Andy Mossack stays at Bainland Lodge Retreats and enters a world of sustainable luxury.
Hidden behind the leafy lanes of Woodhall Spa you’ll find the 45 acres of prime private woodland that is Bainland Lodge Retreats. If the idea of enjoying a secluded countryside escape in luxurious private retreats is your thing, then this resort will be your idea of heaven.
A generous selection of lodges and villas, each with either a private garden space or enclosed terrace, can cater for romantic couples or even large groups of up to 24 guests.
But take it from me this is no simple nod to cashing in on popular trends. It’s a family-run passion project which started from the ground-up incorporating not only luxurious designer styled lodgings but also a clear plan for conservation, sustainability and rewilding.
The Craddock family first saw its potential back in 1999, when they bought what was then a tired and ailing caravan park but sitting on acres of beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds. It seemed a perfect place to reincarnate into a holiday lodge retreat and make the remote beauty of the location front and centre.
After taking over the reins from his father in 2005, Simon Craddock went all in to focus on three core pillars for the business: privacy, luxury and sustainability. Simon has been quoted as saying “We knew we couldn’t make this corner of the Lincolnshire Wolds any more beautiful, so we thought we’d simply try and make it more enticing”. And enticing it certainly is.
With the creative know-how of interior design guru Karen Robson, every inch of Bainland has been meticulously thought through, not only inside the guest spaces but also the immaculately landscaped grounds, barring, of course, any forest, woodland or wildflower areas. On the contrary, there has been much in the way of reforesting, replanting and rewilding under guidance from Jody Lidgard an award-winning landscape designer, together with Lincolnshire’s Riseholme College a leading agricultural institution.
So, it was with much anticipation I arrived at Bainland Lodge Retreats, where a very discreet entrance off Woodhall Spa’s main road, transported me into Bainland’s world of rural serenity.
Luxury Lakeside Lodging.
The warm welcome from the reception team, even though they were temporarily camped inside a container while the final touches to the newly expanded Spa were underway, somehow made it all the more rewarding. Emma explained “You’re in Wolf, one of our lovely one-bedroom lakeside retreats Andy. It’s inspired by American mountain lodges but with a romantic English country twist”.
And frankly I couldn’t have been any nearer to the lake if I tried. It was literally lapping the raised decking of the spacious terrace, which housed a small table bookended by two Adirondack-style chairs, a coffee table and chairs and an impressive Villeroy & Bosch whirlpool hot tub. A quick visit by a curious female duck eager to show off her newly hatched ducklings pretty much completed a perfect lakeside scene for me.
Sliding open the bifold patio doors revealed a richly rustic lounge/kitchen area with an elegant settee and armchair, large flat screen TV, a log burning stove, dining table and chairs and a fully equipped kitchen replete with top of the range Le Creuset cookware and crockery.
Opening a pair of sliding wooden doors revealed an impressively spacious bedroom straight out of the Karen Robson colour-filled woodland portfolio no doubt. A king bed dressed with a luxurious green and grey tartan-like throw, rust cushions and a dark grey headboard framing an autumnal forest scene. A second flat screen TV is on the opposite wall. Plus a surprise in the adjacent narrow but long bathroom – two sinks to accompany a very efficient rainforest shower, excellent fluffy towels and a set of quality towelling robes to complete the ensemble.
This was indeed a rustic mountain retreat with quintessentially English country squire trappings. I was already feeling well at home.
I had a quick look around the rest of the retreats. The lakeside lodges are just one of numerous types and sizes of retreats to suit all guest types, from couples and families to large groups and corporate getaways. All have hot tubs and the bigger ones also have private pools.. Many are wheelchair accessible, and most are pet friendly with closed in gardens for dogs. But all are excellent examples of high-end living.
All-day Dining and Take Out.
