AN ADVENTUROUS young woman has journeyed 40,000 miles across the UK to visit multiple car and plane graveyards.
Keen explorer Tokyo Matlida, 20, enjoys spending her time seeking out abandoned cars, planes, trucks and fire engines, and has come across numerous oddities along the way – ranging from the awe-inspiring to the downright awful.
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Tokyo reveals she’s had a love for vehicles since she was a child, with her dad, grandad and brother all keen mechanics.
She added: “They taught me a lot while I was growing up as I spent a lot of my time renovating old classics with them.
“The best bit about vehicle graveyards is every one of them is so different.
“You will never find two that are the same, which is so exciting.
“However, it’s always so sad to see them rotting with no future in sight.”
Some of Tokyo’s greatest discoveries even include aircraft.
She added: “Finding the plane from Liverpool airport was one of my favourite moments.
“I was so excited to see a plane in person, especially one that had been discarded from the airport runway.
“The scariest thing I’ve seen while exploring a car graveyard was the original owner’s graves hidden under the cars on his land.
“As soon as I realised I left pretty quickly.”
Naturally, searching through long-forgotten areas full of abandoned machinery can sometimes result in horrific discoveries.
She added: “The worst thing I’ve ever found was a cat and dog corpse rotting on the back of a Mustang.
“I have two cats and a dog myself so it broke my heart as it appeared they got trapped and died in there.”
In her search, she’s reached Cheshire, Derbyshire, Greater London, Kent, Essex, Bristol, Cornwall, Hampshire, East Riding Of Yorkshire, Leicester and Lancashire.
She said: “I have travelled to many different counties in the UK to see these graveyards.
“My new car was at 75,000 miles at the start of the year and in April it is at 92,000 just this year so far – so it’s definitely overall a good 40,000 miles.
“To find the locations, I spend a lot of time scoping out on Google Maps on aerial view, looking for clumped-up cars that haven’t moved in a while.
“Then I go to local forums, look at paper and council sites to see who owns the land or if it’s owned anymore.”
However, as a young female explorer, Tokyo revealed she’s faced a range of sexist or unwanted comments.
She said: “Unfortunately as I’m becoming one of the most popular female explorers in the UK, it does put me in the limelight for abuse.
“A lot of male explorers thought because I was going out with them or messaging them, this entitled them to flirt and to give sexual comments at me even after saying no.
“My advice to aspiring female explorers is do not let anyone get you down. I know it’s cliche but don’t.
“Never explore alone, always let someone know where you are. When you’re taking photos, always take a few in different angles and lighting till you find an image that suits you.
“And lastly, enjoy what you do and don’t let anyone change that.”
Elsewhere, a van enthusiast who has spent over six years living in a Ford Transit has revealed that the free-spirited lifestyle comes with its challenges.
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