Games at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester

Minigolf and Pétanque at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester.

Since we moved up to Greater Manchester towards the end of last summer Emily and I have started playing pétanque ‏with the Woodstock Pétanque ‏Club based at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport.

Playing with the Woodstock Petanque Club at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport last August

There's a growing pétanque ‏scene in the area, with the Trafford Pétanque‏ Club doing a lot to promote the game and mixing it up in some friendly melee's with Mirfield Pétanque Club, Huddersfield Pétanque Club and Heckmondwike Pétanque Club.

Aly and Chris from Trafford Pétanque‏ Club recently recce'd Wythenshawe Park and found an abandoned boules terrain there. They asked me if I remembered it from when we visited a few years back. Off the top of my head I didn't.

Boules / Petanque was not listed on the sign at the Games Pavilion in Wythenshawe Park. It wasn't on the price list either

However, looking through our photo archive I found we had indeed visited the petanque piste while at Wythenshawe Park to play the minigolf course back in 2009!

The Petanque terrain at Wythenshawe Park - and a handy How to Play sign!

We'll have to head over to Wythenshawe Park to have a look at the Crazy Golf course considering it's now our most local layout! In the meantime here are a couple of snaps from our visit to the course on the 25th July 2009. We were in the area to compete in the Miniature Open tournament held at Playgolf Manchester - we'd finished first and second in the event earlier in the day.

The Crazy Golf course at Wythenshawe Park was an Eternit-style of Miniature Golf

Quite a zig zag of a hole!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Petanque
- Minigolf Course Visit No. 114 - Wythenshawe Park

Links:
- Trafford Pétanque‏ Club
- Woodstock Pétanque ‏Club
- Northern Pétanque Clubs
- Northern Pétanque
- English Pétanque Association

Miniature Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

Playing Crazy Golf at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria.

Back on the 5th April 2012 we visited White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside, Cumbria where we found Crazy Golf, Putting and Pitch & Putt courses. And a French Boules Terrain.

The Crazy Golf course became the 287th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 463rd visited overall.

Plenty to do at White Platts Recreation Ground in Ambleside

In our minigolf match-up on the White Platts Crazy Golf course I picked up the win 26 to Emily's 30 on the 9-hole layout.

Unfortunately we didn't have time to play the Putting course or the Pitch & Putt, but they both looked in great condition. 

Check out the White Platts website for more information, opening times and prices.

The 2012 price list

On the Boules Piste at White Platts. We'll definitely give it a play on our return visit

Related blog posts:
- Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland
- Unplayed Minigolf Courses on our Roadtrip to Scotland & Back
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- White Platts Recreation Ground website

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.

Old Crazy Golf course at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport

Spotting an old and long gone Crazy Golf course at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport. 

Last year Emily and I joined the Woodstock Petanque Club which plays at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport. We're also members of the Friends of Alexandra Park group which was recently set-up to maintain and improve the large park.

The Friends group has been asking members to contribute photos and memories of the park and it was great to see Allen Gleave's photo of the old Alexandra Park Crazy Golf course on the Park Friends Group Facebook Page.

Photo of the Alexandra Park Crazy Golf course courtesy of Allen Gleave

We didn't know the park once had a Crazy Golf course until we spotted what looked like the outline of a minigolf layout while looking up a Google Satellite view of the park last week - it must be a very old image of the park! On Google Street View you can see the course next to the fence on Edgeley Fold in October 2008.

Speaking with members of the Friends group it appears the course had been a popular feature in the 1980's but was barely used in the 90's and was eventually removed. Comparing the Street View images from 2008 and 2015 you can see the area where the course once was is next to the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area). How times change.

It's funny to think there used to be a Crazy Golf course just a stone's throw from where we play Petanque now! If only we'd moved to Stockport, or at least visited on our tour, ten years ago!

Join the Friends of Alexandra Park to find out more about the park, its history and future activities. The latest addition to the park is a new BMX and Skate Park.

How the area looks now

Related blog posts:
- Alexandra Park
- Stockport
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Links:
- The Friends of Alexandra Park
- Woodstock Petanque Club
- Alexandra Skatepark Association
- Alexandra Park

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.

Edgeley Skatepark at Alexandra Park in Stockport

A view of the building work for the new Edgeley Skatepark at Alexandra Park.

