Pigs Might Fly: More Dales Tales from the author of The Inn at the Top

by Neil Hanson

“Massively readable, full of rich anecdote, amusing characters.” Gervase Phinn“Reminiscent of James Herriot.” The Dalesman"A great story-teller" Newcastle ChronicleThe author of the best-selling The Inn at the Top is back with more tales of the highest inn in Britain, in the most wild and windswept corner of the Yorkshire Dales. Joining the extraordinary cast of local characters are a theatrical pet piglet, a punk barmaid with shocking pink hair, two Australian handymen and a Walter Mittyesque chef.The naive young couple who ran the inn in the late 1970s return and buy it five years later. Stumbling from one crisis to another, they somehow transform it from a decrepit local curiosity into a thriving, nationally-known inn. They also “conquer Everest” by getting the double-glazing company to film a TV commercial at the inn. Enter Ted Moult and his famous feather to keep the gales off the ales…Full of warmth and humour, the beauty of the Dales countryside and the quirks of the characters who inhabit it, Pigs Might fly paints an unforgettable portrait of a unique place and way of life in a now-vanished era.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2015

About the author

It's been a long and winding road... since graduating with a degree in philosophy (now that's useful...) I've been by turns plasterer's mate, holiday camp redcoat, ice cream salesman, exhibition organiser, art critic, rugby league commentator, freelance journalist, editor of the Good Beer Guide, owner of the highest pub in Great Britain and - finally! - a full-time author. It may not be an ideal career path, but it's given me a wealth of experiences that I draw on constantly in my own work.

I'm the author of over 50 published books. Under my own name I usually write narrative non-fiction a.k.a. popular history (though my sales figures suggest that it's never quite as popular as I'd like it to be...), but I have also written a serious novel, a few thrillers, two screenplays, travel writing and even a play-script for a musical as well. And in my day job as a professional "ghostwriter" I've written over forty other books, including a New York Times Number One best-seller.
I've spoken about my work at lectures, writers' festivals and other events all over the world and, when not writing, I'm often to be found riding my bike in the country around my home on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales.

Reviews

[Dalyn Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pigs Might Fly is an absolutely delightful, warm, and deeply entertaining return to the wild, windswept world of the Yorkshire Dales. Neil Hanson’s storytelling is effortless funny, vivid, and full of life. What stood out most to me was how real the characters felt: from the theatrical pet piglet to the punk barmaid to the Walter Mitty style chef, every personality bursts off the page.

I especially enjoyed the way Hanson captures both the charm and chaos of running Britain’s highest inn the crises, the small triumphs, the community spirit, and the incredible resilience woven through it all. It’s rich, humorous, and heart warming, the kind of memoir that makes you feel like you're living right inside the story.

A brilliant read, and a beautiful tribute to a vanished era.

[Mrs B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad the author and his wife had the chance to fulfil their dreams and become owners of the Inn at the Top, and it was rewarding to vicariously live through the transformations that they implemented.

I was also sorry to read that the author’s relationship with wife Sue was unable to stand the strain of working a 100 hour week.

[The_Cozy_Critique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of warmth and humour and all the beauty of the Dales countryside. I read this a while back and loved that I’d visited here a couple of times with my partner. This really helped to appreciate the beauty of this book. If you’re looking for a simple easy going read this is something to pick up.

[Chris Turnbull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, amusing

[Roxanne Hawkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was okay..... some bits were of interest, but on the whole I just found it very repetitive and as with the first book, in need of a decisive handed editing. Some stories were repeated from the first book, and the author even tells some stories in this 2nd book twice! Or he mentions certain characters - and tells us all about their peculiar history - again. He devotes a whole chapter to a pig that he kept, and spends at least 5 pages rabbiting on about how much the pig eats.... Given that the author is supposedly an editor I find this rather strange. Perhaps editing ones own work is harder than editing someone else’s.
The story doesn’t even get on to the actual Inn till page 100, and a lot of the story up till then seemed to be completely unnecessary - more about the life and times of Neil Hanson than a story of the Inn at the Top.
I managed to get to the end but I must admit I skimmed read and skipped rather a lot.

[Caroline Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hugely enjoyable read! I really must pay The Inn At The Top a visit when I'm next lucky enough to visit that part of the Yorkshire Dales!

[Howard Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh don't we all wish we had had those experiences. Hard at times but rewarding and memories to treasure. A lucky man

[Rachel Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most enjoyable read.