Roads to Joy

It seems scarcely feasible that only two months ago Harry Hymer was stuffed to the gunwales with endless ranks of chattel, clothes, and everything that hadn’t made it into the big truck for storage. And yet, bit by bit, the stuff has been shifted out, and now Harry is clear for the next journey.

That jaunt is more prosaic than adventurous: a return to the garage to get the sump cover replaced, before it deteriorates even further and leaks everywhere. But even so, it’s a journey of a few hours to meet up with the cover that’s been sent over from Germany for us, and a fond hope that it will be the right one. So the trip should be a good test of roadworthiness, before we return and sort things out for a further camping sojourn.

That’s scheduled for a fortnight on ahead, when we hope to twirl around the Isle of Skye, crossing over on the big new bridge from the mainland. Sea food feasts beckon! But today’s joy is really about clearing the decks once more, getting ready, getting clear and tidy. Ensuring that the systems are still working, cameras front, side and back are displaying properly, satnav functioning (though for this repair exercise we do know the way) and all the appropriate dashboard accoutrements in place.

The cameras are the most crucial component of this exercise, because Harry Hymer is squished into the tightest corner possible, and my task in a couple of days is to back him carefully, oh so carefully, out of the drive and onto the highway. We’ve arranged to have our mobile phones on speaker, so that directions and warnings can be given from the roadside, as Harry moves with the utmost caution through the tight gap. The extrication process has been creating some consternation before I drop off to sleep, these past few days.

But with a clear dashboard, and an engine that sounds ready to roll, we can hope to achieve the result we desire, and then we can head off east to the garage for Harry’s appointment. It should be such fun, together in our ageing cab, on plush seats whose upholstery has seen better days, to be on the road again.

Well worth the effort, the perseverance over these last weeks, that it’s been to get the old guy ready once more.

Bring on the joys of the open road!