Lilypod Channel 4 Worlds Most Secret Hotels airs Saturday 9th May at 8pm, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you.
Lilypod is a collection of three hand-built floating glamping pods in Devon, set on a private lake on the edge of Dartmoor. If the show sparked something in you, you’re in the right place.
Behind the Scenes of World’s Most Secret Hotels
The Lilypod Channel 4 Worlds Most Secret Hotels filming took place fifteen months ago, in January.. which felt a little daunting at the time. I’d imagined the crew arriving in summer, the lake glittering, the wildflowers out, Lilypod at its most obviously beautiful. Instead they came in the depths of winter, when the valley was quiet and bare and the fire in the wood burner felt like the most important thing in the world.
Looking back, I think it was perfect.
Winter is when Lilypod reveals a different kind of magic. The dark skies are sharper, the stillness deeper, the warmth of the pod more earned. It’s the season we most want people to discover, and now, thanks to Channel 4, perhaps they will.
For Jenny and I, it was our first time in front of a camera.
That first morning, with a lens pointed directly at your face, is a genuinely strange experience. But the crew were with us for two full days, around ten hours each day, and somewhere in the middle of all that, it just became normal(ish). You forget the camera is there (kinda). You stop performing and start just being more natural. By the end we knew the cameramen well, kept them going with bacon sandwiches, and honestly had a brilliant time.
Film Crew
At the time of filming, Lapwing was still being built. The crew captured some of that process, me doing what I do best, making things with my hands, piece by piece. Two friends generously stepped in as guests, which felt wonderfully apt. Lilypod has always been built on that kind of warmth.
Wild swimming wasn’t part of the January filming, though the lake holds a quiet appeal for those drawn to cold water. But the fires were lit, the canoes were on the water, and the lake was as peaceful as it always is.
The crew also ventured beyond the lake to capture the wider world of Alder Farm.
They filmed at Alder Vineyard, a single estate vineyard producing wine just a 5 minute stroll from the pods, every grape grown, harvested and crafted on the same land you’re staying on, with the soul of Alder Farm in every bottle. The vineyard has won awards and the wines are genuinely worth exploring during your stay. They also visited Westloaf, where Penny creates the kind of homemade granola, brownies and guest treats that you’ll find waiting for you at the pods, the sort of thing you’ll be trying to recreate at home for months afterwards:)
We have three pods now, Heron, Kingfisher and Lapwing, all floating on the same private Devon lake that you’ll see on screen. If you’d like to experience Lilypod for yourself, we’d love to welcome you.
Watch Lilypod on Channel 4’s World’s Most Secret Hotels, Saturday 9th May at 8pm.
Lilypod Channel 4 Worlds Most Secret Hotels
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the floating pods on Channel 4’s World’s Most Secret Hotels? The floating pods featured on the show are Lilypods- three hand-built glamping pods on a private lake on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon.
Where are the floating glamping pods in Devon? Lilypod sits on a reclaimed quarry lake at Alder Farm, near Lydford on the western edge of Dartmoor National Park.
Is the Devon glamping lake on World’s Most Secret Hotels available to book? Yes – Lilypod has three pods, Heron, Kingfisher and Lapwing, all floating on the same private Devon lake you’ll see on screen.
Is Lilypod adults only? Yes, Lilypod is an adults only, dog free retreat designed for couples looking for a proper escape.
Does Lilypod have a vineyard? Yes – Alder Vineyard is a single estate vineyard just a 5 minute stroll from the pods, producing wine from grape to bottle on the same farm.