The luxury lakeside spa retreat an hour from Manchester with a private heated outdoor pool and loads more

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I stopped once this summer. Festival season hit hard, there was Oasis, the sun was shining for a good chunk of time and everyone was constantly wanting to do stuff. It was fun, but oh so tiring. So when Moddershall Oaks got in touch about a little spa retreat, who was I to say no?

Currently nominated for ‘Best Spa For Wellness’ in the 2025 Good Spa Guide Awards, and previously named ‘Experience of the Year’ at the 2022 Staffordshire Tourism and Good Food Awards, this beautiful country spa has been making waves for a number of years.

Set in 72 acres of private Staffordshire countryside, this gorgeous retreat has a lot to offer – luxurious indoor and outdoor spa facilities, new woodland pods, a newly renovated restaurant and balcony bar, and an extensive menu of spa treatments to enjoy in their cosy former farmhouse. 

The venue is also a stunning location to host a wedding reception, with a wedding taking place during our visit. The lake gives a beautiful backdrop for those all-important pictures.

It’s a warm welcome from the team when we arrive, with a tasty elderflower spritz to enjoy while we fill in our preferences for our spa treatments. We’re shown to our boutique bedroom suite, which is stylishly decorated and has a view of the peaceful green space outside.

With time before dinner, we quickly change into our swim gear and jump straight into the outdoor spa pool, nestled in the central courtyard. Here you can order drinks to the poolside, so full relaxation can commence.

We dine in The Oak House restaurant, which has recently been renovated to an obviously high standard. The team are attentive without being overbearing and make fantastic suggestions for what to try. The menu hosts seasonal produce, with the peppered seabass being a standout. With it being my guest’s birthday, the restaurant team surprised him with a birthday pudding – a wonderful surprise.

We finished our evening with cocktails on the new balcony bar, with fantastic views of the lake and local countryside – a tranquil end to our first day.

Being the keen bean that I am, I was up early to make full use of the fitness facilities. There are classes which you can book onto through the spa reception as part of your stay, but I just made use of their modern gym, which I had all to myself for my workout. A quick sauna to relax the muscles after my session was a welcome addition to the start of my day too.

Breakfast at Moddershall Oaks takes the shape of a continental buffet breakfast, perfect for those, like me, who love a cereal salad (if you know, you know). Being in Staffordshire, I had to opt for the traditional oatcakes, which were delicious. They’re kind of like a pancake, but savoury and also like a wrap? Hard to describe but well worth sampling while you’re in the area.

We enjoyed a short session in the private heated pool, which you have to pre-book. There is even a button you can press to request drinks to be delivered to you – how much more boujee can you get?

My guest enjoyed an orange blossom oil massage, the first time they’d ever had a spa treatment in their 40 years on this earth, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I treated myself to a triple session, with a reflexology foot massage, back, neck and shoulder massage and a facial to finish. I practically floated out of the room, I was that relaxed. I was also completely unconscious from about 8.30pm that night until my alarm went off at 7am the next morning, so something definitely worked.

Within an hour from Manchester, this lavish country spa deserves every accolade and should make its way onto your autumnal itinerary for a well deserved post-summer reset. You won’t regret it.

You can find out more about Moddershall Country Spa and book your trip here.

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Featured image: The Manc Group