Review of Yarde Bunkhouse, Devon, England

> For contact details, availability and booking, see greentraveller's full listing of Yarde Bunkhouse

The Rooms
There are two dormitory rooms and one family room in a separate annex. This is a bunkhouse, so the beds are, not surprisingly, bunks. Although there is a wrought iron double bed in the family room. Prices are from under £12 pppn, if you bring your own sleeping bag. Bedding an extra £2 pp. Rooms are clean and light, with views out onto the peaceful, wooded disused railway line, now The Tarka Trail cycle route. The rooms are warm, but you need to keep the wood burning stove topped up in winter. There are basins in the dorms and showers downstairs, with an ensuite bathroom in family room. Kitchen is clean,  with all basic equipment. For those who like to see Devon's clear skies, you can also stay in one of Yarde's traditional 2-person Vango tent, or their 3-person yurt. 

The Food
David Job, who built the wooden bunkhouse, also runs the Yarde Orchard café, just a few metres away from the bunkhouse. With plenty of homemade, organic pizzas, lasagne, salads and cakes, as well as excellent coffee, you won’t go hungry here. The Yarde Orchard Cafe's specialty is the Cyclists’ Breakfast to set you up for the day, or tuck into when you come back from an early cycle. Menu: smoked bacon, local sausages, free-range eggs and organic baked beans.

The activities
Cycling and more cycling, all off road, so fab for families, with only one steep hill, which is close to the bunkhouse, so you can bribe kids with organic ice cream when they get to the top. Head for Instow, a small town on the sandy banks of the estuary where the Rivers Taw and Torridge meet, and ideal for paddling or into the pretty local market town of Torrington. There seems to be two of everything here. Two greengrocers, two butchers and two bakers. The Green Lantern, on the town square, a bakery with café, is a must. I felt as if I had stepped into a Hovis ad, with racks of iced buns, scones and enormous warm squidgy loaves being emptied from their baking tins onto the shelves.

The Green
Sensitively designed wooden building, the exterior boarding all mid-Devon grown Western red cedar. This eco-friendly bunkhouse has solar-powered hot water, wood-burning range, rainwater harvesting, recycled newspaper insulation and a reed bed system to deal with water waste naturally. The wood for the burner is sourced from orchard prunings, and David has also reached a management agreement with the Northern Devon Coast and Countryside Service to coppice 30 metre compartments annually along the trail near Yarde on a 10 year rotation.

The Journey
Take the train with First Great Western to Barnstaple and start cycling. If you don’t have bikes with you, hire them on the station platform at Tarka Trail Cycle Hire (phone 01271 324202 to book in advance in high season). The Tarka Trail starts a couple of hundred metres from the station so you are off road almost immediately. We took a gentle three hour cycle along the Trail, arriving in through Yarde Orchard’s gates in time for afternoon tea. With a couple of stops for snacks and shandies at some of the converted railway stations along the way. The Tarka Trail travels through myriad landscapes, from primrose covered woodland, to estuarine bird-watchers’ paradise.

Top tip
If you want to be guaranteed great food in the fridge on arrival, pre-order fine Devon fare for delivery from Red Earth Kitchen, to be there in advance, or ask David to keep you some of his famous pizzas. Also worth ordering a map of The Tarka Trail in advance from Sustrans. Also check out some of Yarde's special events, such as music weekends featuring local musicians.

Verdict
Basic and small bunkhouse, where you wouldn’t want to be shy about being in close contact with people. Bring sleeping bags, or pay a little extra for duvets etc. Family room has more privacy, as it is in a separate ‘wing’. Would be brilliant for big get-together and hire the whole place. Tents also available if you want to increase the guest list.

See also Catherine’s article on Yarde Orchard and The Tarka Trail in The Observer

> For contact details, availability and booking, see greentraveller's full listing of Yarde Bunkhouse