King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

A look at the new King Pins Mini Golf course at the Trafford Palazzo shopping and entertainment centre in Manchester.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo in Manchester

An indoor mini golf course is part of the set-up at the King Pins tenpin bowling and entertainment venue at the Trafford Palazzo in Manchester.

The 9-hole King Pins Mini Golf course opened at the Trafford Palazzo in July this year.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3

Hole 3

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Find out more about King Pins locations on the King Pins website.

The King Pins Mini Golf course at Trafford Palazzo became the 1,072nd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Earlier this year we played Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale.

The Stockport Pyramid

The Stockport Pyramid is reopening in 2025.

One of the first landmarks - among many fine buildings - we noticed when we moved to Stockport in 2016 was the Stockport Pyramid.

The Stockport Pyramid

Not many towns in the UK can lay claim to being home to a pyramid!

A view of the pyramid across the M60 

The Stockport Pyramid had been home to the Co-operative Bank until 2018 and the building had been empty since then.

Views of the Stockport Pyramid in August 2020

It was originally planned to be the first of five pyramids in Stockport's own Valley of the Kings. That plan didn't come to fruition and the Stockport Pyramid sits on in the Kings Valley industrial and trading estate next to the M60.

A view of the pyramid from a train into Manchester on the viaduct

Plans have now been approved for Royal Nawaab to create an Indian dining destination including a restaurant and banqueting hall in the building.

It'll be interesting to make a booking and get to go inside for a look around the intriguing building.

The Stockport Pyramid was completed in 1992 after five years work. Standing 36.6 metres (120 feet) in height, the Stockport Pyramid is somewhat smaller than Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza, which stands 147 metres (481 feet) high. However, the striking structure has become a familiar sight to people in the town, those passing on the M60, or passengers on trains on the lines across the viaduct.

Visit the Royal Nawaab website for more information.

New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale

A new Adventure Golf course is being created in Middleton.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course is being built at Bowlee Park Driving Range in Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.

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

The Blockbuster Video Store in Fallowfield, Manchester - Five Years On

A look back at the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

This is what was left of Blockbuster Video on Fallowfield Retail Park back in October 2019

I found the preserved remains of a 'dead brand' - Blockbuster Video - while in Manchester five years ago today!

It became the first of many former Blockbuster Video stores Emily and I travelled to once we found that there were still some other visible remains of the brand to be seen on high streets and at shopping centres around the UK.

Oh, what happened to this sign?

Dark clouds gathered over the brand in 2013

Blockbuster Video entered the UK video rental market in 1989 following the purchase of Ritz Video. In 2013 there were over 500 Blockbuster locations in the UK. Throughout that year the number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. On the 16th December 2013 all stores ceased operations.

On the visit to the old Fallowfield shop in October 2019 the Blockbuster Video store sign was prominently displayed on both sides of the main sign at Fallowfield Retail Park and the windows of the shop still retained Blockbuster signage.

A sign in the shop window

Most of the shelves inside had been removed, but the walls and desks clearly retained the brand colours of Blockbuster.

The window graphics still looked fresh

Clearly still recognisable as a Blockbuster on the inside

The shelves were bare

There is currently one independently owned franchise still operating as a Blockbuster Video in the USA and you can find it in Bend, Oregon.

Quik Drop box to nowhere

We made several more visits to the abandoned Blockbuster Video shop at Fallowfield Retail Park, including one last look as it was being demolished in January 2024.

Other Blockbuster Video stores

Here's a list and links to the other Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:

• 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
• Failsworth, Manchester
• 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
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Independent video stores

There are still traces of former video shops to be found on the streets, shopping centres and retail parks of the UK. While most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores, there are remnants of (and in some cases still operating) independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky. Some of those we've snapped over the years include:

• Shahenshah Videos in Luton
• Deane Video Centre in Bolton
• Video Box Office at the Happy Shopper Wayfairer Discount Store in Ilkeston
• Video Future in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
• The Movie Box in Manchester
• Jubilee Films in Ashton-under-Lyne
• B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton
• Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
• Video Express in Swansea
• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds

Do you still have a video store near you?

