New Adventure Golf course planned for Kirkby Valley Golf Club

Kirkby Valley Golf Club in Kirkby, Liverpool has plans to create a new Adventure Golf course.

The 18-hole Adventure Golf course would be another new venue for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the Kirkby Valley Golf Club website for more information.

100% Gluten Free Places for People with Coeliac Disease

When you have Coeliac Disease dining out can be very difficult at the very best of times. Luckily there are some 100% gluten free places that are suitable for Coeliacs.

The 100% gluten free places that are able to cater to the specific needs of people with Coeliac Disease that we have visited are:

• The Oxford Place restaurant in Leeds
• Off the Wheaten Track deli in Altrincham
• Wildcraft Bakery in Leeds
• Gluten Free Kitchen Stockport

Other 100% gluten free places we've heard about include:

• Fishermans Catch gluten free fish & chip shop in South Shields
• Niche Gluten-free dining in London
• The Bees Knees - Gluten Free café in Plymouth

Do you know of any other 100% gluten free restaurants, takeaways, delis, bakeries etc.? If you do, please share them in the comments.

What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac Disease ('Celiac' in the USA and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.

In the UK it is estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Visit the Coeliac UK website for more information.

Living a gluten free life

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008! It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

It's important you form your own approach to the 100% gluten free diet as everyone is different. There are some things other Coeliacs would eat or drink that I wouldn't go anywhere near.

Pumpkin Patch Mini Golf at Frosts Willington Garden Centre in Bedford

Frosts Garden Centre in Willington, Bedford has a pop-up mini golf course as part of its Pumpkin Patch attraction.

The Pumpkin Patch is open weekends from the 5th October until the 31st October, and is open 7 days a week from the 26th October.

Visit the Frosts Garden Centres website for more information.

Winning the Weymouth Mini Golf Open

I won the Weymouth Open minigolf competition on this day in 2008.

The inaugural Weymouth Open minigolf tournament was held on the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course at the Weymouth Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park in Weymouth, Dorset on Sunday 12th October 2008.

Snaps of the Weymouth Pirate Adventure Golf course between 2008 and 2011

I had an excellent career record in Weymouth Open events. As well as winning the individual title in 2008, my team-mate Chris Harding and I were the Weymouth Open doubles champions in 2011.

I was also runner-up in the 2009 and 2011 events and seventh in 2010. In the 2009 tournament Kevin Moseley and I were tied after two rounds and it took 4-holes of a sudden-death play-off to separate us.

The Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course was the 77th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 1,065 courses since September 2006.

A winner in Weymouth

Putt Putt Social opening in Coventry

The new Putt Putt Social minigolf venue is opening in Coventry on Monday 14th October 2024.

The venue will be home to two indoor crazy golf courses - 'Zen Garden' and 'Tokyo Drift'.

The Putt Putt Social minigolf course in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, September 2023

You can find other Putt Putt Social indoor minigolf centres in Norwich, Gloucester, Telford, Poole and Bedford.

Check out the Putt Putt Noodle website for more information.

The Blockbuster Video Store in Fallowfield, Manchester - Five Years On

A look back at the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

This is what was left of Blockbuster Video on Fallowfield Retail Park back in October 2019

I found the preserved remains of a 'dead brand' - Blockbuster Video - while in Manchester five years ago today!

It became the first of many former Blockbuster Video stores Emily and I travelled to once we found that there were still some other visible remains of the brand to be seen on high streets and at shopping centres around the UK.

Oh, what happened to this sign?

Dark clouds gathered over the brand in 2013

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video. In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.

On the visit to the old Fallowfield shop in October 2019 the Blockbuster Video store sign was prominently displayed on both sides of the main sign at Fallowfield Retail Park and the windows of the shop still retained Blockbuster signage.

A sign in the shop window

Most of the shelves inside had been removed, but the walls and desks clearly retained the brand colours of Blockbuster.

