Staff and visitors who had been trapped for several days at Britain’s highest pub were finally able to leave on Thursday after being snowed in.
Twenty-three visitors and six staff members had been stranded at the Tan Hill Inn in Richmond, North Yorkshire, where severe weather conditions had forced the establishment to serve “residents only” since Sunday.
The relief finally came as roads were cleared, allowing the weary occupants to make their departure.
The Tan Hill Inn, which sits at 1,732ft (528m) above sea level, claims to be Britain’s highest public house.
An image of attempts to clear the area around the pub
TAN HILL INN
The remote pub became even more isolated when inclement weather left 29 people stranded inside.
Staff kept the public informed through Facebook posts, with one update on January 6 noting how their “23 snowed-in visitors and six staff are tucking into a full English and wondering how long their enforced stay will last”.
Elle Applegarth, 25, from Washington, Sunderland, arrived to relieve the trapped staff on Thursday afternoon.
“I think a lot of them had cabin fever,” she said. “It’s all fun at first but then the reality kicks in, you have to keep on going.”
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People inside played board games to pass the time
TAN HILL PUB
Upon her arrival at 12.30pm, she witnessed emotional scenes. “Everyone was just ready to leave. (Someone) started crying, and I was like ‘has it been that bad?’ and she went ‘no, I’m just tired now!'”
The pub’s social media kept followers updated throughout the ordeal, with posts about snowman-building and residents’ experiences garnering thousands of interactions.
A welcome delivery from Aldi helped address what the pub described as a “red wine and banger shortage”.
While some guests managed to leave on Tuesday, staff remained until Thursday.
Tan Hill Inn pub in Swaledale, North Yorkshire
PA
The final breakthrough came as highway workers cleared snow drifts in freezing temperatures, with the pub posting footage of a tractor clearing the way.
Applegarth’s arrival video captured the moment staff and a final guest left the venue.
“Normally when I come in the pub it’s busy and full of people, whereas now it’s not,” she said.
She found the pub had been left immaculate. “We’ve walked in and the pub is spotless,” the 25-year-old said. “The housekeeping’s all been done!”