A nice trip to Italy

[Nickol]

I have always wanted to take my '69 Traveller to Italy where we have a small house not far from the French border. For two weeks in October we did just that; a nice 2000km round trip from central Germany.
Earlier in the year there were some engine problems where the timing was incorrect . Last winter, with help from the Forum here I rebuilt the SU carb sucessfully. The timing issue was settled with use of a good scroboscope which also could be used to set the correct dwell angle. I changed the oil and filter and drove 40km afterwards so as to confirm there were no leaks.

So with the car loaded up, we set off intending to have one overnight stop in Lindau just before the Austrian border. Some 6 hours later after 450km we arrived having filled up withpetrol after 40km and using the 5 litre separate canister. Petrol in Austria is cheaper! I had to put maybe 300mL of oil in
Next day after breakfast , a drive through Bregenz, filling up at the Jet "Tankstelle", we got stopped at the border to Switzerland. Switzerland is not an EU Member but is in Schengen area. It seemed the border guards were interested in the car and had a good look round. They did not believe we were on our way to Italy. At least my interpretation. The younger guard spoke a normal German, the older one almost indeciferable in "Schwitzerdeutsch" but after a short exchange we were on our way again.
The way through the Alps via Chur through the Bernadino is a better route than the Gottard Tunnel as there is usually no queue to get through. The only difficulty is getting stuck behind a slow moving vehicle for the last 40km which is not an Autobahn. This time the slow mover was us! Sometimes maximum 50 or 60kmh in third gear. Coming down the other side which is quite steep was a challenge but the brakes were fine.
I took a wrong turn going towards Varese which lost us half an hour but then the A26 down to Genova was easy - a straight 3 lane Autostrada for the most part, another tank refill which was enough to get us to Dolcedo. The last 100km from Genova had a delay and it was dark before we got to the house, total 600km that day. Well done Morris. Interestingly no oil was needed to top up.....mmmm.

We had two weeks of swimming, walking running and eating as well as making the house winter tight. For the return journey we stopped overnight in Verbania - lovely place. We got to the Gottard early enough to avoid any major delay and then got to Freiburg in Germany to stay overnight with relatives. The final journey home of 350km was marred only by a puncture near KArlsruhe - frightening, changing a wheel at the roadside with 3 lanes thundering past.

Well done Morris, you have earned your winter hibernation.

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[Nickol]

Morris on LAgo Maggiore.jpg (2.22 MiB) Viewed 4243 times

[Andmurph]

Well done! sounds like a nice trip indeed.

[KevinB]

Thank you Nickol for sharing your adventure!

Coincidentally, I viewed a Traveller looking just like yours on Saturday and may end up buying it. We shall see.

[Nickol]

Thank you Nickol for sharing your adventure!

Coincidentally, I viewed a Traveller looking just like yours on Saturday and may end up buying it. We shall see.

Please let us know!

[geoberni]

I'm just amazed at the 600Km (370+miles) with no oil top up
But them my recent oil leak problem did turn out to be a gasket at the oil filter housing.

Sounds like a nice trip.

[moggiethouable]

You should write an article for the MMOC magazine, they are always looking to print interesting travel stories.

[Nickol]

I'm just amazed at the 600Km (370+miles) with no oil top up
But them my recent oil leak problem did turn out to be a gasket at the oil filter housing.

Sounds like a nice trip.

This surprised me too when I checked it and especially after the first day when I did need to top it up. On the return journey by a different route it did need topping up but not much. There is no leak any more since I renewed the two "chambers" underneath the manifold. The gearbox has a small leak though.

Nice trip it was - there is however, always the thought that something will go wrong especially as all the maintenance and mods are done by me; not the most competant of persons. I keep looking at the new gauges all the time - oil pressure, volts, temperature.

[Nickol]

You should write an article for the MMOC magazine, they are always looking to print interesting travel stories.

A nice idea and I would be pleased to write such an article but is travel in an old car in western Europe really interesting?

[Owlsman]

You should write an article for the MMOC magazine, they are always looking to print interesting travel stories.

A nice idea and I would be pleased to write such an article but is travel in an old car in western Europe really interesting?

I was thinking of posting the exact same suggestion, even as I was reading your original post, Nickol. Travelogues of old cars on epic journeys to foreign lands are exactly what I want to read about in Minor Matters and I suspect, many other MMOC members too. Please do consider it.

Well done to you and your traveller by the way!

[Nickol]

You should write an article for the MMOC magazine, they are always looking to print interesting travel stories.

A nice idea and I would be pleased to write such an article but is travel in an old car in western Europe really interesting?

I was thinking of posting the exact same suggestion, even as I was reading your original post, Nickol. Travelogues of old cars on epic journeys to foreign lands are exactly what I want to read about in Minor Matters and I suspect, many other MMOC members too. Please do consider it.