By my reckoning there are three video shops still in operation in the UK. They are:

• Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds
• 20th Century Flicks in Bristol
• Snips Movies in Bebington, Wirral

I've been to two of the above, with Snips Movies on my to visit list in the future. Hopefully I'll be able to get a membership card for the shop too.

Do you have a favourite defunct brand? Are the remains of an old brand still visible near where you live or work? Do let me know.

New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale

Bowlee Park Driving Range has plans to open a new Adventure Golf course.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course would be at Bowlee Park Driving Range in Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.

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

Dinosaur mini-golf at Swinton Square in Salford

There's a dinosaur mini-golf course at Swinton Square in Salford until Sunday 11th August.

The 9-hole course is free to play!

Check out the Swinton Square website for more information.

We played the Dino Crazy Golf pop-up at Swinton Square on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in 2022.

King Pins Mini Golf at Trafford Palazzo

New mini golf heading to Trafford Palazzo in Manchester.

A new indoor mini golf course is opening at the King Pins tenpin bowling centre at the Trafford Palazzo in Manchester.

The King Pins Mini Golf course opens at the Trafford Palazzo on Saturday 13th July.

Find out more on the King Pins website.

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

There's a King Pins Mini Golf course at the new King Pins centre at the Arndale in Manchester city centre too. We've not made it over there yet. The Arndale Centre location opened in May.

Minigolf courses in Manchester & Greater Manchester

A look at minigolf courses in Manchester & Greater Manchester.

There are a number of options for minigolfing in Greater Manchester, with a variety of courses to play, ranging from traditional crazy golf to indoor minigolf to new adventure golf layouts. The city centre itself has seen an increase in courses over the last few years and there are more to open in the coming months too!

Here's a list of the minigolf courses in Manchester

• Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre - two indoor adventure golf courses
• Junkyard Golf at First Street - three indoor crazy golf courses.
• Treetop Adventure Golf at The Printworks in Manchester - two indoor adventure golf courses
• Dino Falls Adventure Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre - two outdoor adventure golf courses
• Roxy Ball Room on Deansgate - indoor mini golf course
• Roxy Ball Room on Withy Grove - indoor crazy pool (think of a cross-between pool and crazy golf)
• Putters Crazy Golf at the Urban Playground in Manchester Arndale - indoor crazy golf
• Crazy Golf at Challenge Point Manchester - indoor crazy golf
• Mini Golf at King Pins at the Manchester Arndale - indoor mini golf

Here's a list of the minigolf courses in Greater Manchester

• The Lost Valley Adventure Golf at Amazonia, Market Place Shopping Centre, Bolton - an indoor adventure golf course
• Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan - an outdoor adventure golf course
• Haigh Woodland Park, Wigan - an outdoor crazy golf course
• UV Crazy Golf at One Adventure in Droylsden - an indoor crazy golf course
• Pitch & Putt at Bruntwood Park in Cheadle, Stockport - an outdoor miniature golf course
• Puttstars at Rochdale Riverside - three indoor minigolf courses
• Park Square, Cheadle Heath, Stockport - an outdoor Putting Green (for tenants only)
• Parr Fold Park in Walkden - a Pitch & Putt course
• Kearsley Golf Range - Pitch & Putt and Putting Greens
• Victoria Park in Pendlebury, Swinton - an outdoor putting green
• Buile Hill Park in Salford - a Pitch & Putt course
• Woodheys Park in Sale - a Pitch & Putt course
• HUKD Golf in Bury - indoor crazy golf

Minigolfing in Manchester

We've been travelling to play minigolf in Manchester on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2009 when I won the Mini Masters and Mini Open at the Trafford Golf Centre. I also won the Chrizy Golf Masters at Piccadilly Place in 2012. We moved to Stockport in 2016 and have continued to compete in events. Emily won the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open in 2019, while I won the tournament in 2018. I also won the DinoFalls Masters at the Trafford Golf Centre in 2018.

