Seeking shelter and sustenance whilst walking the Tarka Trail, Jeni Bell checks into eco-friendly cafe and bunkhouse, Yarde Orchard Cafe
As I arrive at Yarde Orchard Cafe, I seem to bring the rains with me. Although after a lengthy walk on the Tarka Trail it feels like a relief, as does the fresh pot of tea and apple cake I’d ordered for my reward. The steady drizzle at East Yarde does nothing to dampen other diners’ spirits. Cutlery clatters on plates, glasses clink and laughter tangles together with bird song to create a soft buzz, amongst the apple and pear trees.
As a handful of sparrows start to squabble over seed on the bird feeders, owner Michelle Stewart bustles past carrying a tray laden with nachos, baguettes, and golden pints of cider for a large group of cyclists on the centre table.
‘Is it always this busy?’ I ask on her return.
‘It comes in waves,’ she smiles. ‘Being right on the trail and part of the Coast-to-Coast route we get lots of cyclists and walkers, but we also get people just out for lunch.’
She nods to a young family, black cocker spaniel at their feet waiting eagerly for any dropped titbits. Michelle doesn’t stop for long, the lunchtime rush is only getting busier, and she heads back to the kitchen where Vince, her husband, is whipping up salads with a dressing to die for, and daughter Alice mans the tills, knowing exactly which of the many delicious homemade cakes to recommend.
Inside the cafe, a freshly clad wooden building, a sofa sits amongst the tables and chairs, and quiet corners look like an inviting way to spend an afternoon. Before being upcycled into an eco-friendly eatery, this building had had many roles.
‘It was either a sailors’ dormitory from Plymouth docks in the 1920s... or an officers’ mess,’ Vince says. ‘No one’s sure which. It was sold at auction in the Sixties and brought here, then they raised turkeys in it.’
In the early 2000s, planning permission was sought to restore it into sustainable holiday accommodation, with a café. And although the owners have changed, the love of nature and the environment have stayed the same.
‘We’d always wanted to run a bed and breakfast,’ Michelle beams. ‘But then we found this place and it was perfect.’ The Stewart family took over Yarde Orchard in 2019, and were soon hit by the difficulties 2020 presented, but they adapted to trying times by offering takeaway service. Although that’s something they try to avoid now.
‘I would hate to see any of our litter on the trail,’ Vince tells me with concern in his voice. ‘And we don’t sell plastic bottles, but we’ll refill water bottles for free.’
‘It’s not just the litter though,’ Alice, who has moved back from London to help run the café, adds. ‘We want people to take it slow, enjoy the place, watch the birds on the birdfeeders.’ It’s clear that this is more than just local produce and great coffee, Yarde Orchard is all about the experience; a chance to find mindful moments in a beautiful setting. And what better setting than an orchard.
‘It’s a working orchard, but not a working orchard, if you know what I mean?’ says Vince.
There are no neat rows here, but a higgledy-piggledy gathering of apple and pear trees which are all made use of. Whether that’s in the apple cake Vince makes or sent off to local cider makers to be turned into apple juice, or the golden pints the cyclists are currently enjoying.
As well as the café and the orchard there is onsite accommodation: a bunkhouse for groups or individuals. Hot water and heating are provided by solar power and wood-fuel, and a small reed-bed purification system treats any waste water. Owl boxes and hedgehog houses provide accommodation for some of the wilder residents, and if you really want to get back to nature then there’s ‘nearly wild’ camping in the bottom field where moorhens forage across the lawn and tawny owls watch from the trees above.
So, whether you’ve walked, cycled, or driven to get here, whether you’re staying overnight with family in the bunkhouse, braving the wilds under Devon’s star-filled skies, or just wanting to spend an afternoon amidst birdsong and apple blossom, at Yarde Orchard you’re sure to find a warm welcome, a mindful moment, and a great slice of cake.
yarde-orchard.co.uk
