Running Out of Diesel & Eating Odd Food
See the Beavis Page on Stroud’s Buses
As a family in the 1970s, we took three continental Alpine Tours holidays (and one to Folkstone!).
One was to Fortezza in the Dolomites of northern Italy; a second to Kitzbühel in Austria; and a third to Interlaken, Switzerland. A feature of all was a post-channel ferry stop at Abbeville in Northern France and the long slog across open flat French countryside thereafter. I got to loath both Abbeville and northern France.
That to Interlarken was for my parents’ silver wedding anniversary. It was on this tour and one other that there was actually another teenager, somewhat rare as you might expect.
I can remember but two of the vehicles we used. One was an AEC Reliance with Plaxton bodywork seating I think less than 40. B.E.W. Beavis was ahead of the game in offering decent legroom. Another was a Ford R1014, again with Plaxton bodywork, seating 41. I fancy the third was a Leyland Leopard with Plaxton Viewmater bodywork, with an on board lavatory.
On the first two occasions, Mavis Beavis was the courier/guide. She seemed to have a good command of foreign languages and also the resorts to which she went. The driver on both occasions was Colin Hook who, apparently, is still driving part time for Beavis at over 70. I recall Hook owned a signal yellow Mk II Ford Escort Mexico warm sports car.
On the third occasion, Hook was on his own. It was here that while descending the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, he ran out of diesel. This was a serious omission but Hook did say that his gauge was faulty. We coasted downhill to the valley bottom and somewhat miraculously came to a stop on a filling station forecourt. We were in the Ford so he could relatively easily bleed the front engine that intruded into the passenger area next to the driver.
On one trip, we stopped overnight at a motel not far from Dijon, France. Beavis advertised no overnight travel. Here we enjoyed a steak so rare and so tender that it fell apart on the fork. Half way through, someone suddenly whispered it was horse meat. Like a ripple, this spread around the room and we all downed our cutlery… Beavis didn’t get the blame but the French hoterliers did but by morning we all saw the funny side of it.
