, “Oops, I missed my turn,” with a 30-plus foot travel trailer following behind your truck.

So, if you were taking off to Crowder Point Family Campground in Crowder, Okla., you could use the GPS and have your directions given to you turn by turn. And if you accidentally missed a turn, some of the GPS units will automatically re-route you, eliminating the need to find the next exit or a large enough turn around.

Even though the park is near Highway 69, sometime even the best navigator forgets or misses a turn. And while you’re at Crowder Point, get ready for some fishing on Lake Eufaula or plan a visit to Arrowhead State Park or some of the other area attractions.

Head further west to Reno, Nev., and you can find Bonanza Terrace RV Park, just a couple of miles from downtown Reno off Highway 395. Although it may sound easy, using today’s technology can get you there, turn by turn.

Bask in the sun and enjoy the area attractions while you’re at Bonanza Terrace. The park offers long-term rates, too.

However you get there, get there. But for those of you who aren’t excited by GPS – as I am – the parks websites offer directions and maps at the click of a mouse. And if you call, they’ll be kind enough to give you directions.

Get the RV on the road and enjoy 2009. Happy New Year and Happy camping!

Activities and Sports. Knockhill racing. Cycling. Fishing. Swimming. Showers. Skateboarding

http://www.maidoftheforth.co.uk/index.shtml.
Boat ride nearby from South Queensferry
Also "Forth Tours cruises".
http://www.forthtours.com/

Did you know you can camp at this rustic campsite and a mile or two up the road you can get showers at the Duloch leisure centre - http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/atoz/index.cfm?fuseaction=facility.display&facid=E0FD2C7C-A6CA-CABA-F43039EB5039506B

showers from £1.25 Jnr low season - £1.85 - £2.60 Adult high season.
Duloch leisure centre, just behind Duloch Tesco.
Also at Dalgety Bay Leisure centre.

Carnegie baths/Turkish/aerotone/needlespray, etc. in Dunfermline.
Check opening times as it's currently being refurbished until late 2011.

See alternatives to Carnegie Leisure Centre http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/roundup/articles/2011/01/28/409595-carnegie-leisure-centre-to-be-hit-by-further-delays/


Please visit http://www.fifeleisure.org.uk/ for information on alternative venues within Fife i.e.

Boat launch http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/minisites/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&pageid=AB4593CF-65BF-00F7-DCBACEF3BE68E97C
http://www.blogger.com/www.fifee.org.ukisurleKnockhill racing
calendar for 2011 http://www.whatson-scotland.co.uk/venue-listing/1763

Cycling -cycle path approx. 100 metres from here. See fuller info on post "Cycle..."
Fishing here and see suggestions below. You can then search the internet for more detail.





Lochore Meadows, windsurfing, fishing and more. Activities nearby:- http://www.knockhill.com/ racing.

Swimming bath with flumes - Burntisland Beacon leisure centre. http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Fife/article/7622/burntisland-s-beacon-centre-to-close-for-repairs.html


http://guide.visitscotland.com/vs/guide/5,en,SCH1/objectId,SPF58921Svs,curr,GBP,season,at1,selectedEntry,home/home.html 10 miles east. Swimming pool with outside feature - Perth. Swimming baths & gym Cowdenbeath, 5 miles north. Sports centre Dalgety Bay.

Local taxi 01383 410088

http://www.fifefishingguide.co.uk/
http://www.fifefishingguide.co.uk/swsalt.php
Fishing ( a local fisherman recommends
Stenhouse Loch, Loch Leven but not re-stocking.)
Also Kirkcaldy Raith Lake and Lochore.

North Queensferry sea fishing.

Dysart pier fishing.
Coastal fishing- Maggies croft Cumbernauld.
Orchil. Deanswood Livingston.

Horse riding Falconry
Boat trips. Loch Leven. Maid of the Forth.
Fife Leisure park, bowling, crazy golf, cinema, several eating places, Pizza, mexican, etc. lots of walks.

Skateboarding Burntisland, Dalgety Bay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXHhGQ7vaZ8

Woodland camping Fife near Edinburgh Scotland Love camping

10 miles north of Edinburgh
No charge for  bicycles.

Good touring Historic places, Lochs and Glens.

24 hour Tesco. M and Spencer outlet within 2 miles.
Ask if you want details of local pubs/restaurants, etc.
Local taxi 01383 410088.
Visit our advert also at http://www.lovecamping.co.uk/

15 acres of woodland in Scotland, natural, rustic, in harmony with nature.
Cold water, recycling and sawdust toilet. Designated campfires.
Nearby activities for children and all the family.

http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/fife_leisure_park.htm

Pitch description and suitability

Rustic camping - Duloch hamlet ( Gimme Shelter)

Relaxing; natural atmosphere.

This site will appeal to those who love the countryside, nature, wild flowers, animals, listening to the birds. Also appealing to a couple, a single person, a family, a cyclist.

