Woke at 6:20am and snoozed until 7:00am since rain showers were still falling. Made brekkie in tent - orange juice, muesli, bread and cheese washed down with a large mug of coffee.  Got up, washed and shaved and packed up. The rain stayed away.I said farewell to my fellow camper, who was only going as far as Thornton on Craven today. Very windy with occasional short shower but nothing  serious. I made good progress . I hoped ther might be a shop in Icknorshaw but couldn't find one and saw no one to ask. Stopped just beyond by a spring and made coffee. Off again and the weather was brighter now. ½ mile before Lothersdale I met 5 walkers, going the other way, who said there was a only ½ mile to a pub in Lothersdale. I arrived at the Hare and Hounds at precisely 1:00pm. OI ordered a pint of shandy and a chili con carne. Enjoyed the meal and left just before 2:00pm. Weather continued to improve and walking was fairly straightforward if not spectacular. Saw a dead shrew by the roadside. 2 in 2 weeks! Passed one or two walkers and spoke briefly to them. Reached Thornton in Crave and enquired of a woman if there was a shop. I fancied an ice cream. The answer alas was negative so I plodded on. Just before East Marton I ascended onto a canal tow path -  a welcome change and very pleasant.  My water supply was exhausted and I saw a woman filling bottles with water at a tap which was clearly located in a locked cupboard I asked if I may top up my supply and of course she was happy for me to do so. They had their own boat that they moored at Gargrave. Came from 'up north' but can't remember where. At the bridge a sign pointed to a shop. It was 4:00pm. I left the tow path and a few yards up the road was a tea shop. I asked for an ice cream but noticed the lemon meringue pie and was tempted. She served it with yet more ice cream! As I returned to the tow path I passed a man and woman on the bridge. Continued on to Gargrave over undulating fields. At one point I met a Yorshireman and tried to unsuccessfully make conversation. His dialect was not to be understood!

I eventually arrived just after 5:30pm. A large Co-op shop greeted me so I stocked up with supplies - milk, bread, .an orange, orange juice, eggs, soup, and 2 cans of lager. This was the first shop since Aladdins Cave. I set of towards the camp site with 2 carrier bags. As I approached a bridge over the canal 2 people approached me. It was the same man and woman I had passed on the bridge in East Marton 2 hours previously! They had presumably arrived by boat along the canal route.

I found the camp site. The downside - alongside a road: the upside - the grass is flat. Pitched my tent alongside two other blokes, one of whom was a lock keeper. He told me that you can get a 'BWB' key from British Waterways for £5.but say you are a boater. This allows you access to all the taps on the canal! He was also amused by my story of the sign at East Marton saying: 'No horses. Towpath unsuitable for horses'!!! I sat and drunk s lager then had a a shower and heated the soup. Ate a tin of pears adn then scoffed the other can of lager. Despite having walked 20 miles today my feet were not feeling too bad. I range Gemma and then before going to bed made 2 poached eggs with bread and butter. Asleep by 10:00pm.