Hastings Miniature Railway

It was nice to see the Hastings Miniature Railway running while we were in town last weekend. It's a wonderful little line running for half a mile along the Old Town seafront. It starts at Rock-a-Nore and has a station at Marine Parade, next to the boating lake and close to Hastings Adventure Golf.

Marine Parade Station

The Hastings Miniature Railway sign

The engine 'Speedy Fizzle' passing The Stade

One of the crossing points near the boating pond

Rock-a-Nore station. And a funicular railway in the background

Rock-a-Nore station

Visit the Hastings Miniature Railway website for more information.

Revisiting Hastings Pier

We recently visited Hastings for the first time since 2015 and it was great to have a walk on the new pier. We'd only ever been on it once before back in 2008.

We were really impressed with what has been built following the fire which almost totally destroyed it in 2010.

A view of the new pier from White Rock Gardens

The end of the pier is a nice wide-open space. We've visited a lot of piers on our travels and Hastings Pier is certainly different to most

A pair of Minions on the pier

We visited the pier just after the Hastings Pier Yarn Bomb had opened!

There was a lot of knitted bunting

Having a nice sit down next to a mermaid

  

A knitted beach hut

The knitting got almost everywhere

One of the un-yarn bombed benches at the end of the pier

While we were on the pier on Sunday we spotted an ice cream cart going round offering free knitted ice creams! They were gluten free to boot

Enjoying my knitted Ice Cream alongside Hastings character John 'Big Top Ted' McIver

Visit the Hastings Pier website for more information.

The Source Park in Hastings

While walking along the promenade in Hastings last weekend we noticed some of the buildings on the seafront had been reopened since we were last in town in 2015. One in particular caught our eye as it had been boarded up when we'd walked passed it before. We found out it was previously an underground Victorian swimming baths, but is now an indoor skate and BMX park! We had to have a look inside. We were really impressed with what we saw.

Hastings is now home to the World's Largest Underground Skatepark!

Inside the Source Park in Hastings

There's a great display board near the entrance which shows how the building used to look

Some old postcards on the display

Check out the Source Park website for more information.

Inflatable advertising man at United Carpets and Beds

While driving out of the Borough for a weekend away in Hastings we spotted a great piece of inflatable advertising at United Carpets and Beds on Buxton Road in Hazel Grove, Stockport.

While the United Carpets and Beds inflatable is not of the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube variety he is still attention grabbing

It's the second inflatable spotted since we moved to Stockport. Last Christmas I saw a Santa Claus wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man advertising the sale on at Terry's Fabrics in Cheadle Heath.

On our recent roadtrip we saw a couple of other interesting ways to advertise beds. Vic Smith Beds in Enfield is currently using a tank on his roadside advertising on the M25, while Sussex Beds in Bexhill is using a dinosaur outside their store to entice people in.

We've spotted a lot of inflatable advertising and wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube men on our travels over the years. Unfortunately I haven't had a need to hire or buy a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man for my own marketing business. Not yet anyway...

Swingers Crazy Golf London Open

Swingers London hosting a new Crazy Golf Open tournament.

This summer London Crazy Golf course Swingers is hosting its first Crazy Golf Open championship - The Swingers Open.

The team at the Institute of Competitive Socialising is inviting corporate teams to compete in The Swingers Open, with the champions winning a luxury trip to Paris.

The Swingers Open will take place over 14 qualifying events starting on the 24th April, leading to the semi-final on the 4th September and culminating in the grand final a week later on Monday 11th September.

Businesses are asked to enter two teams of four players who will compete in a competition against other businesses from the same industry. The first event will see teams from the Tech industry tee-off.

Look at the size of that loop-di-loop!

Each of the winning teams from the qualifying rounds will receive a luxury Tanqueray No. TEN hamper.

The overall champions will win a trip to Paris including first class Eurostar travel, a night at Le Grand Pigalle, dinner and a Tanqueray experience. The championship winning team members will also get the chance to wear The Swingers Open green jackets, made exclusively by tailor Gresham Blake, and will receive The Swingers Open trophy!

Entry to the tournament costs £160 per team. Full details and entry forms are available on the Swingers London Crazy Golf website.

We haven't played the two new Swingers Crazy Golf courses yet, but in September 2014 we played a round on the Swingers Crazy Golf pop-up course in Shoreditch, East London. The course became the 581st miniature golf course visited and 347th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing at the original Swingers Crazy Golf course in 2014

Check out the Swingers Crazy Golf website for more information, opening times, prices and tournament entry details.

It's great to hear about a London miniature golf tournament taking place. Back in 2009 I competed in a tournament double-header at the London Open and Weymouth Open - I finished as runner-up in both events! I was also the runner-up in the 2011 London Invitational Tournament. I have some history of winning in London as well and hold the Crazy Golf with Bompas & Parr Championship June Playoff title, as well as the overall Selfridges course championship which I won in 2012.

Winning

Link:
- Swingers Crazy Golf

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Playing Swingers Crazy Golf in Shoreditch

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Junkyard Crazy Golf on the tube

Spotting an advert for London's Junkyard Crazy Golf on the London Underground.

Thanks to my mate and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes for sending me this snap of an advert for London's Junkyard Crazy Golf course he spotting on the tube earlier this week.

The Junkyard Crazy Golf advert on a Northern Line tube train

We haven't been to the four London Junkyard Crazy Golf courses at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane yet, but the Manchester courses are two of our most local minigolf layouts and were the 718th and 719th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

One of the holes at Junkyard Crazy Golf in Manchester

Check out the Junkyard Crazy Golf website for further details, opening times and prices.

