When the Met Office issued severe weather warnings for heavy snow in early January, journalist Robyn Vinter knew exactly where she needed to be – the Tan Hill Inn, the highest pub in Britain nestled in the Yorkshire Dales. Packing a bag and accompanied by acclaimed Guardian photographer Gary Calton, Vinter headed to the remote location, ready to document the quintessential British experience of being snowed in at the local pub.
As the snow began to fall just hours after their arrival, it quickly became clear that Vinter and Calton were not going anywhere. The road to the pub was soon closed, trapping the customers inside. While the initial novelty of the situation brought laughter and camaraderie, Vinter soon found the constant activity and lack of personal space challenging. “I pretended I needed the toilet on a few occasions in order to have some personal space,” she recalls.
Over the next four days, Vinter and Calton bonded with the diverse group of customers, hailing from all over the world, united by their shared experience. They ate, joked, played games, had a massive snowball fight and even a disco together. “One man told me it had been ‘one of the best times of my entire life’,” Vinter says.
Despite the fun and conviviality, Vinter struggled to focus on her work, with the “constant rabble of different antics” making it difficult to write coherently. As the snow continued to fall, the group waited anxiously for news of a snowplough clearing a path to freedom.
On the fourth day, the long-awaited snowplough arrived, and Vinter and Calton hurriedly dug out their car, eager to make their escape. The treacherous journey proved treacherous, with the car sliding off the road and becoming stuck in a snowbank. Using their gloved hands and a camera tripod, the pair managed to free the vehicle after an hour of arduous effort.
Battered but triumphant, Vinter and Calton made it to safety, filing their story just in time. While Vinter admits she’d “recommend the experience,” she also notes that in future snow storms, she won’t be “rushing to the pub” – a sentiment that many Britons can likely relate to.