The A9 is a bit scary at the best of times when towing a caravan but it became positively frightening on a recent trip when I broke down on the dual carriageway south of Drumochter summit. I had been tootling along fine doing 60 on cruise control when suddenly there was a lurch and a loss of power. I managed to pull in to the entrance of a small side road where I inspected all 6 wheels, suspecting that a brake had bound on. All seemed OK and there was no mobile signal where I was parked so I pulled back on to the dual carriageway. Big mistake. I struggled to get up to 40mph and had to stop again, hazards flashing, when I spotted black smoke coming from the rear of the car. Still no obvious brake overheating. At least I had a mobile signal in my new position so I used it to phone the police as I couldn't get the outfit off the carriageway. I also phoned Mayday - the Caravan Club's breakdown organisation for caravanners. While on the phone to the latter, the police left a message to say that they would be some time, which was worrying as the number of vehicles which did not see the caravan until the last moment was frightening. I stood behind the crash barrier 100m before the caravan, waving people to pull over into the fast lane and praying that no-one would hit my beautiful Bailey. It took the police 35 minutes to get there - was I glad to see them! I also appreciated the couple with the caravan who pulled in behind me to see if they could help, especially as they were putting their own outfit in danger by doing so.
The police put out warning signs and then helped me limp along to a layby, black smoke belching, and breakdown arrived 10 minutes later. Turned out a hose had come off the turbo and was easily fixed at the roadside, allowing me to continue my journey. I am now going to buy the biggest red warning triangle I can find, just in case I ever end up in the same position. I will also remember in future to put on the hi-vis vest I always keep in the car - it might have helped convince motorists that I was not just waving at them for the fun of it! The average speed cameras on the A9 have reduced the number of idiots doing silly speeds on the single carriageway sections however the dual carriageway sections still resemble F1 racetracks - not a good place to break down, which is worrying, given the proposals to dual the entire Perth-Inverness section but without a hard shoulder. I also couldn't help wondering if the police presence on that section has been reduced since the average speed cameras were introduced. My patrol car had to come from Perth.
All-in-all it was a frightening experience and I am thankful to God that me and my caravan came out of it unscathed.
