My next weekend escape is in the small but neatly formed county of Rutland situated in the East Midlands. Rutland is arguably the smallest county in England measuring approximately 17 miles wide by 18 miles in length. In the middle of the county is Rutland Water reservoir, which is also a nature reserve, a breeding site for ospreys and is a great place for entertaining the family.
We have visited the county of Rutland a few times now and have found that although bijoux, if you are the outdoorsy type there is enough to keep an energetic family buzzing for 48 hours or the more laid back and chilled out can relax whilst listening to the sound of...well probably nothing!
Our chosen campsite for this bargain breakaway is Lyndon Top Caravan Park. Don’t be deceived by its name: if you are imagining rows of caravans neatly lined up next to each other, where your pitch size is an area the size of a postage stamp, fear not. This is a spacious, peaceful 112 acre campsite, with a ‘camp where you like’ attitude. Lyndon Top sits right on the shores of Rutland Water reservoir, just a stone’s throw away from the water’s edge; the sound of tweeting birds and the hum of motor boats in the distance.
Lyndon Top is a complete bargain at just £10.00 per unit (a unit being a caravan, tent, campervan, trailer tent, car tent etc) per night. That’s right; you don’t pay for the kids, the dog, the awning and all the other things the other campsites charge for, taking your hard earned cash. Now let me make this clear for you, Lyndon Top does have toilets, however they are very basic, it doesn’t have electric hook up, but see that as a chance to escape your technology. There are no showers: just make sure you have one before you leave. It is just a very spacious field in a great location.
On our last visit we stayed over the late bank holiday weekend in May. We camped with a group of friends and although the campsite was busier than on our previous visits there was still plenty of room to spread out. My top tip, if you want to camp overlooking the water, is get there early in the day.
As I have mentioned before, where-ever you go always do your research. I can’t stress this enough. Before we decided to return to Lyndon Top, I researched a little more to find out what we could do in the area on the cheap or even better for free.
Rutland is a small county which means it only has a few major towns, one of those happens to be a 7 minute drive away or a 4.3 mile walk. Oakham has a small castle in the town and luckily the weekend we visited, there was a medieval event taking place, which was great for the kids. They got to dress up, have a go at archery, watch master craftsmen make their wares and watch a reenactment all for the amazing price of …absolutely nothing!
The town is worth a little walk around, it has free museum, lots of eateries but no McDonalds (until I typed this post and then low and behold, one gets approval to be built) or you could purchase a treasure trail of Oakham for £9.99 from https://www.treasuretrails.co.uk/ and take on a spy mission whilst learning the history of the town.
Back to the Water…
Directly from the campsite is a cycle path which goes all the way around the reservoir, so it’s an ideal
campsite for the kids to have an adventure and burn off some energy. There are also numerous adventure playgrounds dotted around the water, a small insect zoo called Bugtopia, mini golf and even a beach! On another occasion we went to the Whitwell visitor centre, and hired a rowing boat, however there are other forms of water transport you could hire if you fancy getting the adrenaline pumping a little. This is a great way to spend the afternoon, bobbing around on the little ripples produced by other boats and water sport enthusiasts. There is an inflatable aqua park and you can also catch the Rutland Belle here for a cruise around the reservoir. You can find out prices and more about the visitor centre and activities by clicking the link https://anglianwaterparks.co.uk/
After the sun goes down...
Once the sun has gone down and as with any other camping trip there has to be the staple marshmallow toasting, it’s just not a camping trip without them. You could also try other campfire goodies on your fire, but remember the best way to do it is to let the kids get gooey. The food will just taste a lot better.
It’s always a good idea to plan what you need for entertainment in the evenings, whether that be games, food or other great activities. On this trip we decided we would have a go at star gazing. We have a basic telescope but this can be done with the natural eye as well. So with telescope set up and a printed copy of the night sky in our hands we endeavoured to find stars that we couldn’t always pronounce the names of and look at planets that were appearing as the sun went down. The kids enjoyed this, however we have since discovered an app called Skyview which is available for Android and Iphone users. This app, once downloaded can be pointed at the sky and the app will let you know what astronomical delights you are looking at. It also magnifies the stars and points out other stars in the constellation.
So although this is a small campsite, it does have a mighty punch, for the budget conscious traveller. There is plenty to do for everyone whether a nature lover or adventure junkie with several options for your purse or wallet. This campsite will have you coming back for more as it’s a perfect weekend delight without the strain on your bank balance.
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