A couple of folks emailed me about the tale of nearly falling down a mountain in Switzerland.
I’ve managed to find some photo’s taken during another visit that did not run the correct course to the village. Bit coincidental but this was due to a big end failing in a Volvo B10M.
Once more staying in Ovronnaz and would you believe it taking the party on a trip over St Bernard pass into France for a day trip (said it was coincidental). As usual I had a young trainee driver with me and I was letting this chap drive through Martigny and start the climb towards St Bernard. Part way up the big end went. OK, I wasn’t sure at the time but it sure seemed like it. Proved correct the next day when Volvo Martigny stripped the engine down. Being the hero, read that as stupid bugger, I took the wheel, three (make that about seven) point turn and headed downhill carefully. Kept the engine ticking over to keep the battery charged and used the retarder instead of the brakes. Obviously took it easy and had a pretty long queue behind me when I reached Martigny. Took it straight to Volvo and organised a local coach to continue the day trip. That’s why I knew where to get a coach when the Scania failed a couple of years later.
Martigny Volvo started the strip down but the company I worked for decided that because it was not a warranty job the Swiss prices would be too high and it would be cheaper to tow the coach back to UK. Funnily this was at the time Yugoslavia kicked off and we had an empty coach escaping from there. That driver had a couple of adventures but nothing to do with this tale apart from the bullet holes in the side of his coach. They were only little ones, honest. This guy diverted and had a night at my hotel and then took my party and my trainee home.
I stayed for a few days while our tow truck made the journey from Wigan to Ovronnaz, took him six days. Nice few days, was able to explore the area and take long walks over the mountains, brilliant. Volvo tow truck arrived with a very nervous driver, I actually walked down the mountain to meet him at the motorway junction and directed (read nursed) him up the hill. After that I did all the driving.
Next day, down to Martigny, suspended the coach and set off home. Broke Swiss law ‘cos you can only tow off their motorways, but I didn’t know so drove on and used motorway to the French border. Managed to get away with that. The company had warned me that I was in for a boat load of trouble trying to tow from Switzerland into France, but both frontier posts just waved me through.
Then drove overnight to Calais, sounds simple, it was, knowing the road and where we could dine and shower helped. Managed to get a ferry just after 9am. Again no problem they just waved me on putting me at the front so I was first off. The only problem I had the whole journey was Dartford Tunnel, they would not let me go through without an escort. I had to pay for both vehicles and the escort. They stopped the traffic to let me in and then drove at 20mph in front of me. Too bloody slow, I was on my way home so I pushed the escort vehicle until he pulled over and waved me by, we popped out the other end doing 70mph. We were going home. Next stop Wigan Garage.
Left Martigny about 9am one day arrived home in time for tea the next day. Pretty good for a suspended tow.
There are so many photos I am going to split this into four posts.
- Journey uo to Ovronnnaz by coach (Note that I have thrown in a couple of photos of a different coach, I wanted you to see the local)
- Arrival of the tow truck
- Tow journey home
- General views of the road.