Crazy Golf at Eat N Bowl in St Neots

Eat N Bowl in St Neots, Cambridgeshire is opening a Crazy Golf course.

The indoor Crazy Golf course will be called Pins N Putt.

Visit the Eat N Bowl website for more information on the venue.

It'll be another new course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at the Whittlesey Christmas Extravaganza

Crazy Golf will be among the activities on offer at the Whittlesey Christmas Extravaganza taking place in the Market Square, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire on Saturday 14th December.

Find out more on the Whittlesey 2024 Christmas Extravaganza Facebook Page.

Crazy Golf at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire

There will be a Crazy Golf course at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire during the estate's Summer of Play event.

The Summer of Play runs from Saturday 20th July to Sunday 1st September, with the 9-hole Crazy Golf course open from Saturday 27th July to Sunday 11th August.

Visit the Anglesey Abbey website for more information.

Boom Battle Bar in Cambridge

A new Boom Battle Bar is opening in Cambridge.

The venue will be home to a 'Crazier Golf' minigolf course among other indoor competitive socialising activities.

Check out the Boom Battle Bar website for more information.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Putting Shed Mini Golf at Twenty Pence Garden Centre in Wilburton

There's a mini golf course at the Twenty Pence Garden Centre in Wilburton, Cambridgeshire.

Many thanks to our friend and minigolf rival Steve 'Sheila' Lovell for letting us know about the The Putting Shed Mini Golf course at Twenty Pence Garden Centre in Wilburton, Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Looking at the garden centre's website and YouTube video of the course it opened around 2021.

 

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini Golf now open at Play2Day in Wisbech

There's a new Adventure Mini Golf course at Play2Day in Guyhirn, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

We heard about the plans for the new course back in 2021 and have seen photos of the new outdoor minigolf course on the Play2Day Facebook Page - and it's railway-themed!

It looks ace.

With an address of "The Old Station Yard" was the course going to be anything other than train-themed!

We often pass through Wisbech en route to see family and friends in East Anglia, and have driven past Play2Day before. We're looking forward to swinging by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

You can find out more about the Adventure Golf / Mini Golf course on the Play2Day website and Facebook Page.

Checking out the info on the Play2Day centre they've also got a Lazer Tag! Another of my favourite sports.

Electric Greens Crazy Golf at The Tivoli in Cambridge

A look at the Electric Greens Crazy Golf courses at The Tivoli in Cambridge.

We recently swung by The Tivoli indoor entertainment venue in Cambridge and took a look at the two 9-hole minigolf courses there.

Visit The Tivoli website for more information and booking details.

We arrived in time to have a drink, but not to have a round on either course.

One to play another day on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Tivoli is a former cinema - and in the Art Deco style. It's a very nice looking venue.

New Adventure Golf at Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough

A new Roman-themed Adventure Golf course has opened at Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough.

Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough is now home to two miniature golf layouts.

The existing 12-hole course at Dobbies Garden Centre in Peterborough is still in place, with the new 18-hole Roman-themed Adventure Golf course sitting next to it.

Visit the Peterborough Minigolf website for more information about the Roman Golf Empire course.

Crazy Golf at The Tivoli in Cambridge

Two 9-hole indoor Crazy Golf courses have opened at The Tivoli in Cambridge.

We first heard about the plans back in 2019 and it's good to hear the venue has opened.

The Tivoli building looks wonderful. It's a former cinema. We're big fans of Art Deco and look forward to visiting on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out The Tivoli website for more information.

Aztec Adventure Golf at Dobbies Garden Centre in Huntingdon

A new Aztec Adventure Golf course is opening at Dobbies Garden Centre in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire this summer.

The new course is set to open in July 2022.

Visit the Aztec Adventure Golf website for more information.

The layout is another new one for us to swing by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A Happy Shopper in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

A visit to a Happy Shopper shop in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

We made a stopover in Wisbech while en route to Norwich last November and while there found a Happy Shopper shop!

The Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech

Pleasant News on Edinburgh drive certainly lived up to its name.

The shop had one of the 'newer' Happy Shopper signs outside (the one without the Happy Shopper mascot on it), but inside was a different story.

It was like stepping back in time.

The Open/Closed sign was a classic Happy Shopper branded one.

We were happy the shop was open

And the shelf fronts had branded strips on them.

Chatting to the shopkeeper was nice and he told us about the shop's history and plans for the future, with his family opening a new shop on the same parade. Luckily the Happy Shopper branding at Pleasant News will be staying for the time being.

I remember when those crisps were 10p a bag

Happy Shopper nostalgia

We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more on our somewhat limited travels. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Ashwellthorpe
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne

Crazy Golf at Worzals in Wisbech

There are plans for a new Crazy Golf course to be built as part of development at Worzals Garden Centre in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and our travels to East Anglia.

Keep an eye on the Worzals website for more information.

Puttstars Mini Golf opening in Peterborough

A new Puttstars Mini Golf venue is planned to open at the Queensgate shopping centre in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale, June 2021

Puttstars Peterborough will be home to three 9-hole indoor minigolf courses.

