3,000 pumpkins for Halloween!

3,000 candlelit pumpkins are lining the Canalside Steps in King's Cross, London for Halloween.

Pumpkins at KX - 3,000 of them for Halloween 2014!

Walking home along the towpath of the Regent's Canal last night I was amazed to see 3,000 pumpkins lined up on the Canalside Steps!

A grand total of 3,000 pumpkins line the Canalside Steps of the Regent's Canal in King's Cross, London ready for Halloween

They are there all day today and tomorrow and worth a look if you're in the King's Cross area.

The pumpkins must look brilliant by candlelight

There were some really well carved and fun looking pumpkins.

Some of the brilliantly carved pumpkins for Halloween

Everywhere seems to going Halloween-mad this year. On my walk to work I also had a go at a 'Guess the weight of a giant pumpkin' competition that Sourced Market in St Pancras International Station were running.

I guessed the big pumpkin weighed 18Ib, 11oz, but on reflection I think that may be a little light

Find out more about the Pumpkins at KX on the King's Cross Halloween website.

That's a lot of pumpkins!

Happy Halloween!

Links:

- King's Cross

- King's Cross Halloween

- King's Cross N1C on Twitter

- Sourced Market

The old Crazy Golf course in Camber Sands

A revisit to the site of an old Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Camber Sands.

After playing the fun Crazy Golf course at Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park and before we headed to Hastings for a weekend playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships, Emily and I had a drive down the Old Lydd Road in Camber to have a look at what had become of the old Crazy Golf course.

Not a lot to be honest.

The site of an old Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Camber Sands. Now just a patch of dusty gravelly land used as a car park. A real shame

Back in September 2010 we'd visited the site and found that the course had been ripped up to make way for a new Car Park. At least the old hut/kiosk was still there then.

You can see photos of the course as it was in 2002 on the excellent minigolf website MiniatureGolfer.com.

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf course location visited but no course to play - Camber Sands (Old Lydd Road)
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Camber Sands Crazy Golf course on Miniature Golfer

Watermelon specialists

That's quite the specialist area to open up a business in!

Logman Ltd - a business on Caledonian Road in London that specialises in watermelons

I haven't seen the shop unshuttered yet. Specialising in watermelons must be a very secretive business.

Report from the 2014 Worlds Crazy Air Hockey Championship in Hastings

Portugal's Nuno Cunha wins the Worlds Crazy Air Hockey Championship 2014.

Nuno Cunha and his prize of a big round pound received from Buttons Committee member Emily Gottfried

After the World £2 Tat Challenge the second of the amusement arcade championships contested at the Old Town Amusements in Hastings during the World Crazy Golf Championships weekend is the much sought after World Crazy Air Hockey Championship.

Amusements in Hastings, full of fun

This year a total of 32-players registered to compete and 31 actually turned-up.

With Peter 'The Crazy Aced Assassin' Jones making a welcome return to Hastings many of the crowd was eagerly anticipating seeing this wildman of the pucks in action. Unfortunately he was to be defeated at the hands of the Portuguese Man O' War Nuno Cunha who was in rampant form and won 7-4 in the semi-finals.



The other semi-final saw and all-Dodd match-up take place, with Matt picking up the win 5-3. Helen had defeated top talent including 'Squire' Richard Gottfried and Steve Lovell (by Rock Paper Scissors!?) in the preliminary stages.

Squire crashing out to Helen Dodd in the prelims. As per usual

Peter Roughley vs. Chris Hillman in quite a battle in the main arena

Local lad Ted McIver faces-off against Rhyl Professional Peter Jones on table 3

After a tie in the round stages Helen Dodd and Steve Lovell tied, with the crowd demanding a decision a brutal game of Rock Paper Scissors followed with Helen picking up the win

Dodd vs Dodd. Unfortunately Rob Dodd was unable to compete this year

The Puckmaster vs the young pretender

Cunha and Dodd with the eyes of the world (of Air Hockey in Hastings) on them

While Nuno would go on to be robbed by a cruel bounce-out on the very last hole of the World Crazy Golf Championships on the Sunday he had no such luck in his match in the final against Matt Dodd. He was on the ball (puck?) in the match, and while it was a closely contested match Nuno would take the grand prize and title of Worlds Crazy Air Hockey Champion for 2014.

