Driving to Tan Hill Inn: Britain’s Highest Pub in the Yorkshire Dales

I set out with one clear plan for the day. I wanted to drive up to Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales and experience it properly. Not just pull into the car park, take a quick photo and say I had been there, but actually take the long way round, enjoy the drive and understand why this place has the reputation it does. If you are not familiar with it, Tan Hill Inn is Britain’s highest pub, sitting at 1,732 feet above sea level in Swaledale. It dates back to the seventeenth century and sits right on the Pennine Way, so it is as much a stop for long distance walkers as it is for those of us who enjoy a proper Yorkshire Dales road trip.

The drive up is a big part of it. I came through the Forest of Bowland National Landscape first. You move through proper working countryside. Fields divided by dry stone walls, sheep scattered across the hills, small woods tucked between farmland and the occasional stone bridge crossing a stream. It feels rural and established, like this is land that has been farmed and managed for generations, because it has… The roads are easy at this stage, wide enough to settle into a rhythm and simply enjoy driving in the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding countryside.

As you edge closer to the heart of the Dales, things begin to open up. The trees thin out, the fields stretch wider and the houses become fewer. The road starts to narrow in places and you are more aware of how exposed it is. You begin to climb gradually and the views stretch further. It stops feeling like you are driving between villages and starts to feel like you are heading into something more remote. There are stretches where it is just you, the car and the landscape, which is exactly what you want from a UK driving holiday.

By the time you are properly ascending towards Tan Hill Inn, the road becomes closer to single track in parts. The land around you is open and rolling, with patches of rough ground and big skies above. There is very little around in terms of buildings or traffic. You are climbing steadily, and you can sense you are heading somewhere high and slightly out on its own. It is one of those scenic driving routes in the UK where the journey genuinely adds to the destination.

Then you see it. Tan Hill Inn sitting on the hill, exactly where you would expect Britain’s highest pub to be. It does not look overdone or dressed up. It looks solid and practical, like a trusted old friend that has grown into its surroundings over time.

Tan Hill Inn

Stepping out of the car, the wind up there makes the point immediately. You are high up. The views are wide and uninterrupted, and you can see why this would have been an important stop historically. Tan Hill Inn dates back to the seventeenth century and originally served miners working in the area. The main mining activity nearby was lead mining in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. That whole part of the Yorkshire Dales was heavily involved in lead extraction from the 1600s through to the nineteenth century. You can still see old mine workings, spoil heaps and ruined buildings scattered across the hills if you know what you are looking for.

It would have been a practical stop for miners working long shifts in tough conditions, as well as a place for traders and travellers crossing the Pennines.Today it is known worldwide, partly because of its height and partly because of its location on the Pennine Way, which runs from Derbyshire all the way up to the Scottish Borders. Walkers crossing that route regularly pass through here, and you can imagine how welcome a warm fire must feel after miles on the hills.

Inside, it is exactly what you hope it will be. You walk onto a stone flagged floor that has clearly seen plenty of boots over the years. The ceilings are low, the beams exposed and the bar feels authentic rather than styled to look old. There was an open fire burning when I went in, and a log burner going in the next room. It is warm straight away, and it feels inviting without trying too hard.

I spent some time chatting with the innkeeper. He explained that they are open 364 days a year. They close on Christmas Day, but even then, if someone turns up in bad weather needing shelter, they will let them in. Particularly in winter, they will not turn a weary traveller away. There is always a fire burning. Given the location of Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales, that approach makes complete sense.

Tan Hill Inn attracts a real mix of people. Walkers on serious long distance routes, cyclists tackling the hills, road trippers making the drive specifically to experience Britain’s highest pub, and at weekends, people who come for the live music. On Thursday nights they host buskers nights, where musicians come and play in a relaxed setting. On Fridays and Saturdays there are live bands in the barn, and the place is fully booked for months. The inn has eight rooms plus a bunkhouse, and weekend availability is hard to come by. It becomes a social hub despite being in what feels like the middle of nowhere.

The food is what you want from a place like this. Straightforward, hearty and locally sourced where possible. After the drive and time spent exploring the surrounding Yorkshire Dales, sitting down for a proper meal in a cosy and welcoming surrounding is a uniquely British traveller experience .

For me, Tan Hill Inn is exactly the sort of stop we look to include in our UK self drive tours and group driving holidays. It offers a proper drive to reach it, a location that feels different from the usual tourist hotspots, and a piece of genuine British history at the end of the road. It works brilliantly as part of a Yorkshire Dales road trip and fits naturally into a wider UK driving holiday. There are plenty of impressive places across the country, but Tan Hill Inn earns its reputation because of where it is and how it operates. It is one of those golden gems that adds real depth to a route rather than just another stop on a map.

If you would like to discover more locations like this, and see how we build them into our scenic driving routes across the UK, join our mailing list and follow along with what we are doing at Ultimate Driving Adventures.

Cheers

Will

Travel Expert, UDA