Visitors to the Tan Hill Inn were forced to hunker down and stay indoors amid snowdrifts and frosty gusts that left them trapped from January 5.
Twenty-three visitors, including a four-year-old child, and six staff remain locked in the historic pub which lies at 1,732ft (528m) above sea level in the north Pennines of North Yorkshire.
A snowy Tan Hill Inn. (Image: TAN HILL INN) Two of those guests had turned back to the inn after spending four hours travelling three miles trying to get home.
Co-manager Nicole Hayes, 33, said: “Some guests with 4x4s made the journey out this morning but the remainder wisely decided not to try.
The Tan Hill Inn car park. (Image: TAN HILL INN) “It was a lovely atmosphere. People mingled and gave up worrying about getting home for work. The drinks flowed and it was all very genial.”
Pictures showed guests playing board games and drinking the night away – and they even got out of the sledges to make the most of the winter wonderland.
Owner Andrew Hields added: “There is a long tradition of hospitality at the Tan Hill Inn which myself and the team are proud to continue.
(Image: TAN HILL INN) (Image: TAN HILL INN) “Its height and isolation make it a special place to visit and we’ll make sure those guests and staff who are stranded will be well looked after.”
As of January 6, the 23 guests remain at the Tan Hill Inn with the latest update from the pub being that they are “tucking into a full English”.
They wrote on Facebook: “Hello from a wintry Tan Hill Inn where our 23 snowed-in visitors and six staff are tucking into a full English and wondering how long their enforced stay will last here at Britain’s highest pub.
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(Image: TAN HILL INN) “Our guests are having a leisurely start to their day after a ‘convivial atmosphere’ last night because there’s no rush to check out until conditions improve up here on the moors.
“And while we wait to see if it’s safe for them to leave please note that due to the amber weather warning for snow and ice we are still closed to the public.
“It’s residents only for the time being – we will keep you updated when we reopen. Stay safe.”