"He Wears Black and Has a Beard"

Bedford Rascal: Where is Rachel Now?

Toby Roworth

Aug 15, 2012

After several weeks of being stranded, I finally managed to drive Rachel home.
It was, without doubt, some of the most terrifying driving I've done, sitting on top of an engine that could, at best, break down a lot at any given moment or, at worst, fail catastrophically, breaking me or Frank in the process. This was made worse by a nearly terminal stall 10 minutes in, after which she refused to start.
Also unpleasant was the big hill by Legoland. Doing just over 30 in a 60 is bad at the best of times, but seems more acceptable when following bikes. Unfortunately they were going too slow ever for the rascal, prompting an overtake. I simultaneously pulled out and dropped to third, too late to realise how little power the engine had in third, too risky to try another shift. Eventually I reached the second bike, just as the crest of the hill hit the wheels.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, although I feel an apology is deserved by the van who followed me several miles, to within 50 meters of Frank's drive!
After some gardening, Rachel got jacked up, ready for us to work beneath her, with the hope she'll cone back down with a working engine...