Fuel leak number THREE!

Hi reader

Here we are again. This evening I'm in Inverness and I'm parked up for the night so I decided to fire up the laptop and write another blog post. Judging by the various messages and calls I've been receiving, there are now about 50 of you following my blog, which is surprising and exciting. Some of you say you've been following avidly and reading regularly, but most people are checking in once in a while to see what's going on. So hi to everyone. Cheers.

When I left Thurso yesterday, there was really only one choice of where to go next. The librarian in Thurso told me that everyone who visits there heads on to John o' Groats to take a picture with this famous signpost. 

John o' Groats is popular with tourists as one end of the longest distance between two inhabited points on mainland Britain. The other end is Land's End in Cornwall which is 876 miles away. However, John o' Groats isn't quite the northernmost point of Britain; that's nearby Dunnet Head.

There wasn't that much else to do around here, just a few gift shops and restaurants. So I waited in turn with the other tourists, got a few pics and jumped back in the van to start down Scotland's east coast.

I stopped off in a town called Wick briefly. I mainly wanted to visit the Argos and buy a four pack of gas cannisters for my little camping stove, but I also crossed the road to a big, old cemetery where I found a water tap (thanks for the tip, Alan of Dumfries) and refilled two of my water bottles. I was also treated to another impressive rainbow. I've seen so many of these in the last few weeks. 

I was aiming to reach a town called Dornoch, which the librarian at Thurso described as a bonnie wee town, but I didn't quite get that far. I ended up stopping for the night at a little place called Brora and I'm glad I did. Such a lovely place. I got Chinese takeaway (vegan 'chicken' and mixed veg) and found a quiet car park not far from the ocean.

At 7 o' clock this morning I was wide awake so I got up and took a walk around. Check out this unusual clock tower. At first glance, it looks like there are cannons poking out here and there, but they're actually made of stone and just for decoration. This clock chimes at every quarter past, half past, quarter to and o' clock. So if you stay in Brora for 24 hours, you'll hear it 96 times.

This is Brora railway bridge, which was built in 1870.

And here's Brora library where I charged my electronics and wrote the previous blog post about Thurso. There was also an interesting exhibition about local history, mainly focusing on mining in the area.

Question: Who won the battle of Britpop, Oasis or Blur?

Answer: Pulp

I found a small thrift shop in Brora where CDs were only 10p each! What a bargain. I picked up a selection and was delighted to find Pulp's classic Different Class. New tunes for my drive south.

As I left Brora, I noticed a mild but worrying smell of diesel. Pulled into a layby and had a look under the front of the van. No drips, so I carried on. Half an hour later I smelled diesel again, so had another look. This time there were some slow steady drips. Another fuel leak!

If you've followed the blog from the start and kept count, you'll know that this is the sixth issue with the van (other than Del Boy's appalling work on the original conversion). To refresh your memory, here's a quick recap:

1. first fuel leak - a perished o ring on the engine. This was fixed before I set out from Wales

2. leaking roof - attempted fix in Wales but not fully sorted until I was in Dumfries

3. clunky noise when changing gears - fixed in Ayr

4. second fuel leak - from a pipe near the rear of the van, discovered while fixing the clunky gears

5. flat rear right tire - new tire fitted two days ago in Thurso

6. third fuel leak - this one's from the engine again

Issues 1-5 were solved fairly easily for a total cost of under 200 pounds. Hopefully my good fortune will hold out for issue number 6. Fingers crossed.

I continued on my way, skipping Dornoch. By the time I got to Inverness, the leak had worsened and the van now leaves a puddle of diesel wherever I park it. Nothing I can do about it this evening, so that'll be my mission for tomorrow morning after breakfast.

I just about caught Primark before it closed and have invested in some thermals: a pair of long johns and a long sleeved undershirt. Five pounds each. I'm going to test them out tonight, as it's been getting decidedly chilly these last few nights round about 4am.

From there, I headed to Inverness Leisure where I was able to get a private shower room for three pounds eighty. Unlike the public showers in Kyle of Lochalsh where you pay three pounds and the water cuts off promptly after five minutes, this shower lasts as long as you want. So I stayed in there till my fingerprints were wrinkly (about 45 minutes). It was heaven!

Then I got takeaway for dinner again. Vegan sausages and chips with a can of Irn Bru. Pretty disgusting and unhealthy, but it tasted good and it was warm and filling.

Now I'm parked on the banks of the River Ness which flows from the north end of Loch Ness. I arrived here in the dark, so I can't see much. It's a wide, fast-flowing river and I bet it's going to look awesome as I have my porridge and cup of tea tomorrow morning.

Will I get the third fuel leak sorted? I guess that's the cliffhanger I'll leave you with for now. Tune in to find out. For now, though, time to put on my thermals, fill the hot water bottle and settle down with episode 2 of Squid Game!

Thanks for reading,

Brian