The Hermit Inn near Ilkley closes after struggling under Covid-19 restrictions

The Hermit Inn, in Burley Woodhead, is well known for its stunning views over Otley Chevin and was popular with walkers and cyclists around the Ilkley area.

The pub has an LS postcode but is technically in Bradford.

Three years ago, it turned over a weekly profit of around £7,000 with more than half of its income coming from food service.

But Covid-19 restrictions have meant the business has become unviable and it has closed permanently.

A statement on the pub's Twitter page read: "Sadly we are now closed permanently but we would like to thank all of our customers for their patronage.

"Sadly yes it’s permanently closed from now. It’s sad but we aren’t the first and we won’t be the last.

Cheers to our MPs - killed a 400-year-old pub ,thanks for fighting our corner."

The pub changed the name of its Twitter account to 'The Hermit Is not Inn anymore'.

The vast majority of MPs did vote in favour of a second lockdown, but Shipley MP Philip Davies - the pub's MP - was one of the few to vote against the measures.

The Hermit participated in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August and landlady Gill also ran a takeaway service during lockdown.

The inn is named after an 18th-century hermit who lived on the nearby moors.

It was named one of Britain's prettiest polling stations after being requisitioned for the EU referendum vote in 2016.

The pub last went up for sale in 2017, when long-term landlords Brian and Christine Frost retired, having had two separate spells running the pub

It was also a regular haunt of the writer Alfred Brown, who published a series of early walkers' guides to 'tramping' and contributed to Country Life magazine.

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