It’s snowing! And what better place to be than sat in front of a fire, pint in hand, at a cosy pub.

It seems that there are many who agree – with one UK pub becoming a tempting draw as there’s a very real possibility of getting snowed in.

Amazingly in 2010, punters were snowed in at The Lion Inn in Blakey Ridge, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, for an astonishing nine days, making headlines around the world.

So as Britain was dusted with the white stuff today, I visited the pub – the fourth highest in the UK – to see if luck would strike again and I’d experience a snowy-lock in.

READ MORE: Full list of areas to be hit by snow as 600-mile weather bomb to blast Britain

My camera was out as soon as we parked up as the views are just so glorious, with breathtaking landscapes resembling the magical world of Narnia. Inside is even better though.

If you’re talking about an archetypal cosy British pub, then this place really does tick every box.

I overheard one of the staff saying he had to stay over a couple of nights already, just in case he couldn’t get home to a nearby village.

A couple of customers who made the trek up from nearby Saltburn – Rick Daley, 37, and his partner Jen Bottomley, 35, were also enjoying the cozy atmosphere as the roaring fire crackled in the corner.

Health care assistant Jen said: “We have hardly got any snow – and knew that a lot was up here.”

She added that “she wouldn’t mind” getting locked in, should a snowy lock-in occur. HGV driver Rick agreed.

He said a lock in “wouldn’t be an issue” except for the animals they have at home, where they live with their daughter Annabelle, five. He added: “It’s a nice place to be.”

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The famous lock-in that took place in 2010 really is the stuff of legends – with a picture on the wall inside the pub depicting the scene that a member of staff proudly shows off to me.

Seven people were trapped inside the pub for nine days after the building was engulfed by 16ft snow drifts.

The five staff and two local residents were kept warm inside as snow blocked windows and doors and the surrounding roads were too treacherous for any vehicles to pass.

I called into Castleton, the nearest village, and chatted to a couple of residents who have memories of being snowed in – although given its high point on the North Yorkshire Moors, it does not happen quite as often as you might think.

One woman who didn’t wish to be named said: “In 21 years we’ve been snowed in once. My husband always got to work – I think he missed it once.”

But she added that “the cars are all over the place,” with her own car being recently rescued.

And true to her word, I see one car that had careered off the road and had been abandoned, left for a recovery firm to pick up.

One of the lady’s neighbours said that winters now aren’t quite as severe as they used to be.

Retired teacher Phil Brown, 78, said: “We don’t get as much bad weather now although in the past we have had pretty severe stuff.”

And then, a bit worried about my own dubious motor, it was time for me to head home from the snowy summit of the stunning North Yorkshire Moors.

Sadly I didn’t get my winter wonderland lock in but here’s to hoping I get one next time.

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