The day dawned dry. Angela's rear tyre was flat. Not a good start. John had had trouble removing the dust cap from the valve yesterday evening when he went to pump the tyre up. He cycled up the hill to the town, stopped at a supermarket and sought out the local bicycle repair man who was on holiday. We decided to give up on the valve and buy a new inner tube from the supermarket, but a size 24 is not easily available which is why we had no spare one with us. Long story, short. The inner tube turned out to be punctured! Our Swiss companion Rita, age confirmed as seventy had been completely washed out last night and had slept in the communal room. Luckily the sun came out and she was able to dry everything before setting off. At lunchtime we stopped to eat lunch with her at a lock on the canal. The lock keeper brought us out tomatoes from his garden and boiled eggs. The kindness of strangers. Tonight's four star, expensive campsite is a rip off. The swimming pool was closed, water was barely warm in the showers and we were overcharged. Oh well sometimes you win, others you lose.
