A New Home in the Old Cattle Market Yard

After more than a decade squeezed onto the cobbles outside the parish hall, the farmers' market is on the move. From Saturday 5 April, stallholders will set up in the old cattle market yard off Mill Lane — a site roughly three times the size of the current pitch, with level hard standing underfoot, a row of covered pens for wet-weather trading and room for around forty stalls.

It is a bigger change than it might sound. For years the market has had to turn away prospective stallholders simply because there was nowhere to put them, and regulars will know the familiar squeeze: the bread queue threading past the cheese table, pushchairs negotiating the gap between the plant stall and the pie van, and a general shuffling of tables whenever someone arrived with a gazebo.

The new site keeps everything that works and fixes most of what doesn't. Trading hours remain 8am to 1pm, with a handful of hot food traders staying on until around 2pm.

Why the Market Had to Move

The decision was not taken lightly. The square outside the parish hall has been the market's home since it began, and there is a good deal of affection for it. But three problems kept coming up, and none of them were going away.

• Capacity. The square comfortably holds about twenty-two stalls. The yard takes up to forty, with proper spacing between them.
• Weather. The square slopes, drains badly after heavy rain and offers almost no shelter. The covered pens give traders somewhere to retreat to without packing up entirely.
• Access and timings. Traders could not arrive before 6.30am and had to be off the square by 2pm sharp. In the yard they can set up from 6am and leave at their own pace through the afternoon.

The level surface matters more than people realise. Wheelchairs, mobility scooters, prams and trolleys all cope far better with tarmac than with worn cobbles, and several older residents have told organisers they had stopped coming because the ground had become difficult.

What You'll Find on the Day

The heart of the market is unchanged. The growers, bakers, cheesemakers and preserve-makers who have traded here for years are all making the move, and most are taking larger pitches than before.

• Fresh produce — seasonal vegetables and fruit from growers within about thirty miles, plus salad, herbs and cut flowers in season.
• Baked goods — sourdough, rye, bloomers, pastries and cakes, most of it baked overnight and on the stall by half seven.
• Cheese and dairy — hard and soft cheeses, butter, yoghurt and cream from a small herd.
• Meat, eggs and pies — free-range eggs, outdoor-reared meat, sausages and hot pies straight from the counter.
• Hot food and drink — bacon rolls, wood-fired pizza, a curry stall and proper coffee. The yard now has a proper power supply, so more hot food traders can join.
• Store cupboard and household — preserves, honey, oils, refills for cleaning products, and a plant stall that does a brisk trade in spring.

A few practical notes. Dogs on leads are welcome in the open yard but not inside the covered pens, where food is prepared. Most traders now take cards, but the mobile signal is patchy at the Mill Lane end, so a little cash is still handy. Bring a reusable cup — several drink stalls knock 50p off if you do.

Getting There, Parking and Practicalities

The yard sits a five-minute walk from the village centre, just past the old weighing bridge. Entry is from Mill Lane through the wide double gates, which will be open from 7.30am.

• Parking: around sixty free spaces at the western end of the yard, with overflow at the old station car park, a four-minute walk away.
• Buses: the hourly village service stops on Mill Lane, two minutes from the gate.
• Accessibility: level entry throughout, with accessible toilets in the north corner of the yard.
• Bikes: racks by the main gate, under cover.

Volunteers are still needed for stewarding, manning the gate and helping traders set up between 6am and 8am. An hour's help earns you a hot drink and the gratitude of everyone involved.

What It Means for the Village

The hope is that a larger market pulls more people into the village on a Saturday morning, and that the cafés, the butcher and the hardware shop on the high street feel the benefit of the extra footfall. There is a reasonable concern too: Mill Lane is narrow, and a busy Saturday will test it. The parish council has agreed a twelve-month trial, with a review next spring covering traffic, parking and noise.

For now, though, the mood among stallholders is cheerful. A market is one of the few places left where you can ask the person who grew your carrots what to do with them, and where a neighbour you haven't seen since Christmas is standing behind you in the queue. More space means more of that — and, with any luck, a shorter wait for the bread.