Pepperwood Pods review: a blissful Lincolnshire glamping retreat (with hot tub!)

Pepperwood Pods is a calm and luxurious glamping retreat on the threshold of the Lincolnshire Wolds. We spent two wonderful nights here with ambitions to do nothing but relax, enjoy our private hot tub and the glorious views across the countryside. The pods are open all year, so you don’t need to wait until next summer to treat yourselves to a romantic weekend or wellness getaway.

Ready to hit the book button? Hold on a moment. Here’s our honest Pepperwood Pods review to help you decide, including what we loved about it and things you can do nearby.

This site contains links to accommodation we think you’ll love, which we may make commission from at no extra cost to you. We paid for our own stay at Pepperwood Pods and this article is not sponsored. This is our honest review based on personal experience.

Pepperwood Pods: Lincolnshire glamping with a hot tub

When a glamping site only has six pods, you already get the impression it’s going to have a special and exclusive feel.

Pepperwood Pods prioritises quality over quantity, which was clear to see as we drove up on an autumn Friday afternoon. The six barrel-shaped cabins are pleasingly spaced out on a sort of raised shelf on the edge of the Wolds, a natural balcony for gazing out across the rolling hills and woods.

The pods are individually named and decorated with their own quirks, but each has a similar setup. Inside, there is a large bedroom with storage space and an en-suite shower room, plus a kitchenette and lounge area.

Outside, each has a decked terrace with a hot tub, table and chairs facing onto that countryside view. And around to the side is an enclosed little campfire area. It all feels very cosy and secluded.

The site is entirely dog-friendly too, which is an essential requirement for us. We wouldn’t go for a luxury hot-tub glamping weekend without bringing our lurcher Regan along!

Our first impressions: a look inside Pepperwood Pods

Our stay at Pepperwood Pods wasn’t for any old weekend away; I had booked it as a treat for Lisa’s 40th birthday. For occasions like this you can buy packages to ramp up the indulgence and get the celebrations started.

So, I pre-booked a bottle of Prosecco (you can get Champagne too, but Lisa loves Prosecco!), which we found laid out with rose petals and red heart-shaped chocolates. A classy arrival to set the tone for a relaxing weekend! It was also toasty warm inside thanks to the central heating.

We had the pod called “The Fox’s Den”, with a glorious unabated view directly onto the fields. Ahead of arriving we stocked up on wine, charcuterie and some bougie breakfast stuff, so it was good to find that the fridge had ample space to fit everything, along with a few cans of IPA!

The kitchen area was also equipped with an oven and hob, microwave, kettle and toaster, so we could have happily holed up there the whole weekend, with no pressure to go anywhere or do anything. This space was combined with a sofa, TV, little table and chairs, and with ample space for Regan’s bed.

Wifi was not high on our list of priorities for such a remote getaway, but I did need to sort my fantasy football team, and so it was good to find the connection was strong when required.

Into the bedroom, I am sure I’m not the only one who likes to immediately flump onto the bed at a new accommodation to give it the comfy test. This one passed with ease! Beautifully soft with plush bedding, and the wardrobe area had our bathrobes ready to go for the hot tub.

All that left was to sit back, indulge and enjoy.

Wine and charcuterie with a view

We had brought enough wine, meats, cheeses and other nibbles to have a charcuterie board on our terrace both nights.

The clouds cleared away to leave a brilliant evening sky as if just for us, but we would have been ok even with a barrage of rain, as the terrace is well covered.

Whatever you plan to have for dinner, it’s best to make the most of this gorgeous outdoor space.

Quiet nights of hot tub drinks, campfire chats and stargazing

This little corner of Lincolnshire really is in the outback of the county. You have to drive 20 minutes to reach the nearest town from Pepperwood Pods. Other than the occasional whoosh of a passing car, the evenings are stone quiet. You can hear hedgehogs rustling in the bushes in the next field.

We didn’t wait until after dark to test out the hot tub; that was pretty much the first thing we did with a glass of Prosecco in hand. But late-night dips are just the best! It’s so blissfully warm as you first step in against the contrast of the evening chill, all made even more atmospheric by the rising steam.

A stock of firewood and lighters was provided, along with a large bag of chunky marshmallows, and so we made use of the little camping den on our first evening.

I had purposefully booked a weekend when it would be new moon, so that the famous big Lincolnshire sky would be at its starry brightest. It’s definitely worth checking the moon phases before you book to optimise this. With the clouds subsided, we were treated to a dazzling starscape both nights.