Visit the Puttstars Mini Golf website for more information.

There are also Puttstars Mini Golf venues in Rochdale, Leeds, Harrow and York.

We played at Puttstars Rochdale on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last year.

Blockbuster Video in Wisbech

We found another old Blockbuster Video store on our travels last month.

A QuikDrop Box at the former Blockbuster Video store in Wisbech

Luckily the former Blockbuster Video shop on Norfolk Street in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire still had a visible QuikDrop box in the entrance doorway.

At another former Blockbuster Video store!

A QuikDrop Box at the former Blockbuster Video store in Wisbech

The shop is now Lumira Snack Bar. But between the time of it being a video shop and today it was also The Entertainment Centre. A sign for that business is still on show on the rear of the unit on West Street.

Lumira Snack Bar in Wisbech - a former Blockbuster Video store

Sign for The Entertainment Centre in Wisbech - itself a lost shop and a former Blockbuster Video store

Blockbuster Video

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• 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
• 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
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Lost brands

I've spent a lot of the last two years reminiscing about 'the good old days' before the coronavirus pandemic hit the planet. One of my areas of interest is in old retail brands - I'm a marketer by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us. It's been fascinating to find remnants of a number of lost, dead and defunct brands on the high street and at retail parks.

You can now buy my new eBook 'Lost Toys R Us Stores'.

Plans for a new mini golf course in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

There are plans for a new outdoor minigolf course in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

The Play2Day entertainment centre has submitted plans to create a new outdoor miniature golf course at the venue in Guyhirn, Wisbech.

Play2Day is home to a soft-play area, tenpin bowling and laser tag.

It'll be another new minigolf course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Jurassic Links Adventure Golf at Kingsway Golf Centre in Melbourn

A look at the Jurassic Links Adventure Golf course at Kingsway Golf Centre.

The brand new Jurassic Links Adventure Golf has been completed at Kingsway Golf Centre in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire and is gearing up to welcome players when minigolf courses are allowed to open to the public again.

The gates are waiting to open up to the course

Jurassic Links Adventure Golf is planned to open on the 29th March.

Check out the Jurassic Links Adventure Golf website for more information.

Many thanks to Simon Baker from HM Adventure Golf for sending over the snaps.

Visit the HM Adventure Golf website to see more of their work and courses they have created.

Emily and I are looking forward to giving the course a play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Minigolfing at Kingsway Golf Centre

We've played minigolf at Kingsway Golf Centre on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before. The golf centre was home to a Crazy Golf course that became the 200th we visited on our travels in 2009. That layout was replaced with the Himalayas Putting Course in 2010.

Crazy Golfing in Melbourn

For a small village Melbourn has been home to a lot of minigolf courses over the years! As well as the crazy golf, putting course and adventure golf courses at Kingsway Golf Centre the village has been home to pop-up miniature golf courses at the annual fete and The Dolphin pub was once home to a 4-hole crazy golf course!

Peterborough Glo Golf

The new Peterborough Glo Golf course in Peterborough city centre is planned to open on Tuesday 18th May.

The indoor-glow-in-the-dark venue will be home to a 16-hole space-themed layout.

Visit the Peterborough Glo Golf Facebook page for more information.

Jurassic Links Adventure Golf at Kingsway Golf Centre

A new Jurassic Links Adventure Golf course is opening at Kingsway Golf Centre in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire this Spring.

Visit the Jurassic Links Adventure Golf website for more information.

The 18-hole Jurassic Links Adventure Golf course is being built by the team at HM Adventure Golf.

Crazy Golfing at Kingsway Golf Centre

We've played minigolf at Kingsway Golf Centre on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before. The golf centre was home to a Crazy Golf course that became the 200th we visited on our travels in 2009. That layout was replaced with the Himalayas Putting Course in 2010.

Minigolf in Melbourn

Melbourn has been a bit of a hotbed of minigolf over the years. As well as the crazy golf, putting course and adventure golf courses at Kingsway Golf Centre the village has been home to pop-up miniature golf courses at the annual fete and The Dolphin pub was once home to a 4-hole crazy golf course!

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New indoor Crazy Golf course in Peterborough

There are plans for a new glow-in-the-dark indoor crazy golf course in Peterborough.

Peterborough could soon be home to a new glow-in-the-dark indoor crazy golf course.

It'll be a new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we're visiting friends in the area.

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Peterborough Minigolf at Dobbies Garden Centre

A look back at our first visit to Peterborough Minigolf at Dobbies Garden Centre.

It's been over five years since we first visited the Peterborough Minigolf course at Dobbies Garden Centre. Time certainly flies!

It only seems a short while ago that we swung by for a game.

It's a brilliant 12-hole course, full of testing layouts and obstacles. A nice test of putting skill.

The course was the 382nd played and 662nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 954 courses in total since September 2006.

We actually revisited Peterborough Minigolf in February of this year on one of our last road-trips before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Visit the Peterborough Minigolf course website for more information.

The course was another superb build by the team at UrbanCrazy.

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