His quid prize was quickly spent as he gave Matt a rematch almost straight away. Nuno won that match too. Talk about rubbing salt into the wounds...

Worlds Crazy Air Hockey Championships Hall of Fame:

2014 Nuno Cunha (POR)
2013 Chris Harding (ENG)

2012 Pasi Aho (FIN)

2011 Peter Jones (WAL)

2010 Kevin Moseley (ENG)

World Adventure Air Hockey Hall of Fame:

2013 Pasi Aho (FIN/GER)

The Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships Hall of Fame:

2010* Scott Lancley (ENG)

* Note: the Air Squash tables were removed soon after, meaning the tournament became a 'normal' Air Hockey event.

Following the main-event Steve Lovell (Bully) and Steve Ragless (Stormtrooper) took each other on in a match. Nuno the Winner watched as Paul Preston acted as the ball boy - he was certainly dressed the part in his football socks!

Related blog posts:

- Air Hockey blog posts

Videos:
- Worlds Crazy Air Hockey Championships 2014 in Hastings - Jones vs Cunha
- Worlds Crazy Air Hockey Championships 2014 in Hastings - Grand Final

Report from the 2014 Worlds Tat Challenge in Hastings

Results of the World Tat Challenge Amusement Arcade Tournament in Hastings.

Much like the World Crazy Golf Championships the 2014 World £2 Tat Challenge would not see an appearance by the defending champion, and with many new entrants mixing it up with the veterans of The Buttons the competition was set to be quite thrilling.

Why are they so happy? They didn't win.

As usual the players - all 33 of them - were ably led by The Buttons Committee straight from the first day's play of the World Crazy Golf Championships to the Old Town Amusement Arcade where they received the instructions and rules. Not for the first time a few of the more eager competitors had jumped the gun and already changed up their gold into coppers. This included Paul 'Johnson Paul Johnson' Johnson - a real veteran and the first-ever World Tat Champion - who had made a rookie error and only changed up a quids worth!?

A newcomer and a veteran at the 2014 World Tat Challenge in Hastings

With the countdown counted down the athletes were off and running and the battle for the tat was underway.

Paul Preston may be good at quizzes, but he's not much good at tat challenges

With some players scouting out the arcades in the preceding days (most notably the Greenheads and Lovell) the predictions were that the winning haul would be low and those halcyon days of winning as much as 40 bits o' stuff were long gone.

One of the most notable events of the competition was that after eighteen minutes of the twenty minute time-limit John 'Big Al' Moore still had about £4 left in change and hurriedly tried to win some more tat, but to no avail.

A bull and a donkey

Helen Dodd plays the buttons as Adam Kelly wins nothing

Peter Jones eyes up Steve Sturdy's machine, ready for a sharking perhaps

Mark Wood in action

Playing as a Stormtrooper proved difficult for Steve Ragless as he couldn't bend down to pick up any change or prizes!

A guilty looking John Moore!

It's just not Cricket. No, it's Brian Smith. Short-changed perhaps...

Fast hands Squire

Marion Homer took a two on her debut and drew a blank

Owen and The Johnson amid a flurry of tatting

This is what 90 pieces of tat looks like

2014 World Tat Champion Kate Kelly with her bag of winnings

With the challengers for the title declaring their winnings to Emily Gottfried there were rumblings of a tie, with the pace set at seven pieces of tat, but this was slightly blown out of the water by the ten pieces of tat that Kate 'Mrs Kelly' Kelly had managed to win from the 2p pushers to see her declared the winner.

Results of the 2014 World Tat Challenge

Results list from the 2014 World Tat Challenge (click to enlarge)

To date nine Tat Challenge competitions have been played with 799 bits of tat won for a total of £336. This year saw one less piece of tat won overall with 90 prizes won.