The window graphics still looked fresh

Clearly still recognisable as a Blockbuster on the inside

The shelves were bare

There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as a Blockbuster Video in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.

Quik Drop box to nowhere

We made several more visits to the abandoned Blockbuster Video shop at Fallowfield Retail Park, including one last look as it was being demolished in January 2024.

Other Blockbuster Video stores

Here's a list and links to the other Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Independent video stores

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. While most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores, there are remnants of (and in some cases still operating) independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those we've snapped over the years include:

• Shahenshah Videos in Luton
• Deane Video Centre in Bolton
• Video Box Office at the Happy Shopper Wayfairer Discount Store in Ilkeston
• Video Future in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
• The Movie Box in Manchester
• Jubilee Films in Ashton-under-Lyne
• B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton
• Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
• Video Express in Swansea
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds

Do you still have a video store near you?

By my reckoning there are three video shops still in operation in the UK. They are:

• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
• Snips Movies in Bebington, Wirral

I've been to two of the above, with Snips Movies on my to visit list in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to get a membership card for the shop too.

Do you have a favourite defunct brand? Are the remains of an old brand still visible near where you live or work? Do let me know.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour keeps on rolling...

A look at our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour to date.

With a sign for The Original Crazy Golf course in Skegness

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

At the top of the Great Orme in Llandudno

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Playing Manx TT themed Crazy Golf in Ramsay on the Isle of Man

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

At a very very Crazy Crazy Golf course in Cofton Hackett

When added to the courses my brother Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

A treacherous hole in Aberavon, Port Talbot

Check out the full list of courses we've been to on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Putting at Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing

We avoided the LIVE ALLIGATORS at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley

A scary indoor hole at Putters Adventure Golf in Warrington

Playing the Crazy Putting Challenge course at Hamptworth Golf Club

Playing a shot at Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

Miniature Golf Grass Putting in Douglas, Isle of Man

Trying my luck on the last hole at Hastings Adventure Golf

Minigolfing in Lyme Regis

Playing Mini Championship Golf at Pirate Pete's in Ayr

Having a whale of a time at Moby Adventure Golf in Romford

Teeing-off at Adventure Island Golf in Mundesley

Playing out a hole at Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

Putting between the sights at Landmark Adventure Golf in New Brighton

Playing at Pirate Adventure Golf in Belfast

'Putting' with a 'cue' of sorts on the Crazy Crazy Golf course at Joe Joe Jim's Arcade in Cofton Hackett

The Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - taking in 27 countries to date

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has seen us visit 27 countries so far.

Mini Golf at Leopoldpark in Blankenberge, Belgium. Photo by Emily Gottfried

Since 2006 Emily and I have visited 1,065 miniature golf courses around the UK and overseas on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. As well as playing minigolf in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey and the Isle of Man we’ve travelled to minigolf courses in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Hotel Pinija Mini Golf in Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

1,007 of the courses we've been to were in the British Isles, with 58 in 12 overseas countries, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (Lanzarote and Majorca), Sweden and the USA.

Mini Golf at the Farm House Pub in Ixia, Rhodes, Greece. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

We've been able to play a total of 576 of the courses we've been to. Many of these have been played multiple times. Other courses we didn't manage to play include those we found to be abandoned, closed, out-of-season, or derelict, while others were flying visits as we didn't have time to play. Luckily we've returned to some of the courses that were closed or unable to be played on our initial visit.

Höfner Stübl Minigolf in Sasbachwalden, Germany. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

When added to the courses Christopher (a founding member of the tour) and his family have visited around the British Isles and Türkiye, Spain (Majorca), Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, France, Indonesia, Croatia and the USA, the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour stands at a combined 1,112 courses visited!

