Thistle Run

This moment, sat at the harbour at Eyemouth, could so easily have not happened today. The drive down to Newtongrange to start the annual Thistle Run was uneventful, plenty of time to be in the middle of the group of almost 200 Minis. The rows set off, and we filed into line. Then 50 yards later.... Nothing. Engine cut out, and despite there being power, and the starter motor turning over, it just wouldn't fire.

Fortunately there was an AA crew set to follow the rally, so I wandered ver to become their first customer of the day. Dead coil was the diagnosis, but... They didn't have one in the van. Again fortune was on our saide, as one of the organisers hadn't left yet, and lo and behold, he had one in the back of his Minivan! (we spoke to him at the end and he'd bought a spare when his car died on a motorway one time, but never had to use it, and had since changed the engine to an MPi, so didn't need it at all).

The chase was on. Which too longer than expected, though the queue to file one at a time over the Union Bridge provided a natural bottleneck. 

The drama wasn't over though. There's a big (as in long and deep) ford on the route, but the pre-drive briefing had announced that they weren't using it as the water was too high. Fair enough. Except near to that point the signage seemed to get a bit wonky, and following the original map we found ourselves at the ford (after Minis had disappeared off in all directions, confused by what was going on). I decided, having reached the ford, that we'd just give it a go.... And it was so very almost the wrong decision...

Halfway over we started to lose traction, but managed to fight through that, but the car coughed and spluttered for a while afterwards, twice cutting out, and on one of those taking a good few minutes before I could get it to fire up again.

Thankfully all seems well now, though having got home I've a few more jobs to do. Always something going wrong with a Mini...

Now just need to pop a wee donation to the charities supported by the event to cover the cost of the coil....

(it was nice heading back to Edinburgh afterwards, and seeing the occasional car that either we were passing, or was passing us, and giving each other a wave).