Local Businesses: A couple in Delhi offers camping and more on sites in the countryside.business news

Amanda and Christopher Dwelyng traded city life for a campsite.

The pair launched Steady Slope Fields and Forest at 481 John Williams Road, Delhi in 2019 after purchasing 60 acres of land in 2018.

Amanda Dwelyng, 41, said it was a family member who brought them up north.

“(Christopher) is from the Midwest and I’m from the East Coast and we met in Brooklyn,” she said. “We got pregnant, but I didn’t want to have a child in the city. Anyway, I was there for 15 years and I was ready to leave. So I knew some farmers in the area, stayed with someone in Roxbury, found a real estate agent in the area, came in one weekend, looked at 17 places, found this house. We had never been to Delhi—I had never been to the Catskills before I lived here.

Dwelyng says family has proven to be important again in establishing Steady Slope.

“We moved here without a job. I had this new baby and was breastfeeding the whole time, so I lay down on the phone and found out about this kind of camp,” she said. she said.

“We had the first campers pick a spot on our property and pitch their tents…and it started from there. Summer we had a primitive campervan with maybe 5-10 people, next summer, 2020 when COVID started we had 4 designated campsites and every weekend, summer During the pandemic, people weren’t able to travel abroad, state parks weren’t open, and many campgrounds were closed, so we stayed open. It was one of the few places available for camping. Primitive camping was very popular that year as people were trying to get out of the city.

Steady Slope started out as a primitive camp, but Dwelling says sites and equipment have been added continuously. A room in the 3,000-square-foot house can also be rented on a monthly basis, she said.

“It was in August 2020 when someone we knew was going to dispose of a canvas tent and asked us if he We made it a Ping-style site,” she said. Wooden platform, wood burning stove, queen size bed and rug. “We got permission for four sites in January 2022. One canvas tent listed on Hipcamp and Airbnb, three basic sites. Because we were trying to figure out how to attract people and how to make our property stand out.We love saunas and Christopher had a lot of experience on the farm where he worked in saunas. We did the research, bought the kit, had someone build it, and that was Thanksgiving 2019.”

The sauna is a separate wooden unit with an adjoining cold plunge bath and outdoor shower, according to media releases.

Dwelyng said the sauna is available to “friends and locals, Monday nights for women, Thursday nights at 7pm” and can be added to reservations. People who want to reserve a space for the six-person sauna should inquire in advance, she said.

According to Dwelyng, campers enjoy what the Steady Slope has to offer.

“The main thing that people seem to like about the site is the privacy and proximity it offers.It is very close to our house and car park and 10 minutes from Delhi and the Andean town.” she said. “But when you walk up to the campground, all you see is the Catskill hills. It’s got a great view, with trees and woods in the background, and it’s very lonely. People like it.”

According to Dwelyng, customers represent a mixture.

“It’s a lot of Downstate and New York City, but we’re getting[campers]from Massachusetts,” she said. We’re getting some people from the West, and Pennsylvania.

“I think it’s mostly couples, but we got it all,” continued Dwelling. “Some people brought their children to the camp. Over the past few years he has had 200 stays and maybe 20 he has brought children and families. Mostly anniversaries and birthdays. It’s a couple coming to

Dwelling and Christopher said they hope to continue expanding while increasing educational opportunities.

“We had a[camping]weekend for kids[earlier this year]and next year we hope to be able to offer camp to more families and people who are new to camping,” she said. said.

“And I have some new local friends who do things…like a winter camp (workshop) on survival skills with Timo (the Andean witch). I also have some friends who want to hunt. So this year I’m doing it from time to time, and next year I’d like to organize a workshop on land and forestry with my friend Zara (Bellucci).

“One of our dreams is to expand the campground and add three more sites. We want to create a night where we can cook in,” continued Dwelyng. “I love flowers and cut flowers and I can give them to my guests, so we will expand our vegetable garden. We also want to expand our edible garden. We have a few plots ready to provide more vegetables to the farm, and we have also started U-picking fruit trees and blueberries on a smaller scale.”

Email for more information host@steadyslope.comfollow @steadyslope on Instagram or call 607-746-2799.