What challenges did Audrey Yeardley face at Tan Hill Inn?

Audrey Yeardley, a ninety-year-old former resident of Tan Hill Inn, recounts being trapped at the pub for 13 weeks in 1963 due to 20ft snow drifts, without electricity or running water.

How did the remote location of Tan Hill Inn impact the community?

Former landladies like Sue Hanson and Kim Longden describe a strong sense of community at Tan Hill Inn, with locals looking out for one another and helping whenever needed in the isolated Yorkshire Dales setting.

Why is the reunion of former Tan Hill Inn residents significant?

The current owner of Tan Hill Inn, Andrew Hields, is hosting a reunion of former landladies and family members to preserve the pub's storied past, as each chapter of its history is considered "interesting" and worth capturing.

Home / Lifestyle / Ninety-Year-Old Recounts Snowy Isolation at Britain's Highest Pub

Ninety-Year-Old Recounts Snowy Isolation at Britain's Highest Pub

21 Oct

•

Summary

Ninety-year-old Audrey Yeardley lived at Tan Hill Inn during 13-week snow isolation in 1963
Pub owners describe experiences as "best of times and worst of times"
Tan Hill Inn is now under new ownership, hosting reunion of former landladies

Ninety-Year-Old Recounts Snowy Isolation at Britain's Highest Pub

In October 2025, ninety-year-old Audrey Yeardley returned to Tan Hill Inn, Britain's highest pub, to reunite with other former landladies and family members who had called the remote Yorkshire Dales location home. Yeardley reflects on how her time living at the 1,732ft (528m) above sea level pub in the 1960s prepared her for later challenges, noting "if this doesn't beat you, you're going to get through."

Yeardley and her family were trapped at the pub for 13 weeks in 1963 due to snow drifts reaching 20ft high, without electricity or running water. She describes boiling snow and living off potatoes until local farmers could deliver supplies. "It's not been beaten yet," Yeardley says, still smiling about the isolation. "You just have to do your best to survive it. You have a challenge, it might have you on your knees sometimes but I owe a lot down to character-building."