Wednesday 28 March 2007

Counting Down.....

Well, only 3 days to go until the adventure begins......

I spent the last few of my days off work finishing off the odd jobs that needed to be completed before heading off. One in particular that concerned me was the fact that occasionally, Hermione has refused to start after being switched off. Basically, when the key was turned, nothing at all would happen - no click, no whirr - nothing! I had the starter motor off her and had it overhauled but the chap who did the job said it looked fine; just a bit too much grease inside it. I'm starting to think that the ignition key switch may be dodgy, but my attempts to recreate the problem have so far yielded no fruit.

So....... I have connected an extra cable on to the solenoid so that if it is the key switch, I can bypass it and connect the cable directly to the battery. Hopefully this will be my 'get out of jail free' card if needed. It's especially annoying when it happens in petrol stations and you find yourself blocking the pumps with a 4 tonne monster that's a bit hard to push!

I found the annoying occasional water leak last week. It turned out to be the inspection cover for the fresh water tank wasn't screwed on tightly and water was leaking past the seal when filled to the top. I can now relax about soaking the kitchen floor....
I've fitted a gas alarm too....

So I think I'm all ready to go. Another plus is that I've managed to sell my old campervan before I head off, so that has boosted the holiday funds nicely and will be one less job to attend to on my return.

Saturday morning sees me heading for Rosslare ferry port. More to be updated after that.....

Monday 19 March 2007

The countdown has begun!

An introduction, I suppose, is warranted at this point.....

I'm Steven.......

and my motorhome is Hermione Hymer, a 16 year old who is soon to be returning to her native mainland Europe for a Grand Tour.















Hermione was adopted by me back in February where she had been living with a couple in Waterford for a year after being brought in from her native Germany.....

In less than 2 weeks, we will head off together from Rosslare, Co. Wexford, Ireland to Cherbourg in France and head down towards Spain and maybe Portugal. More details from the start of our journey will follow.......