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Britain’s Highest Pub Says Annual Energy Costs Have Hit £100,000

Operating entirely off-grid, the 17th-century Tan Hill Inn relies on visitor footfall to help cover rising running costs.

Overview

  • The Tan Hill Inn sits 1,732 feet above sea level in the Yorkshire Dales, 11 miles from the nearest town via narrow moorland roads.
  • With no mains utilities, the pub depends on its own generator and independent water and plumbing systems.
  • Landlord Andrew Hields reports around 1,000 customers pass through each week, helping to offset fixed costs at the remote site.
  • Staffing has shifted from full-time live-in to a rota where most employees stay on-site three or four nights, supported by car shares and a proposed minibus.
  • The business remains vulnerable to severe weather, with well-publicised snow-ins in 2021 and earlier this year that stranded guests for days.