August 2017

Loading the motorhome up for just a few days away seemed to take an eternity!

Arrived at the Certified Site (Caravan & Camping Club) after about a 2.5 hour leisurely drive in the sunshine. We were very happy pootling along & so excited to be on the road at last, Europe and UK travels beckon!

Lovely site and the hosts Pam & Tony Bunn were very helpful, nothing was too much trouble, we levelled up in front of the fishing pond and put the kettle on. Had a relaxing evening and in bed by 10pm.

Day out in Lincoln, what a fantastic city, caught the bus outside the site gate, so easy. Once in Lincoln we headed off to the spot for the guided walking tour. We had a great day wandering around and we made plans to visit the cathedral and castle on a tour tomorrow. Once back at the site it was beer, wine and tapas sat in our new recliners enjoying the warm weather, ah this is the life!

We woke the next morning to a wet day both inside and outside, we have a got a leak! It was coming in quickly through the roof, we were so upset, it was unbelievable after everything we had been through . It was raining heavily so a bucket was put to use whist we thought how to solve the problem.

• Cathy contacted the repair company, sent a video of the leak as well
• We looked for local repairers on the web
• We asked Tony if there was room inside his barn, unfortunately the entrance wasn’t high enough!
• Borrowed Tony’s ladder and discovered a reservoir on the roof
• The rain water couldn’t run off the roof, so it was forming a square pool or dam with a high water level
• Turned the van around 180 degrees to make the rain water run away from the hole
• Established where we thought the problem was
• Got the roll of paper towels and the gaffer tape and set to
• 30 minutes later my temporary repair was complete
• The drip stopped
• The repairer agreed to look at the van again when we got home
• Monitored the drip and tidied up inside
• Stayed in the van for most of the day whilst it rained and rained but constantly looking for water, touching all the surfaces nearby
• Constantly checking the BBC weather app
• No more water coming in
• Photos and a closer inspection later and indeed there was no run off for the rain water so it built up to a depth of about 5-6mm, when they has resealed the roof rails the lad had bridged the run off gap in all four corners! deep enough for the water to run over the lip of a roof mounted box where the electric cable enters the van from the solar panel and down inside to the van. the hole for the cable obviously hadn’t had a grommet over it or sealed! probably been like that for years but no water had got inside the box before.
• So much for the repairer’s water tightness test, they must have done it whilst the van wasn’t level

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Read and listened to music, went to bed after some wine, popped in the earplugs and tried to sleep.

In the morning we calculated it must have rained for 30 hours non-stop but luckily the gaffer tape held firm, it really is wonder stuff! Sun came out, so we went to Lincoln for another enjoyable day, full of history and stories, the tour guides were superb in both the castle and cathedral, cost £16 per person and it was good value. The Domesday book and Magna Carta were on display also, surprising there was hardly any queues which was good. The marina was next as we made our way back to the bus stop.

Back at the site and a check of Pogo and all seems well now, no water, dampness or drips so we can relax once again, tomorrow we go home via the repairers.

Up the next morning and off we go, we liked Lincoln a lot and would recommend to others to go and visit.

My driving skills with a Left Hand drive need to improve, I had 2 close calls with other vehicles when I move between lane 1 and 2 on the motorway. We got stuck in a jam just outside Manchester on the M62, we were stationary when drips started to fall down from the top of the windscreen, this hadn’t happened in Lincoln so it must be something else now, our anxiety levels increase.

We leave Pogo at the repairers and go home.

What eventful shakedown trip that was!

Dave & Cathy