Minor Difficulties

After some deliberations, Simon decided to give his Morris Minor 1000 a new home in France. Having owned the car since 1994 it has been very reliable. The usual welding etc had been needed over the years to get it through the MOT in the UK, but otherwise no major problems. In 2008 two replacement rear doors and a passenger door were fitted. The front offside wing had been primed, but looking like a patchwork quilt, it was now ready for a respray.

Considering our barn was empty and our neighbours ran the garage in the village, with a spraying shed on site, it appeared to be the ideal opportunity. Simon set off from home on a Friday morning and all was well until he reached Barton Mills roundabout when steam appeared from under the bonnet. A quick look revealed the radiator had boiled dry. So after letting the engine cool down he was able to top it up with water and continue on his journey; picking up our friend Jim on the way, who was to accompany him on the trip.

Because of the breakdown and the rain causing a more cautious drive, we missed the scheduled ferry and had to get a later one. Consequently, the MotorRail, with whom we had booked, also went without us and (because the MotorRail only ran once a week) we were faced with driving all the way down in a 1957 Morris Minor! We found somewhere to stay for the night and opened a bottle of wine.

The next day we filled up with fuel and set off on our way. We had decided to make a Road Trip of it and avoid the Autoroutes, remaining on the N and D roads all the way. We enjoyed the journey down from Calais to Dieppe, then on to Rouen then Dreux. Our average speed was around 50mph and we stopped frequently to check on the radiator and top up when necessary. We stayed the second night at Dreux then continued down through Orleans, Vierzons and Issoudun. Lots of heads were turned as we trundled through the villages; people seemed entertained by the trafficators and the throaty exhaust with that characteristic Morris Minor noise.

We arrived at the house a day later than scheduled, but found that all was well there. Having moved some bits and pieces to one side in the barn, the Minor settled down to it's new home in France.