Former courses

• Championship Miniature Golf at the Trafford Golf Centre - an outdoor miniature golf course
• Chrizy Golf at Piccadilly Place - pop-up Christmas-themed crazy golf course
• Tea Party Mini Golf at Spinningfields, Manchester - a pop-up mini golf course
• Junkyard Golf at the Great Northern Warehouse and at Piccadilly Place - indoor crazy golf courses
• Alexandra Park in Edgeley, Stockport - an outdoor crazy golf course
• Walkden Town Centre - pop-up crazy golf course

Derelict and abandoned courses

• Stamford Park, Stamford Street, Stalybridge, Tameside - an outdoor crazy golf course
• Wythenshawe Park, Wythenshawe - an outdoor crazy golf course

Please do get in touch and let us know of any other minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, pitch & putt, or putting layouts we don't yet know about in the area.

The Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition in Manchester

Looking back at the Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester.

Playing Dino Falls Adventure Golf in Manchester

I competed in the first-ever Dino Falls Masters Adventure Golf competition at the Trafford Golf Centre in Manchester on the 6th April 2018 - and won it!

Playing Dino Falls Adventure Golf in Manchester

The event saw hundreds of players compete.

The venue has been a good spot for me and our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, as I also won the Mini Masters and Mini Open there in 2009, as well as a Midlands Minigolf Club Invitational Tournament, also in April 2008.

At Dino Falls Adventure Golf in Manchester

The Trafford Golf Centre is home to two 18-hole adventure golf courses. Check out Trafford Golf Centre and Dino Falls Adventure Golf websites for more information on the courses.

Pubs of Stockport during the coronavirus pandemic

A look at Stopfordian Pubs during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Four years ago today we photographed The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. It became the first of 265 pubs, bars and clubs we visited in the borough between April and the 4th of July when the first coronavirus pandemic lockdown ended.

Pub number 1 - The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. A lovely Art Deco building. We'd never seen it shuttered before the lockdown

We visited each of the pubs while on our daily outdoor exercise between Wednesday 1st April and before pubs were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures on Saturday 4th July.

It gave us something to do during the lockdowns and it was interesting to see the variety of architecture, different signage, parts of the town we haven't been to for a long time and other parts of the area we've never been to. I documented the pubs on Instagram using the #StopfordianPubs tag.

At the 265th pub on our lockdown 'pub crawl'. Not a drop was drunk on our daily walks in April, May, June and July

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury, Greater Manchester

A look at the Crazy Golf courses at HUKD Golf in Bury, Greater Manchester.

A BIG thank you to our friend Pete Campbell for sending us these photos from his recent visit to HUKD Golf in Bury.

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Golf opened last year and has two indoor 9-hole Crazy Golf courses - the Roll Up Course and the Kick Off Course. One is funfair-themed, while the other is sports-themed.

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

Pete tells us that all the holes were well thought out and he thought it was really good. The venue also has golf simulators which he's keen to go back and try out.

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

Visit the HUKD Golf website for more information.

HUKD Crazy Golf in Bury. Photo by Pete Campbell, March 2024

HUKD Golf in Bury is another new local course location for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A Back to the Future DeLorean - in 2020

I saw a Back to the Future DeLorean time machine four years ago today.

This was the last event we went to, as the world went into shutdown with the coronavirus pandemic shortly afterwards.

In 2019 I ticked 'See a real life DeLorean' off of my bucket list.

On Friday the 13th 2020 I managed to see another one at MediaCityUK in Salford and that one was this Back to the Future version!

Four years later and I still need to drive one...

What time would you go to?

Check out the Back to the Future car's website for more information.