Pondering being trapped on a desert island with only an Oasis cover band for entertainment may sound like a fun hypothetical to weigh over a pint of beer. But that was essentially the fate for 60 or so pubgoers at the Tan Hill Inn.
For three days, visitors to the UK’s highest pub were stranded after a powerful snowstorm dumped about 1 metre of snow on the Yorkshire highlands. The road leading to the pub was only just cleared, allowing visitors to escape (or be dragged, as the case may be) back to real life.
Noasis, an Oasis cover band, was slated to play the Tan Hill Inn on Friday night. The real Oasis warned of being caught beneath a landslide, but it turns out snow was the real risk the band should’ve warned people about. The Tan Hill Inn sits at 528 metres above sea level along a winding road in the Yorkshire Dales. Storm Arwen roared into the UK on Friday, bringing heavy snow and winds to the highlands. Of the three roads to access the inn, two were blocked by snow and a third was blocked by a downed power line.
That turned Noasis’ one-night engagement into a three-day festival. The inn’s co-owner, Andrew Hields, told CNN that the place is off the grid, meaning that electricity was still up and running for those trapped as snow totals rose. The outlet also reported that a mountain rescue team evacuated one person who was going through dialysis treatment. But despite a potential out for other guests, the rest of the pubgoers remained.
Still, there are only so many times you can listen to “Wonderwall” or “Champagne Supernova” before dreaming that fake Liam and Noel Gallagher decide to split up. The pub’s hosts also hosted karaoke, trivia, and buffets to break up the sets.
After a long weekend being snowbound with Noasis, guests were finally granted their freedom — welcome or otherwise — as plows reached the pub. Snow falls with a fair regularity on the highlands in England and Scotland. But climate change has had an impact, including wiping out the UK’s longest-lasting snow patch in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park earlier this year for the fifth time this century and third time in four years (previously, it had likely only happened three times since 1700). While there are ample reasons to address carbon pollution and wind down fossil fuel use, we can now add ensuring future generations have at least a decent chance at getting trapped by a snowstorm with an Oasis cover band to that list.