We decided to be a little brave and go eastwards to a couple of sites we had missed in our travels. Didn't quite work out that way. We were travelling on the M40 when Suzie noticed the alternator warning light on the dashboard, and very quickly after that we drew to a forced halt. Luckily we had phone coverage, so a call to the RAC, and a priority Motorway response from them had a rescue mechanic and a tray tow-truck with us in about 45 minutes. They couldn't work on the van where we were, but they loaded us up and took us to a service area a couple of miles down the road.
The mechanic looked under the hood and, you guessed it, alternator belt troubles. The belt was not on its pulleys, but it was a little different this time — the belt was intact, and had just been thrown off. It was totally unharmed, so the man was able to refit it, and we were on our way. But on test, the alternator wasn't charging unless the revs were somewhat higher than idle, so Warren had to sit in the van for half an hour (with audio-book in his ears) to make sure we had enough charge to restart the van. This done, we went into Burger King in the Service Area, charged the computer so we had something to watch tonight. All in all, we spent four hours in the Welcome Break Service Area (near Grayston) before we moved on — a lot better than the M40 emergency lane!
We must say that the RAC has been absolutely marvellous for us. Not only have they rescued us a number of times, but the people who have come have been cheerful, chatty — they've made us feel welcome and safe, and better ambassadoers for the UK you couldn't hope to find. Not that some of them aren't looking enviously at the Australian weather!
We revised our travel plans, and went back to our layby at Alcester — we were going to go further towards Gloucester, but night had fallen by now (the days are getting a lot shorter) — and we didn't want to be searching for a stopping spot after dark. Anyway, we have now decided to go into Stratford tomorrow to see The Imitation Game at the Cinema.
Distance driven — today, 8 miles ( 13 km ); to date, 9,790 miles ( 15,756 km )
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