Well done to you and your traveller by the way!

ok, I will do this in the coming days and then you can tell me who and where to send the writing to.

[King Kenny]

It is great that your car gave the confidence. But there again, why not. We one took my Traveller to Germany and had a great time. Well done you.

[Nickol]

It is great that your car gave the confidence. But there again, why not. We one took my Traveller to Germany and had a great time. Well done you.

Lovely! where did you do to?

[Owlsman]

ok, I will do this in the coming days and then you can tell me who and where to send the writing to.

This is the email address for the Minor Matters editor, John Carroll: minormatters@mmoc.org.uk

I'm sure John will be delighted to receive an article from you, although it may not necessarily be published in the first available issue, as it will depend on what is already in the pipeline.

[Nickol]

Thankyou - I have made a start

[ndevans]

Gut gemacht, and nice write!
We took ours (also a 1969 Traveller) to Perugia two years ago. Long journey, we live in Bristol and went via Dover to Dunkirk, then onto Belgium taking in Bruges, Ostend and Waterloo (the battle site). We then went into Germany and had a night in Remagen, then took the Urlaubs Express car train from Dusseldorf to Villach in Austria.
From Villach we went into Slovenia briefly, then via an overnight stop in Padua on to Valfabricca where we stayed.
On the way back we went via Florence, Pisa, Genoa, the Mont Blanc tunnel to Auxerre in France, then on to Dieppe for the boat to Newhaven. This was a long tiring 4 day slog in temperatures of 35°!
We also took in two steep mountain passes, the Würzenpaß between Slovenia and Austria, and the Passo dell Faiallo from Genoa to where we stayed that night.
The latter was a long narrow winding road mostly 1:10 to 1:5. It was 2nd gear 20mph max all the way, and took us around 45 min to cover about 15 miles. We started from near sea level in Genoa port and slept at the same height as Snowdon (over 1000m)!
Overall we covered 2200 miles in 13 days. I didn't take note of how much oil the car consumed, but it wasn't much. I think long runs at steady speeds are far less demanding on the car than the same distance covered in 20 short stop-start runs.
The car performed fine, even handling the heat without a problem, which is more than can be said of us!

[svenedin]

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I have driven very extensively across France/Germany/Austria/Switzerland/Italy (including Corsica and Sardinia) over many years but most of it not in the Morris so well done to you! Lake Constance is gorgeous. We cut a lot of driving off by taking the car across the lake on the ferry and I have also taken the car on the alpine tunnel car trains. In Germany my biggest worry is coping with Autobahns. Not just my low motorway joining speed in the Morris but the tight bends of cloverleaf junctions. Quite the challenge.

You have inspired me to plan another expedition in the Morris this time.

Stephen

[59Elva]

What are the driving conditions like in (what is the preferred nomenclature?) UK, GB, England? I see many wanted or for sale deals that seem to be constrained by distance. A website lists the road distance from Truro to John O’ Groats as 806 miles with a travel time of 13 hours which if my calculator is correct is 62mph. Not a bad speed if true. Comparable to travel on the US interstate highway system. The image I get from imported tv shows is the congestion of London or narrow country lanes lined with stone walls or hedgerows?
Bill B

[Nickol]

Gut gemacht, and nice write!
We took ours (also a 1969 Traveller) to Perugia two years ago.
The car performed fine, even handling the heat without a problem, which is more than can be said of us!

Wau! Your journey makes mine seem like a shopping trip to the local supermarket.
There used to be a night train where you could take your car stating in New Isenburg just south of Frankfurt to Alessandria. some freinds used this a few years ago but regretted it because the journey took so long. The train had low priority on the tracks and was forever standing still. Not surprisingly, noone wanted to use it any more so the service was cut.

[mike1864]

What are the driving conditions like in (what is the preferred nomenclature?) UK, GB, England? I see many wanted or for sale deals that seem to be constrained by distance. A website lists the road distance from Truro to John O’ Groats as 806 miles with a travel time of 13 hours which if my calculator is correct is 62mph. Not a bad speed if true. Comparable to travel on the US interstate highway system. The image I get from imported tv shows is the congestion of London or narrow country lanes lined with stone walls or hedgerows?
Bill B

I've learned that attitudes to time and distance are reversed on opposite sides of the Atlantic (or is it now the Trump ) Ocean .
Two examples:
I heard of an American tourist asking her hotel host how to get to the local attraction of Stonehenge. The host replied that Stonehenge was "not local; it's nearly an hour's drive away!"
And in London's Haymarket theatre, I once overheard an American couple commenting on the theatre's plaque, detailing its history. "Gee, Henry, this theater is older than our country". But the Haymarket is only 300 years old!
But yes, we DO have multi-lane highways. And narrow country lanes. And everything in between.
But faced with 4 hours driving (each way) even to view a Moggie 200 miles away, most UK purchasers are happy to wait for something closer. Which - in the UK - there will be.