On a lunchtime wander to Edgeley in Stockport I had a walk around Alexandra Park - home of the Woodstock Petanque Club. Apart from getting chased by a few geese down at Sykes Reservoir at the bottom of the park the biggest surprise was seeing how much work had been done on the new BMX and skatepark.

The Edgeley skatepark in Alexandra Park is being built on much of the area previously used as a Boules Terrain and Pistes for the Woodstock Petanque Club to play on.

Woodstock Petanque Club players in action on the terrain in October

Photo updates (22nd December 2016)

A few snaps of the BMX/Skatepark and Petanque area.

Photo update (2nd February 2017)

A snap of the BMX/Skatepark as it nears completion.

Photo updates (18th February 2017)

The BMX and skate park is now open!

Glad I got a BMX for Christmas

You can see the petanque terrain below.

On a related theme, we also recently found out that Alexandra Park was once home to a Crazy Golf course!

Related blog posts:
- Petanque
- Stockport

Links:
- Woodstock Petanque Club
- Alexandra Skatepark Association
- The Friends of Alexandra Park
- Alexandra Park

Petanque in Jersey

Earlier this year we spent a great week in Jersey having a chilled out holiday.

While there we spotted the players from the Liberation Petanque Club having some games in Weighbridge Gardens in St Helier. Having a look on the Jersey Petanque Association website there are plenty of pistes to play on. It was nice scrolling through the list of places to play as we'd visited a lot of the towns on our holiday and the names brought back some great memories.

Some petanque being played in St Helier. In the background you can see the Steam Clock, the terrain next to it has a six game capacity - we never even realised Petanque was played on that spot too

As we've got into playing the game since moving to the Stockport area it's nice to know the island is well catered for as we'd very much like to return to Jersey in the future. It's such a nice place for a relaxing break.

We're now members of the Woodstock Petanque Club, which meets at Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport every other Sunday. Through the club I heard about the Jersey Petanque Club's 2017 Open competition. It sounds like fun.

We spotted another petanque terrain on one of our other island trips this year, at Puckpool Park on the Isle of Wight.

Check out the Jersey Petanque Association website for more information on playing the game on the island.

Related blog posts:
- Petanque
- Jersey

Mini Golf at Puckpool Park on the Isle of Wight

A visit to the 12-hole Mini Golf Garden at Puckpool Park in Ryde.

Puckpool Park's Mini Golf Garden - Built in 2006 by the owners of Puckpool Tea Gardens

While on a recent trip to the Isle of Wight we managed to play a course that we didn't have time to on our only previous visit to the island back in 2009.

A view of the Mini Golf Garden from up the hill next to it

In our match-up on the Puckpool Park 'Mini Golf Garden' course I picked up the victory with a score of 30. Emily was runner-up with a round of 33, with Cat Patterson in bronze with a score of 39.

A nice straight shot was required on this tough hole

A tricky second shot

Emily tapping home a shot

The sign at the gates also said there was Putting in the park as well. We couldn't see any though.

There's lots to do in Puckpool Park. As well as the Crazy Golf course we also had a look at the Mortar Battery Emplacements

Could this be where the Putting course should be?

We did however see a sign for Petanque. They've got a very nice terrain there. And a Petanque team.

If we'd had more time we'd have had a game of Petanque. A fine sport

The Petanque Terrain / Boules Piste at Puckpool Park

All in all Puckpool Park was a nice spot for a round of fun minigolf. We'd play there again.

We played the course in some nice weather. But there'd obviously been quite a lot of rain earlier in the day

The Puckpool Park Mini Golf Garden was the 415th course we've played and the 705th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

At course number 705

We've played a lot of types of minigolf over the years, but the Puckpool Park course was the first we'd seen called a 'Mini Golf Garden'.

Emily about to get a two from a tricky spot. And during a light mid-round shower

Photos of the 12-hole Mini Golf Garden at Puckpool Park.

Hole 1

Hole 1 - Green

Hole 2

Hole 2 - Green

Hole 3 - loop-di-loop

Hole 3 - the tyre loop and green

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 5 - Green

Hole 6

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 7 - Easter Island

Hole 8

Hole 8 - Green

Hole 9

Hole 9

Hole 10

Hole 10 - Green

Hole 11

Hole 11 - Green

Hole 12

Hole 12 - Green

Video:
- Hole in one at Puckpool Park

Related blog posts:
- Isle of Wight
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- The Old Barracks at Puckpool Park

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. You can now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.