If going to the pub is a great British tradition, some particular watering holes have their own special character and unique facets. Nowhere is this more the case than the Tan Hill Inn up in North Yorkshire.
Located by the Pennine Way, the pub holds the distinction of being Britain’s highest pub, standing 1,732 ft above sea level. It is no surprise, then, to learn that winter snows frequently leave people trapped.
However, the place is well equipped for this and the tale of New Year 2025 is a familiar one, with 23 people holed up in the hostelry behind 4ft deep snow drifts. For those who love a trip to the pub, it must be the ultimate lock-in. For anyone who had somewhere else to be, paying a visit with the weather forecast as it was won’t be their smartest decision of 2025.
After a few days, reports started to emerge of some serious privations as the sausages and Malbec wine ran out, but what most people would have neglected to ask is what all this was doing to the carpets. While many will have been staying in the guest rooms, others just came up for the evening and will have been staying on rolled-out camping mattresses.
But What About The Carpets?
It’s fair to say the carpets won’t be getting much of a clean now and even if professional cleaners are lined up to do the job, it won’t be possible until the snows have cleared enough for them to drive up to the pub.
The Tan Hill Inn may be the most famous example of this sort of scenario, although it is unlikely to be the only pub in a high place to experience being snowed in whenever severe winter weather hits.
However, this could be just one of many things to take their toll on pub carpets, especially in winter.
The first of these factors is obvious: Christmas has just come and gone and during the festive season and the weeks running up to it, there will have been a lot of footfall in many pubs. That will be good news for takings, but it also means a lot more wear and tear, as well as food and drink spillages among the merry throngs crowded into bars around the country.
Something Is Underfoot
A second reason is what people will walk in on their shoes. Right now, whether up on Tan Hill or in town centres, there will be many people walking in with lots of snow on their feet, which will melt off into the carpet. They say never eat yellow snow, but there is a fair chance much of it will be walked in, especially at night when pedestrians can’t tell what colour it is.
The recent weather has also brought lots of rain and floods, with plenty of mud about. Not only does this mean a lot of this getting walked in as people pass through the doors, but the state of football and rugby pitches at this time of year means players popping in for a post-match drink will be bringing some of the playing surface with them.
With all this wear and tear and varied substances landing on the carpet, it will take a lot of punishment over the winter, even if it doesn’t have a load of temporary mattresses laid on it for those snowed-in overnight to sleep on.
Great Carpets For Your Pub
To cope with this in the first place requires some robust carpets, so if you now see clear evidence that the ones you have need replacing, this is the time to start looking at what we can offer in our leisure and hospitality range.
Balsan, for example, produces a series of different attractive carpets that come in tile or plank forms, with these ranging in appearance from smart but grey to a number of colourful options, including the option of using planks or tiles of different colours to create attractive and novel patterns.
Different products will suit different rooms in a pub. For example, The Balsan Ultrasoft Dalle Carpet Tiles will be ideal for those cosy, out-of-the-way side rooms and hotel bedroom spaces. These come in colours such as red, yellow, blue and purple. They are 8.3 mm thick and made from 100 per cent recycled nylon. Balsan offer several carpet tile ranges which also includes the Louvre Dalle Carpet Tiles which are perfect for this setting.
Burmatex is our other great supplier in this area, with fine products such as the Balance Ratio Carpet Tiles, with these coming in the world’s first carbon negative fibre yarn and featuring a range of attractive colours such as blue, red, green and peach.
Carpets like these will help brighten up any pub, giving it a new lease of life, while lasting for many years. Perhaps it will even be the place to be when you have your own snow-bound lock-in.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch with the CVT Direct team via our Contact Us page or give us a ring on 0345 121 1234.
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