One woman stuck inside the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire since snow cut it off from the outside world has missed the birth of her grandchild – and another missed their daughter’s 18th birthday
A woman who has been snowed-in at Britain’s highest pub has missed the birth of her grandchild.
Punters and staff at the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire have been stuck inside the famous pub since January 5 after freezing weather and huge snowdrifts made exit roads impassable. While many on the outside have joked that they envy the 23 visitors, who have been pictured playing board games and drinking together, one woman caught up in the snowy lock-in has accidentally missed a huge family milestone.
In a post on social media, bosses at the pub said that housekeeper Babs had discovered she had a new grandchild. They shared a photo of baby Amelia, who arrived safely weighing 6lb 9oz on Wednesday. It comes after barmaid Kelly missed her daughter’s 18th birthday on Tuesday, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Budget supermarket Aldi also came to the aid of the stranded group after organising for a local farmer to drop off some supplies including sausages. Yesterday it was reported they have food and drink to last 40 days but breakfast items and red wine were gone.
Another post on social media from the pub read: “We were preparing ourselves for an evening without Malbec and breakfast without sausages when we had a surprise visit from a snowplough in shining armour.
“Supermarket chain Aldi had heard of our red wine and banger shortage and hired a local contractor with a tractor to bring us supplies. The mercy mission was driven by Harry, a farmer from Leyburn in Wensleydale, who said it was ‘touch and go’ but smashed his way through the last miles to us.”
A spokesman for Aldi said: “When we saw the guests had run out of key supplies and faced further days trapped by the snow, our store team at Catterick sprang into action. They commandeered a farmer’s snow plough and set off to deliver a care package”.
The consignment included Malbec wine, sausages, de-icer, loo-paper, as well as board games and colouring books to stave off boredom. Dog treats were also included for Agatha – the pet stranded inside the pub with its owner.
Pub manager Nicole Hayes said the supermarket supplies would lift the spirits of her remaining snowed-in guests. She added: “Everybody needs a good pork sausage – and when we realised Aldi had come to the rescue, we were absolutely chuffed. It definitely livened up our lock in.”
Despite snowploughs now having escorted most of those inside Tan Hill Inn to safety, 10 people, including two German guests, remained stranded on Thursday as high winds and drifting snow swiftly closed the road to Reeth behind the convoy. Those left behind are said to be keeping themselves busy with a special Yorkshire Dales-themed version of Monopoly.
It is not the first time the pub, which is completely off-grid and located 1,732ft (528m) above sea level in the North Pennines national park, has been cut off due to wintry weather. In 2017, Tan Hill Inn was chosen for the filming of Waitrose’s Christmas advert, portraying guests being snowed in and making their own seasonal dinner. In November 2021, the pub made headlines again when 61 guests, including an Oasis tribute band, were trapped by heavy snow during Storm Arwen.
