I was impressed with TPR’s truck driving. He sailed with ease along the wide lanes of the M8 into Edinburgh. Similarly, he skillfully navigated the narrow streets of the city, managing to squeeze the articulated lorry down the narrowest of Old Town closes. At one point he even mounted the pavement, taking advantage of the lorry’s huge clearance space to ride over parked cars without damaging them.

When we arrived back at the car hire depot, TPR drove the lorry to the top of the medieval spiral staircase and set the vehicle into ‘collapse’ mode. While he went off to settle our bill, I watched as the lorry parts sorted themselves into neat order and spilled down the steep red stone staircase like a set of obedient dominoes. Afterwards I abseiled down to ground level.

Here I waited in the secure room until it was time for my release. The small cellar-like room was well equipped with magazines and a sleeping bench, should I have needed them. There were even some children’s toys for any younger lorry passengers.