Mini Golf at the Resort Horizont & Splendid in Pula, Croatia. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Minigolf in Carcassonne - Lac de la Cavayère, France. Photo by Christopher Gottfried

Time Machine Minigolf in Warsaw, Poland. Photo by Emily Gottfried

Countries visited on our minigolfing adventures since September 2006:

1. England
2. Northern Ireland
3. Scotland
4. Wales
5. Australia
6. Austria
7. Belgium
8. Croatia
9. Finland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Greece
13. Hong Kong
14. Indonesia
15. Isle of Man
16. Italy
17. Jersey
18. Luxembourg
19. Netherlands
20. New Zealand
21. Poland
22. Singapore
23. Spain (including Lanzarote and Majorca)
24. Sweden
25. Türkiye
26. USA
27. Chile

Check out the full list of courses we've been to on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

18 years of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Celebrating 18 years of our minigolf adventures.

We played the Victory Trail course at Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea, Hampshire on this day in 2006 and at the end of our 9-hole round on Saturday 30th September I won a free game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole!

My free game card from Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea - never used!

We've been putting on our crazy golfing adventures ever since.

Treasure Island Adventure Golf in Southsea

When our travels began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, and there are lots of new places to play the game opening all the time. Several courses have closed over the years, while others have been refurbished, redeveloped or completely transformed into new layouts.

All the of the changes and updates means our minigolf quest to visit every course is becoming never-ending! When we originally set off to visit as many courses as possible the target list was 600 in the British Isles. We've still got around 50 of those original courses to visit.

We've now been to 1,065 courses overall in the last 18 years, with 1,007 of those locations in the British Isles.

Together with my brother Christopher - a charter member of the tour - and his family, we've visited a total of 1,112 courses.

Our travels have been recognised by the Guinness World Records, and I'm a record holder for "Most miniature golf courses visited" (902 at the time of going to press). Check out the Guinness World Records 2024 book to see a lot more minigolf records too!

You can see all of the courses we've visited on this Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list.

Free Blockbuster Las Vegas at Sohn vintage shop in Las Vegas

A visit to the 'Free Blockbuster' in Las Vegas.

Emily made a visit to the Free Blockbuster 'pop up' video and DVD exchange/library/dispenser at Sohn vintage shop on her recent trip to Las Vegas.

The first Free Blockbuster was created in 2019 and since then more have been created in the USA, Canada, and one in the UK.

It's been fun following the Free Blockbuster movement's journey, and it'll be interesting to see where they appear next.

Emily took some DVDs from our collection and swapped them out for three wrestling VHS tapes! She managed to get a Free Blockbuster sticker and one for Sohn too.

Wrestling goodness from the USA and Japan!

A happy customer of Free Blockbuster Las Vegas and Sohn

Hopefully I'll get to visit Las Vegas again in the future. It'd be superb to see the Free Blockbuster stall in person - and see what's new there to swap. The people at the store also showed Emily the vintage wrestling t-shirts they had in stock.

Check out the Sohn and Free Blockbuster websites for more information. And check out Free Blockbuster Las Vegas on Instagram.

As well as being a wrestling fan I'm a fan of ALF and Emily bought a vintage ALF keyring and badge for my collection at Sohn!

An ALF keyring, badge, and a Sohn sticker

Sohn seen from across the street in the Las Vegas heat!

Check out the blog posts about our travels to former Blockbuster video shops.

Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Park

The Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Park in Birkenhead on the Wirral peninsula is being renovated.

Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Park

The team at Love Bebington have started the refurbishment of the abandoned Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Park in Birkenhead.

We visited the course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in July 2017.

Hole 3

The 15-hole course is a unique layout and we thought it looked like it'd be very interesting to play.

Hole 4 is a long one

Half way up hole 4

The green of hole 4

The course became the 747th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Hole 5 - a dogleg

Good luck to the Love Bebington team with their efforts on the Crazy Golf course at Higher Bebington Park.

It'll be nice to revisit the course and actually have a game there in the future.

Check out the Love Bebington pages on Facebook and Instagram to follow the progress of the course refurb.

Videos of the course in 2017:
- Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground 1
- Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground 2
- Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground 3
- Crazy Golf at Higher Bebington Recreation Ground 4