The Tat Challenge Order of Merit Rankings List

Tat Challenge Order of Merit Rankings List (click to enlarge)

£2 Tat Challenge Hall of Fame:

#1 - Paul Johnson - 9 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#2 - Richard Gottfried - 10 pieces of Tat

#3 - Alan Norman - 6 pieces of Tat +1

#4 - Polly - 11 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#5 - James Rutherford - 40 pieces of Tat

#6 - Richard Gottfried - 23 pieces of Tat (World Title)

#7 - Richard Gottfried and Mike Small - a tie with 32 pieces of Tat each

#8 - William Edwards - 8 pieces of Tat (World Title)
#9 - Kate Kelly - 10 pieces of Tat (World Title)

Related Blog Posts:

- Report from the 2013 World £2 Tat Challenge in Hastings

- Tat Challenge blog posts

Revisit to Rye's Mini Golf course

The Putting Green in Rye remains unplayed by us.

The Putting Green on Fishmarket Road, Rye wasn't open. Again

Back in 2010 we visited Rye in East Sussex and spotted a Mini Golf Putting course on Fishmarket Road. On our recent visit the area looked to have changed a bit, most notably in the removal of the hut/kiosk and the brick backs that were on some of the elevated greens.

A view of the Putting course layout in Rye

We did get some good views of the putting and bowling green from the lookout in the town centre though.

A view of the Bowling and Putting Greens in Rye from the lookout point

The plaque on the lookout point in Rye

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf course visited but not played - Rye - Putting Course - Closed for the day
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Crazy Golf music video from The Ragamuffins

New song and video from The Ragamuffins - Taped Off The Radio.

A few months ago the band The Ragamuffins got in touch with me to pick my brains about Crazy Golf courses where they could film their new music video.

After listening to their requirements one of the suggestions I made to the "infectious indie-pop six piece" was The Masters Putting Green in Southport - a classic Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course we visited and played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in 2009. It makes for a perfect setting for the video.



Links:
- The Ragamuffins website
- The Ragamuffins Twitter
- The Ragamuffins Facebook
- The Ragamuffins YouTube
- The Ragamuffins Soundcloud
- The Ragamuffins - Taped Off The Radio music video

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- The Masters Putting Green in Southport - Minigolf Course Visit No. 150

World Crazy Golf Championships 2014 Videos

Videos with action from the final of the 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships.

2014 World Crazy Golf Champion Chris 'Who' Harding on his way to victory in the final round of the tournament played at Hastings Sea Front

Check out the video and links below for action from the World Crazy Golf Championships held on the 18-hole Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course at Hastings Sea Front on the 25 and 26 October 2014.



Video links:
- World Crazy Golf Championships 2014 Final - Kellard, Aho, Kelly on Hole 9
- World Crazy Golf Championships 2014 - Kelly, Aho, Kellard on Hole 16
- World Crazy Golf Championships 2014 - Cunha, Kelly and Harding on Hole 16
- Final hole of the 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

Links:
- Hastings Adventure Golf
- British Minigolf Association

Related blog posts:
- World Crazy Golf Championships
- 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships Report from Hastings

Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands

Playing the Pirate Crazy Golf course at Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park.

On our way to Hastings for the 2014 World Crazy Golf Championships we decided to revisit the nearby seaside towns of Camber and Rye in East Sussex.

Having recently enjoyed our visit to the Prestatyn Sands Pontins Holiday Park in Wales we thought we'd check out the Camber Sands park as we'd heard it also had a Crazy Golf course.



The Crazy Golf course at Pontins Camber Sands became the 585th visited and 351st course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and it was great fun.

In our Minigolf match played over one 9-hole round on the Pirate Bay Adventure Golf course I defeated Emily with a score of 23 to 24.

Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park is open to day visitors and you can find out more about the Holiday Park, tickets, bookings and more on the Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park website.

While our stay at the Camber Sands Holiday Park was brief, it was good fun. Back in the early 90's my family had a holiday at the camp - I wonder if I played Crazy Golf on that trip...

There's a giant octopus in the reception area of the Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park! Great fun.

Earlier this month the Crazy Golf course at Pontins Prestatyn Sands became the 582nd visited and 348th played.

Links:
- Pontins
- Pontins Camber Sands Holiday Park

Related blog posts:
- Pontins
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Prestatyn (Pontin's Prestatyn Sands Holiday Village) - Crazy Golf

Videos:
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 1 of 5 
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 2 of 5
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 3 of 5
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 4 of 5
- Crazy Golf at Pontins Camber Sands 5 of 5