Crazy Golf at Vickersway Park in Northwich

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Vickersway Park in Northwich, Cheshire. January 2020.

Back in September 2016 the 9-hole course became the 700th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've now been to 956 courses since September 2006.

New Minigolf Putting Course to open in Chester

A new artificial grass Putting Course is planned to open at Westminster Park in Chester, Cheshire.

The layout will be on the site of a former grass Putting Green.

Westminster Park is also home to a Pitch & Putt course.

We're looking forward to playing both the Pitch & Putt and the new Minigolf Putting Course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

The course is being designed and built by Creative Golf Design. You can see a computer animation of the layout in the video below.

Lost Blockbuster - Chester

Another day, another lost Blockbuster Video store.

This one was in Chester, Cheshire, England.

It's now a Roy Castle Foundation charity shop.

The QUIKDROP box is still in place. A lot of the paintwork and fixtures inside are from its days as a Blockbuster too.

QUIKDROP

You could still see a number of familiar pieces of the Blockbuster shopfittings

  

The old Blockbuster counter

Other lost Blockbuster stores

On our travels we've found the remains of other lost Blockbuster stores in Manchester, Colne, Oldham, Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Hastings, Felixstowe, Telford, Prescot and Chester.

Kansas Fried Chicken in Handforth

Finding a 'KFC' in Handforth, Cheshire.

Another of the 'KFCs' we've seen on our travels is this Kansas Fried Chicken in Handforth.

There are other Kansas Fried Chicken shops in the Manchester and Cheshire area, including one in Didsbury Village.

Urbex - Toys R Us in Warrington

A look at the remains of the old Toys R Us store in Warrington, Cheshire.

Lost shops - Toys R Us in Warrington

A look at the old Toys R Us store in Warrington.

In our continued look at old, defunct and lost shops we took a walk round the old Toys R Us store in Warrington, Cheshire at the weekend.

Toys R Us ceased trading in the UK back in April 2018 and the Warrington location has been empty since then. The site will become a car dealership in the future.

While very little of the signage is still in place you can still clearly see ghost signs of the TOYS R US and BABIES R US logos on the building.

Working at Toys R Us

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

We never had these branded bollards at the Gipsy Lane store in Luton

A look round the Warrington location

Here are some more snaps and videos of the store as it looked in July 2020.

The approach to the store

These branded stones are very very nice

Ghost signage

The lettering from the old sign is still visible on the side of the building

Note the markings on the ground

Coronavirus social distancing warnings

The container loading bay. When I worked at Toys R Us I spent parts of my evening shifts unloading the containers

One of the few signs still on the building. While it's unbranded, the Toys R Us typeface is recognisable

Toys R Us and Babies R Us ghost signs

The overgrown trolley bay at the front of the store

An empty trolley bay

A 'tombstone' to the dead brand

Toys R Us in Ancoats, Manchester

I took a look at the old Toys R Us store at the Central Retail Park in Ancoats, Manchester just prior to it's demolition in March 2019.

Check out photos of that location from two visits in February 2019 - one / two.

We had a look at what's left of the old Central Retail Park last Friday.

Lost shops

We've seen a number of other old and defunct brands on our travels around the country including Woolworths in Stoke-on-Trent, Woolworths Big W in Edinburgh, Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness, Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Tandy in Hitchin and RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes.

Do you have a favourite old shop brand from the past?

Crazy Golf at Sutton Weaver Village near Runcorn, Cheshire

Playing the Crazy Golf course at Sutton Weaver Village near Runcorn, Cheshire.

Over the years we've played some strange crazy golf courses in weird locations and in July 2017 we were able to add another oddity to our list as we played a round on the miniature golf course at Sutton Farm Cheshire in Sutton Weaver Village near Runcorn, Cheshire.

The course was a mini version of the eternit miniature golf type of course more commonly found in continental Europe.

The course was located at what was once a Golf Driving Range but had been added as part of the farm. The area was being used as a dog training centre while we were there!

It was the 744th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Sandbach (May 2019)

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach.

We played the 9-hole Swedish Felt Crazy Golf course at Malkins Bank Golf Club in Betchton, Sandbach in May last year.

The course was the 518th played and 888th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Link:
- Malkins Bank Golf Club

Crazy Golf at Vickersway Park in Northwich

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Vickersway Park in Northwich, Cheshire on Saturday 11th January 2020.

We swung by the Crazy Golf course at Vickersway Park while we were in Northwich at the weekend.

Back in September 2016 the course became the 700th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We have now been to 942 courses since September 2006.

So far this year we've visited nine courses and played at three of them.

Vickersway Park is also home to a Putting course.

Hole 1

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 4

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 5

Hole 5

Hole 6 - when we first visited this was hole 7

Hole 6

Hole 6

Hole 6

Hole 6

Hole 7 - or hole 8

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 8

Hole 8

Hole 8

Hole 9 - we played this as hole 6 last time

Hole 9

Hole 9