High hopes of a lock-in at some snowbound snug
Being snowed in is, I find, one of those unresolved fantasies of modern life. Long ago in a former guise as a cub reporter in the Yorkshire Dales, I wrote regularly about drinkers who had been prevented from leaving the 17th-century Tan Hill Inn by great drifts of snow.
At 1,732ft above sea level, the Swaledale pub – made famous in the Eighties by a double glazing advert on television – is the highest in Britain. Since 2005, it has been cut off around 50 times by snow. Not far away, on the North York Moors, the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge (1,325ft) is also often snowed in.
I have sat in both pubs before, on depressingly clement evenings, thinking what a pleasure it would be to be fleetingly trapped. Every night, I imagine, would be a joyous celebration in the face of the elements. Drinking endless pints and eating every pudding on the menu for insulation.
Of course, it never works out like that. Once the wood stocks diminish and the beer runs out, those stuck inside are most likely left sharpening the pool cues in preparation for fighting over the last packet of pork scratchings.
The longest tale of being snowed in at either pub was a full eight days in 2010. Anybody who finds themselves trapped inside their homes – or pub – today may also have a wait on their hands.
Tomorrow, more snow is forecast – as much as 6in to 8in (15cm to 20cm) in central and northern areas. Over the coming days, the weather doesn’t look like it is going to warm up very much at all.
And there is still more snow on the horizon.
So stock up on festive supplies and batten down the hatches. And as a final survival tip: once read, The Daily Telegraph – including Weather Watch – makes for excellent kindling.