A Tan Hill Inn barmaid stepped into relieve her tired and tearful colleagues who had been snowed in with punters for days.
The Tan Hill Inn, on the North Yorkshire moors, boasts the title of “Britain’s highest public house at 1,732 feet (528m) above sea level”. However, for the majority of the past week, it also held the dubious honour of being the most challenging establishment to exit.
Severe weather conditions resulted in 23 patrons and six staff members being effectively “snowed-in”, leading the pub to announce on Sunday that they would only be serving “residents only” due to weather warnings.
A subsequent Facebook post on January 6 stated: “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.”
Three days later, relief arrived for beleaguered staff as Elle Applegarth, a 25 year old from Washington, near Sunderland, clocked in for her shift. Ms Applegarth, a member of the bar staff, narrowly avoided being trapped herself.
She shared with the PA news agency: “I think a lot of them had cabin fever,” and “it’s all fun at first but then the reality kicks in, you have to keep on going. The thing is, the staff have to keep working once they’re here.”
S added: “I got here about 12.30pm (on Thursday) and 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!
“I had to leave early so I managed to miss getting locked in. The roads have been so bad. There are places where you can see it’s near enough four foot. The snow is just so high.”
The pub kept followers informed through their Facebook page with updates about constructing snowmen and the challenges faced by the residents and staff, which garnered thousands of interactions.
An amusing account conveyed how Aldi came to the rescue following a “red wine and banger shortage”. Their social media announced that a few customers managed to depart on Tuesday, but it wasn’t until Thursday that the employees finally were able to leave.
In one update the pub expressed gratitude towards the road-clearing efforts, stating: “It looks like the cavalry have arrived! The last stretch of snow drifts are being cleared in the dark this morning in freezing temperatures by our ‘Highways heroes’,” alongside footage of a tractor tirelessly clearing the snow.
Ms Applegarth recorded her arrival for work at the moment some of the staff members and a guest were exiting the premises. Reflecting on the mood, she shared: “The atmosphere, everyone (was) dead upset and ready to go!”
Describing the unusual quiet within, Ms Applegarth observed: “Normally when I come in the pub it’s busy and full of people, whereas now it’s not.
“We’ve walked in and the pub is spotless. The housekeeping’s all been done! We’ve just quickly had a wipe over things, and so me and two other girls have been sitting by the fire having hot chocolate and marshmallows!”
A message on the establishment’s Facebook page shared: “Well, we’re off for a cuddle from our loved ones and a relaxing break. The new staff are in (we’ve left them some Malbec and a sausage) and we are still closed!”
The post continued with a heartfelt expression of gratitude: “We’d like to thank you all for your support during our snow-in, it touched our hearts. And thanks in advance for your future support to Tan Hill Inn.”
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