Summer 2016. Whilst on our tour around the beautiful roads of mid-Wales our car was running low on petrol. Despite not knowing the area we trusted in our chances of finding a local fuel station to fill up and carry on with our day of exploration and wandering, and eventually we pull over on a busy A road for what seemed like super cheap unleaded prices. What we didn't realise was that the prices on the sign simply hadn't been changed since the year that this particular station closed down. In fact, the pumps had long since dried up. The owner had quite clearly taken up the extensive hobby of collecting numerous coaches and vehicles dating back more than three decades. Some in good enough condition to sell, but some almost completely taken back by nature. Nobody could be seen or heard anywhere, and inside the station there was nothing but piled up furniture and broken glass. With todays fuel crisis and diesel feeling the crunch, it's quite possible that this could become an ever-prevalent sight in the UK over the next few decades. Whilst the loud, dirty coaches that pile up on our roads are replaced by greener, more energy efficient models, the old ones simply have no resale value. This paired with the fact that in the UK around 80% of all travel is now done by car. On the flip-side 30 years ago our travel habits were almost the complete opposite. All of those unused coaches have to go somewhere to die, so for the time being, they at least paint a pretty picture on the roadside. Shame there was no fuel left though..