Because it has rustic charm and is a "one off" out of the ordinary, individual place, it also appeals to people with a wide variety of hobbies:-

photographers, vintage car owners, artists, potters, whittlers, seamstress, cyclists http://www.jeniferyoung.co.uk/ , cloth jewellry makers, writers,

actors http://www.dunfermlinepress.com/whatson/alhambra/articles/2009/10/01/392464-west-end-stars-camp-it-up-in-west-fife/

inventors practicing bushcraft or metal craft as below.

People preparing for Duke of Edinburgh award. Mandolin players; other gentle musicians.

The kind of people who like recycled shacks, sheds, dens and unusual things.

It is not suitable for parties or antisocial behaviour.

If anyone slips through the "suitability net" and causes disturbance or danger,

please report it to us. 01383 417681.

2 miles north of Forth bridges

Campfires every pitch.

Pitches:-

Our pitches are set in individual clearings, scattered about on 15 acres of mixed woodland and meadow land with all sorts of wild flowers and fruit, trees, birds and butterflies.

( 12 pitches on lower woodland site ) (9 pitches on top meadow site )

Each pitch or clearing has a name, with a meaning - history/pitch identity/song/book/travel,etc. i.e. Strawberry Field (wild strawberries), J Way, Mellow, Aero, Bobtail, Catkin, Coppice, Burn, Hoot, Rosebank, Burro, Tilt and so on.

"Rising Sun" pitch

Good tip from this regular :- Put a piece of carpet inside your tent flap.

It all keeps the groundsheets cleaner.

"Sweet Meadow" pitch

View from "Hoot" pitch. Just imagine your tent here & a twistie beer. You can actually see the Forth estuary from this pitch.

Although it is a 5 minute walk from your parked car.

We have a few sibling pitches which means that they are attatched to the main pitch with a campfire.
They can be used as an overflow for those in your party if the main pitch isn't big enough.

See gallery Camp shop blog
For items available

Fridge freezer

Wi-Fi in the lane/ at the gallery.

Ask for range details when you book if you want to use this facility.

There is a little table and chairs for adults to sit and e mail or read the guide and reference books or have a coffee or snack.

Tub trugs

Campfire starter kit contains:- logs, kindling, paper, firelighter, piece of peat.

Every one has a campfire.

Please leave any  dead wood which is lying on the ground or still attatched to a tree.

( garages also sell logs but they seem to be a lot dearer for much smaller bags but it's your choice).

Reception hours:-

Mon - Friday 9.30a.m. - 6.30p.m.

Saturday - Midday to 6.30p.m
Sunday - 3.30 - 6.30p.m.

or phone 01383 417681

or 07957 264 805

Toasties, fried egg sandwich, that kind of thing, usually available at short notice.

Meals by request ( warm up on your fire pit pan, etc. )

Gallery fridge freezer items, dry packet goods.

If you fancy being out in the woods in a tent then this place might be  just the place for you.
Small family run, semi-wild/rural camp site in clearings cut into meadow and woodland.
Log seats and tables. (Please leave them on the pitches they have been placed on. )

Limited facilities of cold water(you can also bring some as the supply can sometimes be slow)

& environmentally friendly composting sawdust toilet.

Rubbish recycling. 2 small herb gardens.

Compost heap for your veg peelings ( you might be able to harvest a root of potatoes from it!

No showers or flushing toilets.

Rainy day games shelf - you can borrow an item.

Woodland sawdust toilet
see blog post "Toilet".
Many become regulars, some won't tell anybody as they want to keep it all to themselves.

Sorry no pets.

Loads of wild animals come and go, badgers, buzzards and roe deer are resident, peregrine falcons nested this year and we saw bullfinch.

It's wildish  but we're available if you need help, at least at the end of a phone.

Just e mail chris.barley@virgin.net to enquire/book or register interest.

Pitches are allocated for size of tent/group:

but ask at time of booking
if you have a preference for woodland pitches or meadow,
(sometimes, we can re-arrange the weekly pitch plan,
as we do for regulars who ask for their favourite pitches).

Give us a few details of your dates, expected time of arrival and departure.

Also group number, tents, car registrations and visitors.
We will then email  you more information.

Depending on weather and pitch conditions,
we will try to match you up to the best site for your booking.
Please don't move pitch without asking, as it may be booked for a certain time.

Appreciation goes to all those campers who leave the pitch tidy,

free of litter, wood splinters on the grass (grass cutting).

We also value those who leave the rustic tables and chairs

as they found them on the pitches they were intended for.

The legs/stumps of tables and seats, pitch signs might light your fire but not ours!

What we also value are those of you who let us know if you have to cancel your booking.