It's always nice to see minigolf advertising. Last year we saw an advert for the Shanklin Seafront Crazy Golf course on an Island Line tube train.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in London
- Playing Junkyard Golf in Manchester

Link:
- Junkyard Crazy Golf

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Adswood Park Miniature Golf course

Finding out about the Adswood Park Miniature Golf course in Cheadle.

Since we moved to Cheadle Hulme last summer we've enjoyed exploring the area's parks and finding out about the borough's history. Through the Stockport Heritage Trust Group we've found out there used to be a Miniature Golf course in Adswood Park on Councillor Lane on the Cheadle / Cheadle Hulme border!

Adswood Park on Councillor Lane in Cheadle

During a discussion about Adswood Hall on the group's Facebook Page one of the Stockport Heritage Trust Group members posted a link to an old map of the area and Emily noticed the words 'Miniature Golf Course' in Adswood Park. Further investigation uncovered one photo on the Stockport Archives website showing a Putting Green with a flag in it.

Adswood Park opened in 1913 and it's our nearest greenspace. When we first arrived in Cheadle Hulme and had a wander round the park we thought we saw some raised edges / bunker type bumps in the park. They may very well be a remnant of the old grass minigolf course. One of the other Stockport Heritage Trust Group members recollects that the course had around 6-holes and may have been there until the early or mid-nineties.

The Miniature Golf course used to cover this part of Adswood Park

In our time up here we've also found a grass Putting course at Park Square offices just up the road in Cheadle Heath, a Pitch & Putt course at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle and we recently heard there was once a Crazy Golf course in Alexandra Park, Edgeley.

Links:
- Stockport Heritage Trust Group
- Stockport Archives
- Adswood Park

Related blog posts:
- Adswood Park
- Cheadle
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Miniature Golf course at the Park Square offices in Cheadle Hulme
- Pitch and Putt at Bruntwood Park, Cheadle
- Old Crazy Golf course at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Crazy Golf in Dovercourt, Essex

Looking back at our minigolf visit to Dovercourt.

Back in 2009 we visited the seaside town of Dovercourt in Essex where we played the Swedish Felt B-Run Minigolf course at Low Road.

Emily playing hole 6 in Dovercourt

The 6-hole course was the 92nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now played 423 and visited a total of 723 since we began our travels in 2006.

A view of the 6-hole minigolf course

We played three rounds of the 6-hole course while in Dovercourt and the overall result was a 49 to 54 victory to me.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Emily putting on hole 3

The Low Road venue is also home to a grass Putting course, Croquet and a Petanque piste. We didn't have time to play the other games on our visit.

Lots of games to play

The Putting Green

Crazy Golf and Croquet

The Petanque terrain, Crazy Golf course and Croquet lawn

Our visit to Dovercourt was part of a roadtrip which saw us also visit minigolf courses at Stonham Barns, Felixstowe, Clacton on Sea, Blake End near Braintree and Hemel Hempstead.

Since our visit to Dovercourt eight years ago we've also seen there's an Adventure Golf course at Dovercourt Caravan Park. The Jungle Rock Golf course is open to both caravan owners and the general public. It's another course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we next get back to Essex.

Related blog posts:
- Dovercourt Crazy Golf
- Minigolf courses in Essex
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Videos:
- Playing Dovercourt Crazy Golf 1
- Playing Dovercourt Crazy Golf 2

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Abingdon to host first-ever World Championship Egg and Spoon Race

First-ever World Championship Egg and Spoon Race to take place in Abingdon.

My home town of Abingdon-on-Thames is famous for its curious tradition of Bun Throwing, but this year a new World Title will be contested in the town's Abbey Gardens over the Easter weekend - the World Championship Egg & Spoon Race!

A world championship winning egg in 2012

A view of the Abbey Grounds on a frosty December day in 2014

I'm quite tempted to enter the event as I have a bit of a pedigree in egg and odd athletics based sports. In 2012 Jas Kukielka and I won the World Alternative Games Egg Throwing Championship in Wales and I also took part in the first-ever Ripping Yarns Hopathon in London. The World Championship Egg & Spoon Race title - and trophy presumably - would be a great addition to my sporting CV.

En route to an egg-based world title victory in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

In a hopping race on Hampstead Heath

Abingdon's World Championship Egg & Spoon Race has been inspired by Paul Gustafson, the award winning local author of the children’s ‘Eggbert’s Adventure’ books.

Many thanks to my mate Adam Dewar for letting me know about the event which is taking place on Saturday 15th April. Further details are available on the Visit Abingdon website.

Link:
- Visit Abingdon website

Related blog posts:
- Abingdon
- Eggs

Crazy Golf course in Southwold, Suffolk

Photos and details of the Crazy Golf course in Southwold.

My sister-in-law Jo and niece Kate were in the seaside town of Southwold today and spotted a Crazy Golf course there! It's a course we didn't know about and one we'll have to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we're back in Suffolk.

You can find the Crazy Golf course at Southwold Boating Lake & Cafe, North Parade, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6BN. I love the description of Crazy Golf as an 'ancient art' on the Tea Room's website.

Back in 2009 Emily and I visited Southwold, but found out we were two days early to play the grass Putting Green near the pier.

The Putting Green - 200 yards from the Boating Lake. It wasn't open on our visit in 2009. But the man was prepping the grass ready for the season ahead

Jo has also found Crazy Golf courses on her travels, notably in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote and in Bury St Edmunds.

Related blog posts:
- Southwold
- Jo Tubby
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Links:
- Southwold Boating Lake & Cafe website
- Southwold Boating Lake & Cafe on Facebook
- Southwold Boating Lake & Cafe on Twitter

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.