At 1,732 feet above sea level, on a stretch of open moorland where the road offers no other reason to stop, the Tan Hill Inn has been open since the seventeenth century. It has no neighbours.
The Tan Hill Inn sits at the northernmost tip of Swaledale, on the ridge that separates the Yorkshire Dales from the County Durham moors. At 1,732 feet above sea level, it is Britain’s highest pub, and it has earned that title through continued occupation rather than marketing. There is no village here. The nearest town, Kirkby Stephen, is eleven miles down the moorland road. When the weather turns, which it does without warning, the only option is to stay.
Visitors arrive by car, on foot from the Pennine Way, or on two wheels. They come for the setting, for the fire, and for the claim. What most find is that the claim is the least interesting thing about it.
Location: Tan Hill, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL11 6ED
Best for: Pennine Way walkers, moorland drives, remote pub experiences, sheep show (May), winter atmosphere
Getting there: Tan Hill is reached on the moorland road between Langthwaite in Arkengarthdale and Barras in Cumbria. There is no public transport. The inn is the only building at this elevation for miles.
Open: Food served daily 12 noon to 8 pm. Bar open later. Accommodation available year round. Booking strongly recommended for weekends and peak walking season (May-September). Full details at tanhillinn.com.
What the Tan Hill Inn Actually Is
The inn is a working pub, hotel, and live music venue on an exposed Pennine ridge. It generates its own electricity, filters its own water from its own well, and has its fuel delivered up the hill by road. Everything that reaches the bar at Tan Hill comes overland. The stone building has low ceilings, exposed beams, flagged floors, and a fire that burns year-round. It is not a theme pub about remoteness. It is a genuinely remote pub.
On a weekday in January, the car park is empty, and the only sound from outside is the wind. On a summer Saturday, Pennine Way walkers, motorcyclists, and families on moorland drives share the bar. The inn accommodates both versions of itself without difficulty.
Credit – @lifeafter50withmanx
The History Behind Britain’s Highest Pub
The Tan Hill coal seam runs beneath the moorland here and was worked from the thirteenth century until the early 1930s. The inn existed to serve the miners who worked it, the drovers who moved livestock across the Pennines, and the packmen who carried goods between the dales communities. The exact date the inn was first licensed is unconfirmed, but its history as a seventeenth-century building is undisputed.
After the colliery closed and the droving trade ended, the inn nearly disappeared. The Pennine Way saved it. When the route was inaugurated in 1965 as England’s first designated long-distance footpath, Tan Hill found itself squarely on the line. Walkers replaced miners. The new trade was slower and came wearing boots, but it was reliable, and the inn has not closed since.
The Pennine Way at Tan Hill
The Pennine Way runs 268 miles from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders. Tan Hill sits at roughly the halfway point for northbound walkers, and the inn is one of the route’s best-known stops.
For walkers who have come from Keld or Hawes, the ridge path arrives at Tan Hill after several hours of exposed moorland with no shelter and no alternative. The psychological impact of seeing the building appear on the horizon is not difficult to understand. Walkers completing the route southbound face the same crossing in reverse.
The inn keeps a walkers’ bunk room for those who need budget accommodation after a long day on the moor. En-suite rooms are available for those who prefer more comfort. Whatever the category, the bar is the same for everyone.
What Happens When the Snow Comes In
The inn sits at an elevation where snow arrives earlier and stays longer than almost anywhere else in England. The landlord expects at least fifteen days of snowfall each winter. Most pass without incident. Some do not.
In November 2021, Storm Arwen brought more than sixty people to the inn for a Friday session. The snow that followed blocked the roads and brought down power lines. The group stayed for three days. In 2013, guests were trapped for five days by snowdrifts. In 2009, sixty-one people were snowed in, and a rescue operation was mounted. The inn’s social media accounts have made these episodes well-known, and there is now a category of visitor who arrives specifically hoping to experience a snow-in. Most leave disappointed by clear weather.
The accounts are not exaggerated. At 1,732 feet on an open ridge, with no shelter for miles and a single access road that drifts across in minutes, the conditions that produce these situations are genuinely routine.
The Swaledale Sheep Show
The Tan Hill Sheep Show takes place on the last Thursday in May each year. The show celebrates the Swaledale breed, the native sheep of the surrounding moors, hardy and recognisable for its speckled face and curled horns. Swaledale sheep farming has been continuous in this valley for centuries, and the show at Tan Hill revived a tradition that had collapsed during the agricultural depression of the 1930s.
