I stayed here with friends at the end of January to celebtrate a 30th birthday. We were housed in three of the lodges which were all built and designed to the same specifications but some are dog friendly. They all had well equipped fitted kitchens, wet room and 3 well sized double bedrooms. The lodges were clean and tastefully decorated and had log burning stoves of which logs were plentiful. There was an initial basket of logs which were complimentary and if you required more you could just help yourself and put £3 in a tin next to the fireplace. Theres was a small welcome hamper for your arrival which contained a nice selection of breakfast foods, bread, jam, tea etc. The lodges themselves are in close proximity to Richmond, a short drive or there are maps to go through the countryside on foot. We walked into Richmond which was a pleasant easy walk that took around an hour at a very leisurely pace. I would highly recommend these lodges as a place to stay to get away from it all, waking up to the wildlife and the beautiful views of the countryside. Watch out for the masses of rabbits if you are arriving at night! Also the turn off from the main road isn't very obvious as its just a stone plaque in the wall which isn't lit up so we did pass it by mistake and had to turn back! Top tip is to take a torch as its pitch black on the site apart from the low lighting once you are at the lodges.

We spent a long weekend with friends (and their dog) in a family lodge.

We were sent directions and telephone numbers to contact staff and let them know when we would be arriving.

I arrived first after work on Thursday evening. It was already dark at 5pm. I almost missed the sign at the entrance to the site, then drove to the reception. The "roads" on the site are unmade (somewhat rutted) gravel tracks that are just wide enough for one vehicle. They are also quite steep. There is no lighting whatsoever. The gentleman on reception was very friendly and described how to get to our lodge. He had turned on the lodge lights and put on the heating anticipating our arrival - very helpful as it was freexing.

I drove down to the lodge (no. 5) and tried to make my way from the car parking bay to the front door - about 20 metres. I couldn't see a thing (despite the lodge lights being on) - including the little wooden bridge in front that was very slippery. There are no outside lights on the site to "preserve the natural ambience."

I had to put a code into a key box to get the key out. I could hardly see the box let alone the numbers on it! Luckily I had a torch in the car. I managed to gain access and go back and forth a couple of times to get my luggage etc. It was quite slippery.

My friends arrived an hour of so later and I was able to lend them my torch.

Next morning it was extremely icy. My friend went out for a run with the dog and ended up having to walk across the grass and on her hands and knees across the decking to the front door - the gravel paths were treacherous. The ice was set in until midday. Someone came round throwing grit onto some of the pathways but seemed to miss ours out. Maybe we could have a had a little supply of grit to use for our decking at least?

The family lodge was very clean and well equipped. A welcome hamper with organic local goodies was very good. There was a lovely woodburner that we used every evening, although the central heating was more than adequate. Wood was provided in the lodge, with extra supplies on the decking round the back. The recycling bins were also there - we weren't able to access that for a while because of the slippery ice on the decking!

It's a lovely site set in an old quarry, and even in winter looked lovely and rural. In summer, with treees in leaf it would be very nice. There were various other lodges occupied - mostly families and a group celebrating a 40th birthday.

The two bathrooms were spotless - an en-suite with shower and a family bathroom with bath and shower over. There were two double bedrooms rooms and a twin. The furniture was clean and modern with (very creaky) laminate flooring throughout the lodge. The soundproofing between rooms was non-existent also. Not ideal if one of you (or the kids) wants to go to bed early and others stay up.

There are lots of great walks from the site with Richmond about 20 mins away - downhill. Dogs are welcome in some of the lodges and must be kept on a lead on site. There are lots of rabbits, pheasants and coots that are very tempting for a dog to chase.

All in all it was a lovely weeked and the lodges are very well equipped. Just remember to take a torch......

Just returned from a fantastic three night stay at Natural Retreats in Richmond,

I booked 3 bed lodges for 9 of us to spend three nights over new year following a recommendation from a friend. The lodges were very impressive and just as good as their photos, upon arrival we were met by the site manager who had already called the day before to see if there was anything else we would need.

Richmond is a locally market town, its within walking distance but unless you are an avid walker I would drive or call a taxi like we did (£4-£5). We took advantage of the very friendly concierge service (if booking I would recommend giving them a call) who had booked us into the Anatolia Indian Restaurant and the Kings Head Hotel both of which were superb.

I will definitely be back.

Returned from a wonderful weekend break at Natural Retreats in the Richmond Yorkshire. Stayed from Friday to Monday with family and dog.

Really impressed with the accommodation and would describe as dog friendly and luxury which often do not go hand in hand. Thought the organic food hamper was a nice touch.

The lodge has wooden floor and leather settee perfect for walkers with a pet. The 3 bedrooms (all doubles) were a good size and the open plan living area worked well for us. The fire although not required as the heating was more than adequate was lovely to have on in the evening.

The kitchen had everything you need to cook full meals even Sunday lunch or a Full English Breakfast. Most things were provided i.e. dishwasher tablets and cleaning solutions. It is also worth mentioning that there is a washer / dryer should you need it but they did not provide the washing tablets for this.

The staff were also very helpful even informing that there was no rush for us to leave on the Monday as they had no cleaning staff in that day so we were able to take our time packing.

On the Saturday we walked from the lodge to a country lane were we started a planned walk - which was vey enjoyable with fantastic views. We finished the evening with a take-away from the local Chinese a 5 minute drive away 'New Treasure Garden' which although pricey approx £8.00 per main was beautiful and worth the money.

On the Sunday we walked from the lodge down a quiet country lane into the town which was down bank approx 1.5 miles. We then visited 'The Station' for a Starbucks (also there a cinema and swimming pool) and walked back to the town along the river towards the waterfall and castle.

When back at the town we followed the smell of Christmas cake to a local bakery 'Edwina's Cakes' for a home made cake before returning back to the lodge. Would defo recommend a visit to this bakery was served by Edwina herself and the cakes were yummy.

In the area there is a big Co-op for any essentials you might need.

I should mention that the dog was tormented by the amount of rabbits on the grounds of the lodge, especially since we could see them from the large windows of the lodge.

Had a wonderful break and we would not hesitate in returning next year.