People stranded at the Tan Hill pub since Saturday are running low on supplies (Picture: SWNS)
Pubgoers who found themselves trapped inside Britain’s highest pub during this week’s snowstorm are facing a dilemma – they’ve run out of sausages.
Nearly 40 people – 32 customers and six staff – have been snowed in since Saturday at the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire, which sits 1,732ft above sea level.
They’ve been there since Saturday night when temperatures dropped to -10°C and several airports grounded flights due to heavy snow.
Those at the inn are staying for free for any days beyond their original booking, but have been asked to make a donation to local charities.
Roads are blocked and cars are coated in ice, preventing escape from Tan Hill Inn, North Yorkshire (Picture: Paul Wright / SWNS)
Australians Paul and Naomi Wright had never seen snow before visiting the UK this winter (Picture: The Tan Hill Inn / SWNS)
However, despite having enough food to feed 40 people for a month, the Tan Hill has hit its first snag after finally running out of sausages and Malbec wine.
‘We’ve run out of sausages, it’s atrocious,’ said visitor Paul Wright, who lives on a patch of land in rural Australia with wide Naomi.
‘No pork sausages, no more English breakfast. Gutted.’
The 52-year-old father added: ‘This morning I just had to have an omelette, I could have had the bacon but I don’t like your bacon – I think it’s horrible, you guys don’t smoke your bacon.
‘A good English pork sausage, there’s nothing better. Naomi and I being first-born Australians, our families are used to having pork sausages and stuff for our breakfast.
‘We call them chipolatas, not having them for your breakfast is a bit weird.’
The couple, travelling with their 22-year-old son, sister-in-law, four-year-old nephew, and two friends, said they had also managed to drink the Inn out of Malbec wine, so have had to switch to Shiraz.
Pubgoers are keeping themselves entertained during the snow-in (Picture: The Tan Hill Inn / SWNS)
‘I think it’s hilarious’, said Paul, who has never seen snow before and comes from a town in Australia where temperatures are 36°C and an excessive heat warning is in place.
‘Driving through Scotland and York, the amount of snow we’ve seen covering everything is unbelievable, we can’t believe how white everything is.’
Paul, 52, and his wife Naomi were supposed to make it to London for a West End production of Harry Potter by now.
Instead, they’ve been sat playing cards and board games with others hauled up in the isolated pub, which has seven guest rooms.
Paul said: ‘There’s a lovely group of people here, the people that run this place are so warm and welcoming and friendly.
‘The poor staff that are here were all meant to go out the other day, they’ve had to stay because they’re snowed in, and these guys are working from like five-thirty and six in the morning through to 11 at night.
There’s even fun to be had outdoors if you can brave the cold (Picture: Freddie Swift / SWNS)
Burning fires keeps the staff and customers warm (Picture: Freddie Swift / SWNS)
‘I’m sitting at the window at the moment watching one of them shovel snow off the steps so people can walk outside.’
Paul added: ‘We’ve had to come upstairs because people are trying to work now, obviously there are people here who are meant to be at work, there’s meetings happening, and Zoom calls and laptops.’
Others have kept themselves busy by going hiking in the local area, but not Paul and Naomi, who turned up in jeans and coats as they thought they were just staying the night.
Naomi, 52, said: ‘We’re lucky that we’re on the road and we have our suitcases with us, whereas some people don’t have that. They came up for a night and they brought one set of clothes.’
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Manager David Rowell, 43, said: ‘Staff are a little tired, but other than that it’s all right. The staff that are currently here, this is day seven for them working here. This [Monday] will be their third day stuck.
‘I’ve managed to avoid snow-ins in the past, but it’s caught up with us eventually, so it’s my turn this time.
‘We have three real fires, and obviously we run off a generator so the heating is on ‘constant’ at the moment.’
Tan Hill Inn has been snowed-in before. For four days, 61 people were trapped with an Oasis tribute band when Storm Arwen made the roads impassable with heavy snow and fallen power lines in November 2021.
Disaster struck after the pub finally ran ut of sausages and Malbec wine (Picture: Freddie Swift / SWNS)
Paul Wright and another snowed-in visitor at the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire (Picture: Freddie Swift / SWNS)
In 2010 and 2013, blizzards trapped punters there for five days. But this time guests might not have to wait so long.
The Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warning for snow across much of the UK for tonight on Tuesday. Snow is expected to persist in the south until Wednesday.
Owner Andrew Hields said: ‘It’s the wind that causes the problem when it blows drifts onto the road.
‘We are very exposed and it snows a lot in the winter months so we would be out of business if we shut the inn every time snow was forecast.
Some guests have gone on hikes in the snow (Picture: Tan Hill Inn / SWNS)
‘We have had bad weather in the past when there is no warning, we have had weather warnings and it’s been fine at Tan Hill.
‘Often, when the main A66 is closed, traffic diverts and stops at Tan Hill.
‘Sometimes people do travel when it is unwise to do so and it might not be the norm or the done thing by some people’s standards but we offer hospitality in the oldest sense of the word and cannot turn them away in the teeth of the weather.
‘Tan Hill has done that for centuries and we are not stopping now.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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