Day 5 - A helpful pharmacist, a surprising
coffee stop and a stretch of tow path
Friday 16th May
Cowling to Near Gargrave
11.6 miles
Susan provided us with a lovely breakfast
including fresh fruit, homemade bread and preserves. We delayed
leaving until 9 am so that we could visit the local pharmacy - Mum
had mislaid her second pack of heart medication tablets. Thankfully
the pharmacist was very helpful and was able to sell Mum a 5 day
supply but it took a while to sort out the paperwork so I waited
outside and programmed the days route into the GPS. Panic over and
suitably replenished with drugs we left the village passing Cowling
Parish Church and the local primary school. We waved to the children
hard at work behind the large windows. An undulating route took us
through lush farmland and down into the pretty village of
Lothersdale. By now it was nearly 11.30 and we thought a coffee at
the Hare and Hounds would be appropriate but unfortunately the pub
didn’t open until 12 – not even for a loo stop! As we walked on we
met a lady carrying a saucepan and a large ladle, she kindly asked
if we needed any help and on hearing we were looking for a loo
invited us into the village hall where she and another local lady
were busy preparing for the monthly OAP’s luncheon. We used the loo
and were also treated to a coffee. The hall looked most inviting; a
large table was dressed for lunch with 20 place settings, fresh
flowers and serviettes to match the room décor. We stayed to chat
for a while about village life and long distant walking, one of the
ladies had walked both the Coast to Coast and Offa’s Dyke and so
could appreciate our efforts.
The climb out of Lotherdale was gentle but
sustained; as we approached the high point of Pinshaw beacon it was
threatening to rain so we delayed our lunch break until meeting the
Colne to Carleton road. It was a rather noisy lunch stop, next to
the cars whizzing over the cattle grid but we thoroughly enjoyed
Susan’s tuna and salad sandwiches whilst sheltering in the lee of
the wall.
Descending into Thornton-in-Craven we somehow
missed the path and ventured too far to the west, resulting in a
little extra mileage traipsing through long wet grass along the
riverbank. Once back on track in Thornton we passed some pretty
cottages as we left the village and then a Pennine Way sign directed
us down across a field only to find ourselves trapped, hemmed in by
drainage ditches on three sides. We reluctantly retraced our steps
and eventually reached the Leeds Liverpool canal. The canal was well
hidden; our only clue to its presence was the distant sound of
chugging narrow boats. An easy stroll along the tow path brought us
to East Marton and just after the famous double-arched bridge we
went in search of the tea rooms advertised on the tow path. Here we
indulged in something called a
lumpy bumpy cake (a concoction of biscuit, chocolate and
marshmallow) and lots of hot tea before the final mile to Newton
Grange Farm. The farmhouse was large and impressive and we met
Catherine in the garden doing a bit of weeding. We were surprised to
learn that we had the whole house to ourselves as Catherine and her
husband live on a neighbouring farm and just run Newton Grange as a
guest house. The interior of the farmhouse was very elegant and our
room was huge – plenty of space to spread out all our stuff and
guess what …. Mum found her missing pack of pills!
Catherine gave us a lift back to East Marton where we ate supper in
the Cross Keys. Hostelries in this part of Yorkshire are obviously
used to very hearty appetites as my mushroom stroganoff would of fed
two people and Mum’s fish was struggling to stay on the plate. The
walk back to the farmhouse was very welcome. It felt very grand
having the key to such an impressive front door. We watched TV for a
while, marvelling at a group of disabled teenagers attempting to
scale a mountain in the Andes, it certainly put any of our minor
aches and pains into perspective. We waited up to catch the weather
forecast but both fell asleep in the armchairs before it came on.Thought for the day:
Deb –
Feeling very relieved that Mum has found the rest of her medication
Mum
–
I felt that I qualified for the OAP luncheon in Lothersdale today.
As an ex-Liverpudlian it was odd to think that the canal would lead
me back to my childhood homePictures
Heading North out of Cowling
Meadow flowers
Three very curious lambs
The village of Lothersdale
Lothersdale Village Hall set for the OAP luncheon
Pinshaw Beacon
Heading down to Thornton-in-Craven
The Leeds Liverpool Canal hiding in the trees
An easy stroll along the towpath
The famous double decker bridge
The pretty village of East Marton
Hot tea and lumpy bumpy cake!
Cowslips on the path to Newton Grange
The grand entrance to Newton Grange Farm
Huge meals for healthy appetites at the Cross Keys
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