The Knumptywagen is back on the road.

With a cargo of immovable spiders clearly resident in the casings of both oversize wing-mirrors, we are newly road-taxed following a Covid-induced period of SORN, (DVLA’s acronym for Statutory Off Road Notice – forgive me if I don’t expand on DVLA as well or we’ll be here all day) and the Knumptywagen took to the road again at approximately 11:50 hours this morning, Monday 23 August, for which we joyously cried ‘Hurrah’!

Foreign lands? Well, inasmuch as we rarely have cause to travel anywhere east of the M1, on this particular post-lockdown trip, we’re headed for the coast of Norfolk – and that does entail crossing borders into strange hinterlands previously only rarely explored, and where there may indeed be dragons.

Nevertheless, the sun has shone mightily on our pioneering endeavours and smiled on us as we heaved-to in a grassy camping field alongside Rutland Water, where awning and reclining chairs were quickly deployed, under and on which we promptly fell soundly asleep in appreciated afternoon warmth.

Two new bicycles graced the Knumptywagen’s rear-mounted rack, lovingly swaddled in an also-new shiny silver cover (ostensibly to protect them from road-borne grime – and prying eyes) but which more unexpectedly rendered our trusty reversing-camera completely useless – unless we desired to view on our little dashboard screen the shiny silver cover billowing like a spinnaker behind us as we bowled merrily along.

Research undertaken by the Navigating Goddess of Eastern Lands advised that Rutland Water enjoys the benefit of a predominantly flat lake-edge path (designed for the combined use of both cyclists and pedestrians) which circumnavigates its 17-mile perimeter – and you’ll be as impressed as my Mother was when I regaled her with the news of our perambulatory triumph. Until of course, you were also made aware that the two new bicycles both featured electric motors, whence the impressed, congratulatory tone may falter a little, as it becomes evident that we hadn’t travelled that astonishing distance exclusively under our own motive force.

The sun has now set; the summer-like temperature has plummeted like a dropped anchor; we’ve re-racked the bikes; beered and dined in-van and are now – as darkness envelops us at just beyond 9:00pm – contemplating further sleep, this time for the night, since tomorrow awaits, as does a further Knumpty tale of two nearby towns, the names of which (somewhat mysteriously) both start with the letter ‘S’.

Stay tuned – it’s good to be back.