The show is a working agricultural event, not a tourist attraction, though visitors are welcome. Classes cover ewes, rams, and lambs, and the standard is high. Around the show, the inn runs at its busiest with the bar open from early in the day and the barn in use for live music in the evening.
If you are coming specifically for the show, book accommodation months in advance. The surrounding area has almost no alternatives at elevation.
Getting There
Tan Hill is reached by road from three directions: from Langthwaite in Arkengarthdale to the south-east, from Keld in Swaledale to the south, or from Barras in Cumbria to the north-west. All three routes are narrow moorland roads that require confidence in unfamiliar conditions.
There is no public transport to Tan Hill. The only way to arrive without a vehicle is on foot, and the most logical route on foot is the Pennine Way.
In winter, check conditions before travelling. The road closes without warning. The inn’s social media channels are the most reliable source of real-time information about access.
Swaledale itself is one of the quieter dales, with Reeth as its market town and a string of stone villages along the valley floor. If Tan Hill is part of a wider Dales visit, our guide to the eight most beautiful villages in the Yorkshire Dales covers the valley villages worth stopping at en route.
Food and Drink
The kitchen at Tan Hill Inn serves from noon to 8 pm daily, with no booking required for food. The menu runs to British pub classics: pies, Yorkshire puddings, Sunday roasts at the weekend. The bar serves real ales and runs until at least 11.30 pm on weekdays, and until midnight on weekends.
The barn hosts live music on Fridays and Saturdays, with acoustic acts during the week in quieter months.
Where to Stay
Tan Hill Inn has nine en-suite bedrooms, a walkers’ bunk room, and two glamping pods. All rooms are dog-friendly. The bedrooms are individually styled; the bunk room is functional and cheap. The pods offer moorland views with more privacy than the main building.
Staying overnight at Tan Hill is a different experience to visiting for the afternoon. Once the day visitors have left, the evening gives the inn back its character. The sound of wind across the ridge at 1,700 feet without a village for miles is not something available in many places in England.
Book at tanhillinn.com.
If you are planning a wider trip to the Dales with overnight stops, our guide to the best pubs with rooms in Yorkshire covers options across the county.
Worth Knowing
- The inn is entirely off-grid. It generates its own electricity, maintains its own water supply, and has all consumables delivered by road. When deliveries are blocked by weather, the kitchen adapts.
- The Pennine Way passes the door. Tan Hill is 161 miles from Edale at the southern end, and 107 miles from Kirk Yetholm at the northern end.
- The coal seam at Tan Hill was worked from the thirteenth century. Several shallow mine entrances are visible in the moorland surrounding the inn, though most are now dangerous and fenced off.
- Snow can fall at Tan Hill in any month, including June.
- There is no phone signal on most networks at this elevation.
Practical Tips
- Check road conditions before travelling in autumn and winter. The single-track moorland roads close quickly in snow.
- Book accommodation in advance for the Swaledale Sheep Show (last Thursday in May) and summer weekends.
- If walking to Tan Hill on the Pennine Way, carry a full pack regardless of forecast. Conditions change fast at this elevation.
- Dogs are welcome inside the inn and in the accommodation.
- The glamping pods must be booked in advance at tanhillinn.com.
- Use the AllTrails app for walking routes around Tan Hill and across the surrounding Pennine ridge.
Reader Q&A
How high is the Tan Hill Inn exactly?
1,732 feet (528 metres) above sea level. It holds the verified record as the highest pub in Great Britain.
Can I just turn up for food and a drink without booking?
Yes. The kitchen serves food from noon to 8 pm daily with no booking required. Drinks are available all day. For overnight stays, booking is strongly recommended, particularly in summer and around the Sheep Show.
Does it really get snowed in?
It does. The most recent well-documented episode was Storm Arwen in November 2021, when more than sixty people were stranded for three days. Previous episodes in 2013 and 2009 produced similar situations. The inn handles these with characteristic composure.
Is there anything else to do at Tan Hill?
The Pennine Way is the main walking route. The moorland around the inn is open access land and can be walked freely. The Swaledale Sheep Show in May is a genuine agricultural show worth attending if you are in the Dales that week. The drive from Reeth along Swaledale and up to Tan Hill is worth making on its own terms.
For more of the Dales’ remote corners and moorland pubs, explore the full Secret Yorkshire travel archive.
