As Stuart says this is surprisingly accessible once the n/s front wheel and splash guard is off.
Anyway, I thought I'd check the wiring first, as I would have had to fit new connectors for the thermostat that I had bought (spade terminals rather than wired in). I used a length of wire to bypass the thermostat but the fan wasn't coming on. I then wired the fan straight to the battery and it worked OK.
In my electrics kit I found a switch that fitted exactly into the fan end connector block. This was triggering the fan relay when I threw the switch, but it only triggered the fan about once in every five clicks. Checking the relay it was loose in the fuse box. Once pushed home the fan came on every time I threw the switch. I swapped the fan relay with the (redundant) electric window relay as a precaution.
So, I've left the thermostat in for now. In the event that that is faulty too, my switch that I found can be fitted in about thirty seconds to bypass the thermostat.