Nàdarra Spa at The Coniston Hotel Country Estate

Set in the glorious rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, The Coniston Hotel forms part of a leafy, 1,400-acre estate with a shimmering lake at its heart. You’ll find the Nàdarra Spa – with its wide range of indoor and outdoor facilities - in a separate building behind the hotel. If you are staying the night, simply walk across to the spa; day guests can park right outside.

We were warmly greeted in the bright, light reception area and taken to the pre-treatment room to fill in a consultation form and pre-order our lunch. After a refreshing anti-inflammatory drink, we were handed robes and flip flops, taken on a thorough tour of the spa and shown to the changing rooms.

These are large and spacious, with good-sized lockers and a grooming area with large, well-lit mirrors; padded stools; hairdryers (and one pair of straighteners); and plenty of cotton buds and tissues. There is one private changing area for the modest; rather delightfully, the showers contain ishga shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

The glass wall beside the indoor pool makes it very light and airy and - at 16 metres – is large enough (and the right temperature) to swim leisurely lengths.

There are plenty of heat experiences to enjoy, including a hot sauna, a slightly cooler Himalayan salt sauna (which makes you feel like you’re at the seaside), an infrared sauna (good for aching joints), a steam room and a warm bubble pool. Cool down under an experience shower or by using the ice fountain afterwards. One of the two couple’s treatment rooms has a Rasul and a double bath.

Outside on the spa terrace, two hydro pools accommodate eight guests a piece. We loved wallowing in the warm, bubbly water looking out over the green fields down to the lake. You’ll find plenty of recliners. Here, too, are side-by-side freestanding baths to relax in while sipping something fizzy – and drinking in those views.   

The compact post-treatment relaxation room has just enough space for four comfortably padded recliners. Help yourself to water, teas, dishes of fresh fruit and tubs of fruit, nuts and seeds.
 

My husband and I tried a romantic hour in the couple’s treatment room beginning with a Mud Rasul (30 minutes, £25) where – after applying mud to one another – we sat in a gentle steam room before washing it off under a hot shower. Next came an indoor bath experience in a tub so huge there were no arguments over who might end up at the tap end. Detoxifying salts fizzed away while we drank a glass of fizz. A lovely way to get clean – and begin our spa treatment.

We then tried the Aromatherapy Associates Forest Therapy (60 mins, £95), designed to lift away the stresses and strains of modern urban life.

My therapist, Nam, began with guided breathing and inhalations to relax me, followed by deep flowing massage strokes on my back and shoulders. Nam then poured warm mud onto my hands and feet and wrapped them in sheets – the mud is meant to both ground and make guests feel like they are in touch with the earth. While I communed with nature, Nam massaged my head.

My spa partner tried the Ishga Marine Back Treatment (60 mins £95) and returned glowing from a heated seaweed algae mask that had warmed his back in preparation for a thorough back and leg massage.

Finally, we both tried the Private Garden Bath Experience (45 mins, £49), side-by-side tubs on a terrace where you can soak in warm water whilst soaking up the wonderful views down and across the valley. A clear waist-high screen kept the Yorkshire breezes at bay, and there were plenty of fluffy towels at hand when it was time to dry off. A very relaxing end to our spa day.

Nàdarra Spa has plenty to entice the spa-goer, including facials, massages and body treatments from ishga, Aromatherapy Associates, OTO, and Natura Bissé, as well as some more unusual treatments from ‘Moments of Restful Sleep’ to ‘Inner Strength and Resilience’.

Nàdarra Spa also runs yoga retreats, meditation, mindfulness classes and Pilates.

Spa lunches are served to guests in their robes in the Blossom Kitchen with its large menu of dishes for both breakfast and lunch.

The Bento boxes are technically reserved for afternoon tea, but we asked for our lunch to be served in them – a visual delight as well as a taste hit.  

Thankfully, the Kimchi salad to start was a sharp contrast to the one I tried in Korea years ago (with its 20 different versions of fermented cabbage): fresh, crisp and very morish. Pulled pork Bao Buns and vegetable spring rolls were then served, followed by fruit scones with a pear jam; lemongrass, lychee and poppyseed drizzle cake; brownies and macarons.

Guests staying overnight can dine in the hotel’s restaurant, The View, with its glass walls affording stunning vistas of the valley and the lake below. There’s also a large terrace for diners to sit outside on sunny days.

The menu of British classics includes starters such as Ham Hock Terrine and Seared Scallops, hearty mains of Venison and Bangers & Mash and traditional puds such as Eton Mess, Earl Grey Shortbread and Sticky Toffee Pudding.

We opted for a rich and pretty Pigeon breast dish served with beetroot, radish and edible flowers. My spa partner opted for a light and tasty pan-fried cod with crushed Jersey Royals, crispy Samphire, tomatoes and capers. 

We loved

The spa terrace: two good-sized hydro-pools and plenty of well-padded recliners tempt almost everyone to spend as much time outside as possible. There’s even Pimm’s on tap at the spa bar with waiters to deliver drinks to loungers.

The range of treatments and products: the luxurious Natura Bissé products make a visible difference to the skin; Aromatherapy Associates encourage calmness, while OTO offers healing and restorative treatments.

The views: this piece of ‘God’s own country’ is heavenly with green, green trees and rolling hills where sheep safely graze, ponies trot by - and fishermen sit quietly by the lake in hope of catching supper.

We didn’t love

The walk across to the spa from the hotel. Hotel guests are asked to dress in their robe and slippers before going over to the spa.  Granted, it’s not far but could be a problem on a wet and windy day.

The lockers in the changing rooms proved particularly difficult to get into. 

Anyone after wellness with a side of indulgence: the treatments are pretty amazing, the food delicious with some lovely treats, and the spa concierge makes you feel well looked after.

Those in need of relaxation: we defy anybody not to feel at one with the world whilst sitting in a hot tub looking down onto a lake and the hills beyond.
 
Treatment aficionados: whether you need a good massage after walking in the Dales or some expert attention for your skin, the therapists know what they are doing - and good quality products make a real difference.

We awarded Nàdarra Spa at The Coniston Hotel a Good Spa Guide Bubble Rating of 5 Bubbles for its excellent treatments, good service and tantalising food. The spa is quite small but careful timing of sessions prevents it feeling overcrowded.

Sybaritic Spy visited in July 2022 and awarded it 5 Bubbles.