A day of leisurely activities near Pepperwood Pods

Ok, I said at the top that we had ambitions to do nothing but relax during our stay at Pepperwood Pods. But our adventurous nature is hard to suppress, so we decided to have a day out, keeping it at a slow pace.

Walks in the Lincolnshire Wolds

Pepperwood Pods sits on the southern edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, riddled with public footpaths and bridleways. You can wander in any direction and soon find yourself surrounded by rolling fields, wooded hills and quiet country lanes.

The village of Hagworthingham is a 2-minute drive or 20-minute walk from the glamping site. If you head there, it’s a good base for various marked trails that foray northwards into the Wolds.

We’ve done other walks in this area of the Wolds. Hop in the car for 10 minutes or so and you can reach a scenic 12-kilometre circular walk encompassing Belchford, Fulletby, Salmonby and Tetford. This is one of our go-to routes for enjoying the quintessential landscape of the Wolds, with a hearty pub lunch along the way.

This time we were after a shorter walk with the dog, so we just headed north from Pepperwood Pods along the country lanes up to a village called Harrington and then back. If you want to go further, you can continue onwards to Brinkhill, or turn west towards Bag Enderby, where the lane joins a popular loop trail from Hagworthingham.

We had started quite late in the morning so it was soon time to start thinking about our next mission: a pub lunch!

A village pub lunch at the Red Lion Inn, Raithby

Lincolnshire’s village pubs are in many ways the heart and soul of the county’s communities, and we rarely have a weekend away without visiting one for lunch.

There are several options within a few minutes’ drive from Pepperwood Pods. We opted for a homely-looking place called The Red Lion Inn in nearby Raithby.

This really is a proper village pub, set in a Grade II listed building and dating back to the 18th century. You step inside to that familiar warmth of a low beamed ceiling, dogs curled up under tables and in corners, and a bartender chatting away with local regulars in for lunch and a pint of real ale.

We settled in to a cosy little table next to a fireplace, which wasn’t lit given the time of year, but it did provide a good spot for Regan to stretch out. Choosing from a menu consisting of authentic British pub fayre, Lisa went for fish and chips while I had a steak and ale pie.

The food was homemade, hearty and delicious, everything you want after a refreshing walk in the countryside. We don’t always go for dessert, but I couldn’t resist trying the mixed autumn berry Eton mess on offer, giving a sense of how the menu varies seasonally. A satisfying lunch all round.

Wandering the ruins of Bolingbroke Castle

I noticed on Google Maps that from the Red Lion Inn, it was only about 5 minutes’ drive to reach the ruins of Bolingbroke Castle. I had been before, as detailed in our guide to Bolingbroke Castle, but Lisa hadn’t, so we decided to head there after lunch for a walk around.

Old Bolingbroke village is home to the excavated ruins of a castle that was originally built in the 13th century. Thanks to the team at Heritage Lincolnshire it has been remarkably well maintained, and while there are only foundations and walls remaining, you can get a real sense of how the castle was laid out.

Many sections and rooms of the castle are intact, and you can walk among the ruins freely. As you go, you will see illustrations of the original castle with insights and commentary about the history and famous occupants.

The castle is also dog-friendly, so it was perfect for some leg-stretching after lunch with a sprinkling of historical intrigue, before heading back to our pod. Then, nothing but pure relaxation and indulgence for the rest of the day!

A proper cooked breakfast at JJ’s Cafe

On our last morning at Pepperwood Pods, a slow Sunday, there was still time for a last dip in the hot tub. Instead of having breakfast at the pod, though, we decided to drive around the corner to Hagworthingham and try JJs Cafe.

This is the kind of place you might describe as a “greasy spoon” – an independent village café that does proper fry-ups. No pretentious nonsense here!

The interior is much bigger than the humble café front gives away, and the heavy dark-wood tables make it feel a bit less basic than a regular village café. Retro and music-themed posters on the walls give it a quirky feel, which we enjoyed just as much as the troop of bikers who passed through on a Harley-Davidson tour.

The fried breakfasts are reasonably priced and are deliciously home-cooked with proper ingredients, especially the fat and juicy Lincolnshire sausages. Just the fuelling we needed for an hour’s drive back to Lincoln to continue our slow Sunday at home.

Book your stay at Pepperwood Pods.

For another Lincolnshire countryside getaway, read our review of The Stables in Firsby.

Have you been luxury glamping in Lincolnshire? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

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