And there he was, waiting patiently, a smile across his front grill, perhaps a little dusty but otherwise looking in top form.  We had a quick hug, exchanged a few quiet words of relief and I climbed up into the driver’s seat.  Tramp had finally been reunited with Julie and I after almost three years separated by that dreaded Covid thing.  We couldn’t stop grinning as we pulled away from the warehouse storage facilities on the grounds of a lush green farm in rural Essex which had housed Tramp while we were stuck in Sydney.  But that was all behind us, we are reunited once again and ready to hit the road.

Well, it wasn’t quite that easy.  Julie and I had flown from Sydney to London and then caught a two hour train out to Witham in Essex east of London.  That was a brutal 34 hour door to door trip wearing a mask and dealing with all the other difficulties of travelling these days.  In Witham our great friend Gavin picked us up and took us directly to the warehouse where Tramp had been holidaying since 2019. 

The next six days were filled with an endless list of projects, excitement and anticipation as we madly prepared Tramp for another adventure while catching up with Gavin and Emma who once again were hosting us in their lovely home. 

Tramp was in surprisingly good condition considering he was just sitting around for almost three years.  He got a clean bill of health after his full service at a local Ford dealer and with Gavin’s help he received new house batteries that power all the camper systems.  We tested all the various systems that make Tramp so comfortable to live in and fixed a few of his parts that broke while in storage.  Julie washed all the clothes and linen that were stored in the camper while I scrubbed the outside and completed other minor maintenance projects.  It was hectic and great fun.

Amongst all this work we also enjoyed the delightful hospitality of Gavin and Emma who continue to support us whenever we are in the UK.  Gavin is an overlander diehard and is the only owner in the UK or Europe of a V2 camper just like Tramp.  The four of us have overlapping interests in travel, camping, overlanding and cool trucks, all of which consume countless hours of conversation over a bottle of wine or two after a long day of work. 

They also introduced us to the fascinating history of Maldon and the River Blackwater with all it’s estuaries, marshes and inlets along the Essex coastline.  It was here that the Vikings invaded in 991 and beat the local Anglo Saxons in what is known as the Battle of Maldon.  And centuries later the same tidal estuaries were used by smugglers who evaded the local authorities to import alcohol, tobacco and other goods from Europe.  The locals were happy to help the smugglers and it is said much of their loot was often hidden in underground tunnels, in the cellar of the local pub and even on the grounds of the local church. 

It was that same pub, the Chequers Inn in the little community of Goldhanger, that the four of us had drinks and dinner one night after a walk out on the banks of the estuary.  This hotel, originally built in the 14^th century, has been the centre point for the life of countless generations of locals in their quiet little corner of Essex. 

But all good things must end…or begin…so after completing all our tasks related to making Tramp expedition-ready and saying our goodbyes to Gavin and Emma we headed westward across central England with an aim of taking two days to get to Holyhead in northern Wales.  From there we would take the ferry over to Ireland and spend about three weeks exploring the Emerald Isle.  We then plan to return to England and head up to Scotland for a few weeks before returning to Essex. 

England is at it’s absolute best in May – mostly blue skies and warmish weather, lush green fields of grain blanketing the rolling hills, fat sheep and cattle grazing on endless grasses, the occasional medieval church spire or walled castle rising above the hedges and groves of trees.  Julie and I were totally taken by these wonderful rural scenes as the roads got narrower and hedges got higher.  There were a thousand beautiful photos to be taken but almost none were as English roads don’t cater for pullout areas or viewpoints for large American trucks.  Never mind, we loved every moment.

We pulled into the historic town of Ludlow in the glorious Shropshire countryside and parked to explore the narrow roads and old buildings of this wonderful hill-top town.  The centre piece of Ludlow is the castle, first built in the 11 century and still standing proud as it overlooks this medieval town.  We were too late to go in the castle but wandered the narrow streets and took in some of the atmosphere of the town.

Our first night on the road had a fitting end as we camped in an open paddock of a nearby farmstay camping site, baaing sheep all around us, a magnificent view of the valley below.  It was a beautiful ending to our first day on the road and our first week back with Tramp exploring new places and living the dream.  Now it is onward to Ireland!