The pub that changed me: I was snowed in there for four days'

"In all my years of reporting, nothing seems to fascinate people more than the four days I spent snowed in at Britain's highest pub last year. It was early January and the Met Office had issued severe warnings for snow. It dawned on me that people were about to live out a British fantasy of being snowed in at their local pub. I knew where I needed to be: The Tan Hill Inn, high up in the wilderness"

"Within hours it was clear we weren't going anywhere. Then at 8pm we had word that the road to the pub was about to be closed and anyone who had not intended to stay the night would need to attempt a swift exit. For us, by then it was too dark and treacherous to risk it. Gary and I had managed to get the last two beds"

A severe Met Office snow warning coincided with a visit to The Tan Hill Inn on the northern edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Heavy snowfall quickly isolated the pub and trapped patrons for four days. Locked-in customers embraced the novelty, sharing food, games, a mass snowball fight, and a disco that fostered friendships among diverse visitors. Road closures and treacherous conditions prevented safe departure, while limited communal bedding and crowded rooms made restful sleep difficult. A snow plough eventually cleared a route, allowing people to leave after an intense, memorable period of enforced hospitality.

Read at www.theguardian.com