There is something to be said for visiting places in Britain that hold a record in some way. Dunnet Head is a windswept headland, which receives most of its visitors probably because they wish to stand at the most northerly point on the UK mainland. Lowestoft beach will give you the most easterly dip in the sea, while Alston in The North Pennines is a lovely little place and also happens to be the highest market town in England. If you wish to visit the highest pub in Britain though, then you’ll need to head up onto the remote moors above Swaledale in North Yorkshire. As part of a brilliant cycling trip, my mate Tom and I decided to enjoy some camping at the famous Tan Hill Inn. What a great visit it was!
Where is It Located?
In short, The Tan Hill Inn is a bit of a mission to reach no matter which direction you approach it from. The maps below hopefully do a good job in showing you just how remote the pub is. The journey there is pretty incredible, as you climb the remote lanes across the bleak treeless moors. Your only company other than the odd driver or cyclist is likely to be hardy sheep and grouse. Stop anywhere along the way and you’ll receive as much solitude and peace as you could possibly ever need.
There are in fact three different roads up to the pub and each seem to go on forever. Every bend reveals another windswept view like those above and you almost can’t believe it when you take another turn and suddenly see the building just sat there totally alone up on the moorland. It feels like it doesn’t really belong up here and you may well wonder what on Earth a watering hole is indeed doing up at five hundred and twenty eight metres ( 1732 feet ) above sea level. You can feel the difference in the weather outside and it does indeed receive some pretty wild weather indeed. Only a few years back, visitors to the inn were snowed in and spent several days enjoying the food, drink and warm hospitality before being rescued. My idea of heaven! Click here to read about that wintry event.
Camping At The Tan Hill Inn
In addition to offering booze, food and entertainment on various nights of the week, the Inn does also provide comfortable looking accommodation if you wish to stay over and can’t face a night under canvas. You can of course find out more about this on the Inn’s website or on this short video as well.
What is great though, is that there are options to stay in a camper van if you have one. You can of course enjoy some camping at The Tan Hill Inn too.
The Inn asks £10.00 to camp outside and a toilet and shower is provided. I think that is excellent value for money, especially when you consider the location and the fact that you have the convenience of the pub right next door. It is right on The Pennine Way too, which is very handy indeed. We met several hikers who were very pleased to have a proper pub meal and a shower after a hard day’s walking.
There is a general camping area to the eastern side of the inn and plenty of space is available. It was pretty busy the night we stayed and there was still space for many more visitors had they arrived.
Meeting Other Travelers
Although I was staying with a mate on this trip, I couldn’t help but notice what a great location The Tan Hill is for solo travelers. We met several solo hikers, who were friendly and open to chats about their adventures and future plans. There was even a Canadian couple pitched up next to us. Their challenge was hiking the entire length of The Pennine Way. That sure is a good way to see the best of wild England that’s for sure.
I couldn’t help but offer my advice when they asked about The North Pennines and where to stay when crossing them. Their plan was Gregg’s Hut just below Cross Fell. I felt the need to tell them about the incredible Shepherd’s Hut Bothy tucked away in its own private valley. It really is a cracking spot and one I hope to return to in the near future. Click here to find out more about it. Just don’t expect me to tell you exactly where it is online. Searching and finding it for yourself is part of its charm.
The Food And Drink
Myself and Tom had been cycling for over four hours and with nearly 7000 feet of elevation gain before we checked into The Tan Hill Inn. It is safe to say then that food and drink had been well earned. I stupidly didn’t get any photos of what we enjoyed, but I must say that service was excellent and the food and drink superb. You know you are at a good pub when Theakston’s Old Peculiar is served. Portion sizes were good too, although I think we both wished we’d had the filled Yorkshire pudding when the Canadian’s orders came out. It looked like it was fit for a man verses food challenge. We were both up for that after the earlier cycling exploits.
After out tummies had been filled, it was time to go and enjoy the live band performing in the bar area. With the tin whistle and other instruments being played by the fire side, it was a great evening. The fine drop of whiskey Tom ordered in after a couple of pints went down very well too.
A Fine Night’s Sleep
We struck gold with the weather conditions the night we stayed and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. As you’d expect for such a remote location, the night sky was stunning with very little in the way of light pollution. Other than the very distant lights of Teeside off in the distance, the only other lights to be seen were small dots moving along the A66 a couple of miles to the north. There was hardly a breath of wind.
The day’s cycling, food and booze allowed us both to sleep very well indeed. Only having to get up once for the loo was a bonus too. I thought it would be more what with the liquid refreshment enjoyed earlier in the evening! A fine night’s camping at The Tan Hill Inn was certainly enjoyed.
The next morning we packed away slowly and then enjoyed a full English breakfast for £12.99. It was good quality food as you’d expect. What made me laugh though was seeing Tiptree Essex jam being served all the way up here. Essex can clearly do some things right even if they don’t offer the hills of Yorkshire and Cumbria.
You can probably tell that I really enjoyed our camping at The Tan Hill Inn. It is certainly something I’d recommend you do at some point or at the very least just visit for the afternoon or evening. I intend to go back in the middle of winter. Sitting by the fire with a good beer on a snowy night is something that really appeals to me. The winter sleeping bag will certainly be needed though.