Beloved Bude tearoom to close its doors after almost a decade

A beloved tearoom in Cornwall has announced it is set to close its doors for good after nearly a decade. Kate Sampson, the owner of The Barge, moored on the historic Bude canal, said the decision to close has been "the hardest decision of my life so far".

In a post shared on Facebook she thanked her team and customers for their support over the past nine years and described it as having been a "truly amazing adventure". While a date for the closure was not given, Kate said nothing will change at the tearoom for now and they will continue to serve cakes and coffee.

The full post said: "To our wonderful customers... I would like to share with you my little story… When I moved to Bude nearly 20 years ago, I never thought I would be so lucky to have started a new business from scratch! With the help of my amazing husband, family, and friends, together, we made a dream in a reality… The Barge! Not just any barge but a hub where people were welcome to refresh and relax in a chilled surrounding, more than I could ever imagine."

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"We have seen people come and go over the past nine years, had some amazing times and lots of fun along the way. Unfortunately I am very sad to say that we have made the difficult decision to close our doors. This has literally been the hardest decision of my life so far. I absolutely adore my magical barge and my immensely supportive barge team. I am so grateful to have so many customers that I now call friends.

"Thank you so much for your continued support over the past nine years it has been a truly amazing adventure! For now, nothing changes we will continue to serve you the most scrumptious cakes, food, tea and coffee! We will keep you updated. Love always, Kate, Mat and team."

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The post was met with hundreds of comments from customers expressing their disappointment at the news and wishing the team luck for the future. One person commented: "Devastated that we will no longer have this wonderful place to come and drink gorgeous coffee, chat, meet new friends, laugh etc etc. Best of luck for the future - you will be missed terribly. X"

Someone else said: "Oh Kate, I am so sad to read you have had to make this difficult decision. We love The Barge and have always brought family and friends along to it whenever visiting Bude. You are a unique attraction and will be hugely missed. We wish you every happiness and success in whatever you do next. Lots of love xx"

A third wrote: "Huge loss to Bude. The Barge is such a lovely venue and a brilliant idea , lovely staff and great coffee . Loved by the local people too."

Another person said: "I am genuinely gutted to read this. The Barge is such a lovely, unique place - and serves the best cake! Good luck with whatever you do next, but will be very sad to see The Barge close."

Wild Wanderers Holidays also commented: "This is so sad, we refer all our holiday guests to you because we have been numerous times ourselves and think the barge is such a wonderful & unique place to eat and drink but We wish you all the best for the future xx"

Nigel at Chadds Foodsmiths said: "Really shocked and sad to be reading this this morning. You guys have worked so hard and I can totally relate to the pressures that you are under. Tough times are ahead for the hospitality and tourist industry here in Cornwall.

"On behalf of my team, the family and myself I'd like to thank you for all the custom you have given us over the years. Wishing you all the best and thank you."

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