OK, I guess perhaps saying the trailer is a copy of a Bob might not have been terribly accurate. When I bought it (second hand) I was told it was a copy of a Bob. And from looking at the Yak/Ibex online they look pretty much the same, but I guess the finer details might not be sufficiently similar to make that statement -- so, sorry about that :) I'm almost certain it's not possible to unhitch unless I'm straddling the trailer, facing forwards. But thanks anyway.

I think you might have the same trailer as I have, which is made by TW Bents in Taiwan, but is marketed under a number of different brand names.

There are two spring-loaded clips that need to be pulled back on the hitch points of the trailer. Once pulled back, they should stay in place as they engaged in the slots, and you should be able to lift the trailer off the ends of the QR skewer by lifting with one hand at the yoke where it joins the trailer frame. To do this successfully really needs to have the trailer lightly loaded or completely unloaded.

Frankly, if on a tour in a "straight line" (ie, I am not basing myself in one location for two or more days, but rather am heading for a destination some days away), I don't detach the trailer from the bike at all. I'd even ride the bike into town with the trailer attached for dinner.

OK, actually I can see what you're saying and I guess I could do that, but to unload it I need to stabilise it in some fashion -- either putting it directly on the ground (i.e. unhitched), or using the other ideas I've picked up further up in this thread. The ensemble is so damn unstable with a load that getting it all stabilised and/or unloaded quickly at the campsite seems like a must.

?? you gotta spread the fork/yoke to remove the trailer, NOT lift straight up ??

could you post a photo of the yoke?

Yes, that's exactly it. I'm sorry for all this confusion -- this is the only cycle trailer I've ever "known", and so I just assumed they were all like this! The forks swing as wide as you want, but you have to move them. If I undo the spring-loaded clips on them, and lift the trailer upwards at the "yoke", that's fine, but the trailer won't unhitch. I have to move them outwards with my hands to unhitch. So, I straddle the trailer just behind the bike, and unhitch both sides at the same time.

Now I'm intrigued how other trailers work!! :)

It looks to me like the yoke is bent. That could be a large part of your problem.

some of these bob-like clones have folding yokes.
search youtube for videos...

OK, interesting. The real takeaway I have from this thread is (a) I need to immobilise the front wheel in both dimensions and (b) something to put under the trailer when it's loaded is also going to help.

It seems we've pretty much gone as far as we can on this topic. Grateful thanks to all who've contributed to my learning here; you've made a big difference to my trip.

Happy cycling to all :)

SkiAddict1, another thought for you to pursue. Even with that trailer, you should be able to jackknife the bike and trailer so that they become self-supporting. That will enable you to load up after you have attached the trailer to the bike.