The Nest
The best part of a lodge retreat while you’re staying at Bainland is it’s not all about self-catering. The Nest is the main all day dining venue and this cavernous former barn offers good quality fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The open kitchen is fun to watch the chefs at work, the bar has an excellent team of trained mixologists if cocktails are your thing, and there’s a huge terrace to eat al fresco on warm summer evenings. To be honest, it’s almost like a community hub where you could meet other guests if you wanted to be sociable, instead of just enjoying your private enclave. There’s also live music every Wednesday and Saturday evenings from spring to autumn.
The Copper Goose
Your other option is to get your food delivered to your door which is where the Copper Goose delivery service comes in. Scan the QR code in your lodge for the menu, pick your choices and pay and it will be delivered to your door by electric cart.
There’s also the ultimate treat of a private chef to come to your lodge and cook for you.
Get Active
“Be careful when we enter the forest section Andy as some of these trails are a little uneven”. So said Kelly my Segway instructor who was clearly unimpressed with my display of driving skills as I tried to negotiate a nearby tree. That said, I managed to stay upright throughout the hour-long Segway tour which took in two laps of the whole estate and was great fun.
If you’re keen on outdoor activities, you can play tennis and badminton, hire bikes, try some archery and rock wall climbing, and for the young ones, ride in mini Land Rovers. If you prefer just a walk, there are trails around the forest to enjoy the wildlife.
Speaking of which, the wildlife is abundant at Bainland Lodge Retreats. Each evening you’ll find lots of rabbits bobbing around for company, plenty of birdsong every morning and late afternoon and you might even spot a kingfisher or two. There is ample opportunity to see moorhens and resident ducks, many of them nesting ducklings in boxes around the estate. Bainland also has some four-legged friends in the shape of a couple of donkeys and a very friendly goat.
Bainland Lodge Retreats offers everything you would need to enjoy an indulgent luxury woodland retreat. Owner Simon Cradock’s commitment to the environment, respecting the natural world and championing Lincolnshire should be applauded. He has created a beautiful place here, and I can only wonder as to what else he has in store.
Image credit (C) Anthony Cullen.
Tell me more about Bainland Lodge Retreats.
Bainland Lodge Retreats, Horncastle Road, Woodhall Spa,Lincolnshire LN10 6UX
T: 01526 352903 E: bookings@bainland.co.uk
Launching this summer (15th June), Bainland’s new spa facilities will add another layer of indulgence, with treatment rooms for facials and massages, alongside outdoor hot tubs and sun loungers.
Andy stayed in Wolf – A Lakeside Retreat – sleeping up to 2 guests.
One-bedroom lodges start from: £449 for 4 nights
Family lodges start from: £799 for 4 nights
Group stays start from: £1499 for 4 nights
Explore nearby Lincolnshire.
Hard as it might be to tear yourself away from Bainland, it is well worth exploring some Lincolnshire sites nearby.
Historic Woodhall Spa is an easy walk away. Steeped in Victorian elegance when it was serviced by the Great Northern Railway and brought wealthy tourists to the town to bathe in its therapeutic mineral rich spa waters. The Kinema in the Woods is a fun retro cinema experience dating back to 1922 and still uses back projection to run current movies through the week.
The town is also famous as the home of the WW2 617 Squadron nicknamed The Dambusters, whose officers stayed at the Petwood Hotel while training for their famous raid.
Speaking of which, I had the pleasure of visiting this magnificent turn of the century property, once the home of millionairess Lady Grace Emily Weigall, who created the stunning gardens still around the hotel today designed by Harold Peto. There is plenty of WW2 aviation history at Petwood, particularly in the bar and I can recommend the delightful afternoon tea.
Golfers from all over the globe flock to Woodhall Spa Golf Club, which is also the headquarters of the English Golf Union and known as the National Golf Centre.
Finally, a drive around the Lincolnshire Wolds is a worthwhile outing. A different experience from the Cotswolds perhaps, but still a pretty driving or biking circuit through valleys and over hills.
