THE G and Tea House at Angrove Country Park, halfway between Stokesley and Great Ayton, is unique, because it is entirely devoid of plastic. All bottles, containers, lids and straws are biodegradable. The local suppliers they use for the tea house bring their produce in cardboard boxes and packets, and even the cheesecakes arrive in jars, which can be returned to the supplier. The cans they sell are resealable, especially useful for the visiting cyclist.

Alan Petch whose family have farmed this land since 1922, and partner, Louise Taylor are keen to make the whole of their luxury lodge park environmentally friendly, and they have done so in spades.

“My father received an MBE for his services to environmental education, said Louise.” He led international schools in Kenya, Brunei and Thailand, and when we were growing up, he made us so aware of recycling and looking after the environment. Alan and I have the perfect opportunity to put this into practice.”

Alan was already thinking of diversifying, and when he met Louise they put plans into action by building an area for glamping on the land, developing a wedding business, and creating the gin bus – a mobile bar in a double decker bus that sells drinks.

“We decided to extend to creating lodges,” explained Alan, “as some people wanted a bit more comfort and luxury for their stay.

“We had a Tourist Economic Impact survey done that looked into the area and proved the need for more accommodation, what it could bring to the high street, and obviously the creation of jobs.

“We’ve used 70 local people from different firms to construct our park and we employ 28 staff at the moment. Our open day is on July 29, and I hope people will come along and see what we have done.”

They began this journey by planting 4,000 trees. All the paths in the park are made from Yorkshire stone, and all lights are low, built into sandstone boulders so as not to disturb the bats. Wildlife abounds, and the local scouts have built bird boxes for the hundreds of birds they have on the park, and wildflowers and grasses have been planted to attract bees and butterflies.

“Brown hares found their way here, which is our emblem,” said Alan.” “We have deer, owls and buzzards. What was once a green desert is now a working eco-system with energy-efficient lodges. Our next project is to put in solar panels.”

The traffic on the footpath has certainly increased during the daytime, as the G and Tea house grows in popularity and, on warm summer evenings, a steady stream of residents from both Stokesley and Great Ayton can be seen, walking on the old path which has linked these places for many years, to meet for a G and Tea and bowl of olives, looking at a view which can hardly be bettered for many miles around.