A luxury North Yorkshire country estate is drawing glowing reviews from guests.
The woodland-inspired spa is complete with a heated outdoor pool, panoramic sauna and outdoor hot tubs surrounded by rolling countryside.
Middleton Lodge Estate, near Richmond, opened its Forest Spa in June 2023 as part of an ongoing 20-year restoration project.
The spa was designed by creative director Rebecca Tappin and inspired by the Japanese concept of forest bathing.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The spa sits in the estate’s Old Farm and centres on a 15m by 7m heated outdoor pool described as “elemental and inviting”.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Guests can warm up by the log-burning stove in the pool house, while the thermal spa offers a panoramic sauna, steam room, stone plunge pool and fireside relaxation area.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
There are also outdoor hot tubs and six treatment huts, including two bathing huts with traditional tin baths and wood-burning stoves.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The spa welcomes hotel guests and day visitors and has won glowing reviews since opening.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
One five-star reviewer wrote: "Visited the spa yesterday with my daughter and had a lovely time.
"Setting is beautiful and the facilities were excellent."
The guest praised the pool, hot tubs, treatment areas and relaxation facilities, calling the staff “lovely” and the experience “highly recommended”.
Middleton Lodge now boasts 4.7 stars from almost 1,000 Google reviews, with many guests highlighting the quality of the spa, restaurants and accommodation.
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The estate also hosts weddings and events. Owner James Allison said its vision was to preserve the welcoming atmosphere while creating new experiences for visitors.
He said: "The estate is still growing, still opening up new spaces, with guests at the centre of it and a love of the landscape driving how we build and how we grow.
"Food sits at the centre of it. Both restaurants follow an estate-to-plate approach, guided by what is growing here and by the season.
"We hope you feel at home."
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
The estate’s history dates back more than 240 years.
Renowned York architect John Carr designed the main house for George Hartley, whose family made its fortune in local mining, and it was completed in 1780.
In the early 19th century, Leonard Hartley turned Middleton Lodge into a working farm and country estate, which it remained for more than 100 years.
By the late Victorian era, prominent local families including the Backhouses and Peases were renting the main house.
The Allison family bought the estate in 1980 and began the ambitious restoration programme that continues today.
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The Main House reopened for exclusive use in 2005, while The Coach House followed in 2014, bringing luxury accommodation and dining facilities to the estate.
Today, guests can stay in restored Georgian buildings, former farmhouses and converted estate buildings that combine historic character with modern luxury.
The privately owned estate covers 200 acres and includes 59 bedrooms and two restaurants, alongside its event spaces and leisure facilities.