The same night I accepted the invite, I was scanning eBay for Imp stuff. I put a mad drunken bid on a 930 Talbot Sunbeam engine in Inverness, and e-mailed the vendor asking if he would hold it for me if I won the auction - if not then to cancel my bid and let the auction progress. He agreed and so the auction went on, with me fully expecting to be outbid - 930s go for over £200 usually.
I was the only bidder, and won the engine for the princely sum of £50!
So the decision was to be made about which shite-heap to take - the Imp, the Saab or the Cavalier?
The Imp - too small, too loud, no radio.
The Saab - 33 MPG at best, probably 26-30 on the run, and not as relaxed as:
The Cavalier - 8-10 MPG over the Saab, comfortable, tidier handling and less arse-draggy than either of the above.
The Cav it is then, despite this being the first BIG journey (and I mean BIG - it got warmed up enough to open the 'stat prior to the retorque before coming back off the road to start on the rear arch) since the head gasket change, and the first journey since I welded in the new wheelarch and rear valance. However, it needs some more stuff doing to it - fresh oil (fully synth Unipart 5/w40, extravagant but it seems to like it!) and a new filter; dig the old tape player out of the loft and swap it over with the one that's in there as I want to have both FM radio and tape; new brake pads. Remember, this is the £95 stop-gap car bought 4 years ago...
So at about half 11 on The Friday, the Cav and I travelled north on the A1. Over the A66, no problems, and stopped at Todhills for me to empty my bladder and fill up the car at about half 1. The next planned stop, Inverness...
I tramped on up the A74M, waiting for the hill that would slow the Cav down (remember it's a 1300) but it didn't come, and I did the border to the M73 in just over an hour - the next time I stopped was in traffic in the roadworks on the A80, as some eejit had caused a lorry to go through the central reservation in the contraflow, blocking the northbound.
Once clear of that, then the roadworks, more tramping on, with some lovely vistas over the A9:
I reached Inverness at around 6, and picked up the engine - the vendor's a top bloke, I got the carb and manifolds chucked in too - he wanted it to go to an enthusiast. I reiterated that I couldn't believe that I'd won it; he said there were 26 watchers and just the one bidder...:-)
Out with the spare wheel and into the spare wheel well went the engine - I don't want to have to lift that out to change the tyre! A bit more blether - it was 6:50, and time to get on. Into Inverness, phone the wife while having a coffee outside a car dealership.
I'd just got off the phone to Her when Craig, the organiser of the weekend, phoned to say he'd forgotten the key to the doss - it was lying on the kitchen table in the south side of Edinburgh and it was a 5 hour round trip to pick it up... Good job I brought the tent! Then I thought, I'd better get some get some gas for the stove - will Nevisport in Fort Bill still be open? Ahhhh, there's a Halfords just over there and they do camping stuff! Gas bought, then onwards again.
Just as I was about to leave Inverness I got another phonecall from Craig - they'd managed to get into the doss.
Good. Time for food.
I stopped for a fish supper at Drumnadrochit (they're really good) but as they cook the fish to order it was too hot to eat straight away, so I thought I'd have it in Invermoriston. I didn't get that far - Urquhart Castle was lit up for the night, and the moonlight was bouncing off of Loch Ness - a fantastic photo opportunity, and as good a place as any to eat a fish supper.
Back on down the road - it was getting cold, but whether it was cold enough for a frost to form was worrying. I tried to take it steady, but every so often I'd get into a rhythm and have to make the conscious effort to slow down. I picked up a young hitchhiker in Spean Bridge, going to Fort William to see his girlfriend. He'd been faced with the choice of staying in watching Comic Relief with his mum or trying to thumb a lift. If I'd had that choice - Comic Relief or the chance of a bit of houghmagandy - I'd have walked the 9 miles...
Into Fort Bill at about 10 past 9, and Morrison's was shut - arse! Still, the petrol station was open and the car needed fuel - 37 MPG, which isn't bad considering the amount of WOT I'd been using. Then on through Glencoe to the doss at Achallader. I'd just sorted my stuff out when another car rolled up - the occupant (from Knaresborough!) was heading off in a different direction towards one of the MBA's bothies.
Up the hill and into the doss with the lights of engineering train on the West Highland Line showing me where the bridge across the track was, and hence the way to the accomodation for the weekend - the Achallader lineside railway cottage, built just on the edge of the railway line - then beer! Ahhhh, at last, I can stop moving...
The next morning dawned nice and bright. While others made plans to go walking and that, I got the books out and did some studying - such fun, but needs must. I did go to Brodies for some supplies, and walked into the Green Wellie shop to laugh at the prices - £9.99 for a box set of 3 beers! It's good to know that tourists are being fleeced.
Here's a view from the bridge over the WHL, looking north:
One looking south:
And a shot of the doss:
There was also the chance to photograph the occasional diesel multiple unit
...and some of the locals.
Another night of beer and laughs followed, including a weird vehicle on the tracks.
Sunday dawned cloudy and dull - and so was the weather. Another weird vehicle on the tracks:
Brian and other friends were heading to the Clashgour hut for a cuppa and reminice some more, but I decided to begin the 300-mile journey down the road towards home. At the Dumbarton by-pass there was an amazing sight - A Sherpa camper! I got some shots, the first one at Dumbuck garage, the second half a mile later. I bet it rolls in a roundabout!
At the services on the M74, there was this wee thing, any idea what it is?
Finally, home. I just need a spare pair of hands to get this engine out of the boot...