Holidays take top billing, even yearlong in some parks

While Thanksgiving is upon us, a time when we gather with family and friends to give thanks for the blessings we’ve received, watch football on TV and devise a strategy for the day after Thanksgiving shopping spree, thoughts begin to turn toward the Christmas season. So, it’s only fitting that we look at Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort, named the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds’ (ARVC) Park of the Year in the large park category (251-499 sites) for 2008-09.

The park is in the heart of Christmas, literally with its home in Santa Claus, Ind., and neighbors Holiday World Theme Park & Splashin’ Safari Water Park, a theme park that features rides and fun in the Christmas spirit year-round.

While parts of the Midwest are under snow and the rest is just cold, it may not seem like time to think about camping, but that isn’t true for those at Lake Rudolph. The RVer is top of the list for staff, so while the park is closed, plans are already working for next camping season. It’s that attitude that helped the park earn the award based on national directory ratings, operations excellence and community service, among other areas.
“We are honored to receive this award from our peers in the campground and RV park industry,” said Philip Koch, owner and president of Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort. “My father, Bill Koch, opened Lake Rudolph in 1958. Receiving this award during our 50th anniversary year makes it even more meaningful. I want to thank our tremendous staff for their outstanding efforts, and I especially thank our guests for helping us create the great family atmosphere we have at Lake Rudolph.”
Although sites won’t open to campers until April for weekends and daily starting on May 1, reservations are being accepted now. The season runs through October, and then the first two weekends of November are added before the park closes for the season. The park also runs special HalloWeekends in September and October. For seven weekends, the park is host to families for hay rides, ghost stories, scary movies, a kids carnival, trick or treating from sites, site decorating contests, HallTEEN games and an outdoor dance.

Nearly half of the sites are rentals, so the park can open up the RV experience to numerous visitors who don’t own RVs. Of the park’s 456 sites, it has 19 park model cabins and 197 park trailers permanently located on sites. All of the rentals sleep up to eight and have full kitchens, bathrooms and are equipped with air conditioning. And key to the rental is the care and maintenance that are given to them, complete with housekeeping, said Dave Lovell, marketing director.

And add the pool, mini golf, golf care rentals and free WiFi, and nearly any desires of RVers are met. Lake Rudolph also provides free shuttle service to and from the theme parks.

It’s about customer service. With 100 seasonal workers and an experience management team with Certified Park Operator certification, keying in on the needs of the customer is everyone’s job, Lovell said.

Meeting those needs also means improving the campground. Improvements and expansion have been done every year of the past 11 years. Improvements includes adding and improving WiFi to the entire 160-acre campground, adding a food service facility, custom designed RV rentals, a new shuttle bus and shelters and improvements to the camp store and game room.

All of this is geared at bringing in guests – both RVers and those who have never experienced them before. The rental operations open up the world of RVing to more people each year. They won’t likely forget where that experience came from. So, if you like the idea of trying RVing, think about visiting Rudolph Lake next camping season.

The park allows up to eight people per site, which is also a great deal, and most amenities are included with the site rental. The only exceptions are golf car rentals and paddleboat rentals. And, the park offers discounted tickets to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.

So, whether the weather outside is frightful or delightful, Lake Rudolph opens its gates to RVers beginning in April and would love to have you visit.

Winter Camping not just for warm weather areas

Winter Camping not just for warm weather areas

Snowbird is a term that isn’t new to anyone in the RV and camping world. But there are literal Snowbirds out and about during the winter months – camping in the areas that typically close for the season and enjoying the cold weather in their RVs.

While most RVers either winterize their rigs for the cold winter months or head to warmer climates to enjoy their RV without the cold winds of the north, there are those that embrace colder weather and winter snow while in their RVs. And, there are parks that are willing to accommodate those hardy campers.

The number of campgrounds open for the winter may dim in comparison to those awaiting RVers during the spring, summer and even fall. But those who do open their parks to the winter RVers offer their guests sites and access to wilderness that give them experiences that may be different than in other times of the year.

Riverview RV Park and Campground in Loveland, Colo., is set in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and on the Thompson River. The campground sits at 5,100 feet in elevation and is just 30 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park and the Cache la Poudre River Canyon. RVers can enjoy the splendor of nature and park their RV before ascending higher in the mountains.

AtRivers Edge RV Resort in Brookings, Ore., also opens its sites to RVers during the winter months. Located on the southern Oregon coast, just minutes from the Pacific Ocean, AtRivers Edge is on the banks of the Chetco River. In addition to being near the water, the park also is near the Kalmiopsis wilderness area.

But wherever you decide to take your RV for the winter, seasoned RVers recommend that you have a generator as part of your necessary gear. And, be sure to read all the information about operating the generator in the winter. There are also options to consider for the plumbing system, such as tank heaters.

So, if you truly love RVing and camping and you don’t want to put your rig away for the winter, consider your options. Look for campgrounds that allow winter camping and then make sure you’re prepared. You may have to dig a little snow out of the way for the campfire, but what’s better than a fire in the middle of winter?