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A space-age tower calls you.

Governments. You gotta love ’em or lump ’em. Some get it horribly wrong. Some are more or less on song. But, as is always the case, a few years later, it’s the calls of echoing “throw the bums out!” As Elvis Costello once said “I can’t stand up for falling down.”

But, periodically, you can find evidence of where our governments do something so unexpected that we’re jumping with joy, in that they actually got something right. And these small victories come wrapped up in the most unlikely of packages. That’s the case for this post. The UK, being rather old (roughly a spritely 311 years years of age), has plenty of one-off oddities (and that’s not including the politicians.) If you want to see an example of something growing organically and not so much in an organised fashion, even though it kind of was, then Britain (in particular) is the place for you.

To whit, as you traverse around the country, you’ll see all sorts of creative endeavours that will certainly surprise you, but also even might allure you to pull over in the car and explore. One of which is The Pennine Tower. It’s main purpose was (and still is) acting as a rest area for weary drivers who wish to stop, fuel up and have a bite. But, even the pictures show an almost a dystopian vision of the future. Concrete, metal and a somewhat foreboding shape, this ostensibly happy place does not necessarily cry out “welcome!” But that’s exactly why we love it and exactly why you should definitely stop and have a wander around. Stretch your legs. Expand your mind. Take a trip back to the 1960s. History you can touch.

They’re called Moto now on the UK highways. Stop, have a sandwich. Have a sniff around.

You’ll need a car, obviously. Sixt are Europe’s car rental experts. Click here to book.

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