weaMotorists stranded in treacherous weather on the A9 were saved from spending the night in their vehicles thanks to the kindness of a local hotelier.
Snow gates between Dunbeath and Helsmdale were closed yesterday due to poor visibility and impassible conditions.
Police were urging motorists to avoid venturing outdoors amidst the “extremely challenging” conditions as crews worked to clear the A9.
Darren Minton, owner of the Navidale House Hotel in Helmsdale, watched as cars began piling up along the route as they attempted to reach Caithness.
Concerned for their welfare in the freezing conditions, he trudged through the snow offering drinks and toilet facilities to stranded motorists.
Speaking to The P&J, Darren said they wanted to do what they could to help those in need.
He said: “We took a walk with the dogs up to the top of the road and just saw how many cars were stuck at the snow gates. The police were blocking the road at the time, so we helped them shut the snow gate and saw the cars pile up.
“We thought, we will keep an eye on it and if it looks like it is going to be closed for the night, we are going to have to try and do what we can.
“In the meantime, we went car to car and offered anybody drinks and to use the toilet because it’s a long time to be stuck.”
Local hotelier offers stranded motorists a bed for the night amidst treacherous conditions
As conditions deteriorated and police closed the A9 overnight, motorists faced the prospect of spending the night on the side of the road in their vehicles.
That’s when Darren stepped in to offer a bed to those left out in the cold.
The independently owned B&B is currently closed for renovation works, with doors set to reopen on March 18.
With five out of their 10 rooms upgraded, the hotel owner put out a post on social media offering free accommodation to anyone stranded in the area.
Darren said for many of their guests, reaching out to them was their last resort.
He said: “It was a bit of a mad rush. We tried to tidy up the best we could and see how many rooms we had that were in a state to get ready.
“We’ve got 10 rooms here, five of which are getting their bathrooms replaced. We managed to get five rooms ready and done within a couple of hours.
“We put the post out on social, which went a little bit mad. I didn’t expect anywhere near as many people to share that as they did.
“We filled the five rooms. It was really good to get that many people out of their freezing cold cars.
“Many of them that we were speaking to, it really was their last resort. They were going to be sleeping in their car or the van.
“We had a couple of young couples and a few workers. There was a delivery guy who was stuck in his van and there was very limited heating as the heating wasn’t working properly. That could have been bad for him.
“We didn’t charge anybody for their rooms. It was purely an act of trying to do something good in the community. We were really pleased to be able to help them and make sure they had a roof over their head and a bit of warmth for the night.”
‘It is certainly the deepest snow we have seen’
The local hotelier says it’s the worst snow he has seen, since moving to the area 18 months ago.
Darren explained: “We only moved up here 18 months ago, but it is the worst weather we have seen.
“We didn’t see the snow gates shut at all last winter, so this is the first time we have seen it that bad. It is certainly the deepest snow we have seen.
“We’ve tried not to go out too much as it is safer to stay in and not clog up the road, but on the odd occasion we have had to go out, it seems a lot of snow is blowing in off the hills which makes it quite treacherous out there.”
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