Jump Heaven Adventure Golf in Stockport

New Adventure Golf course opening at Jump Heaven in Stockport.

The new Pirate Adventure Golf course at Jump Heaven in Hazel Grove, Stockport is opening on Tuesday 1st March.

Visit the Jump Heaven website for more information.

It's the first Adventure Golf course to open in Stockport and will be very local to us and our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We took a look at the progress of the build in December.

Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Manchester (January 2022)

A visit to the old Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

I took another look at the former Blockbuster Video store at Fallowfield Retail Park while driving back from Manchester city centre on Saturday 22nd January.

The unit next door has now closed down and there are plans to create a new supermarket on the site.

The graffiti wasn't there the last time I looked

It'll be a shame to see this video shop relic from another time lost forever. It's an interesting and fun little time capsule.

All Rental Returns

I first noticed the remains of the Blockbuster Video store while driving to Manchester in October 2019.

The sign that first caught my attention

Someone has tried posting something in the QuikDrop box!

Blockbuster Video Stores

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.

• 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

Jump Heaven Adventure Golf in Hazel Grove, Stockport.

A new adventure golf course is being built at Jump Heaven in Hazel Grove, Stockport.

The new Jump Heaven Adventure Golf course at Jump Heaven in Hazel Grove, Stockport is opening in March 2022.

Opening in March 2022

We swung by for a quick look while out on a Sunday drive.

Visit the Jump Heaven website for more information.

It'll be a very local course for us and our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Winebulance

We recently had a delivery from the Stockport Winebulance!

Emily with her emergency delivery of supplies from the Winebulance

What an emergency service.

New York - Paris - Milan - Stockport

Check out the Helen Jones Wines website for more information.

We had a delivery from LAPD Stockport earlier this year too.

Halloween in the City is back in Manchester

Halloween in the City has returned to Manchester city centre.

We saw a few of the new Halloween monster inflatables that have popped up in Manchester during a wander round town on Saturday.

The full Halloween in the City event is taking place in Manchester on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st October with a number of large-scale monsters adorning buildings around the city centre as well as other themed activities.

Check out the Halloween in the City website for more information.

Ghostbusting in Urmston

I saw an Ecto-1a car and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Urmston, Greater Manchester two years ago today!

It was a brilliant way to kick off the Halloween season.

Halloween in the City returning to Manchester this month

Halloween in the City is returning to Manchester city centre.

Halloween in the City is taking place in Manchester on the 30th and 31st October with a number of large-scale monsters adorning buildings around the city centre as well as other themed activities.

Halloween in the City Manchester Monsters in 2019

Check out the Halloween in the City website for more information.

A sign of the times

A sign from the 2021 fuel shortage crisis.

What a sign!

They didn't have any petrol there.

Cinnabon in the UK

I saw my first Cinnabon in the UK today.

You can get a cinnamon roll at Rivington Services on the M61

There are plans to open 150 Cinnabon outlets in the UK by 2025. The number currently stands at 13 stores.

I really fancy a cinnamon roll now.

USA vs the UK

It's always interesting seeing new and different brands entering the UK. In recent times Dunkin' and Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs have popped up on the high street.

One of the last buses out of dodge

Stockport bus station closes at the end of today, Sunday 29th August 2021.

Work will then begin on a new bus station as well as other developments in this area.

We saw this old orange Manchester bus on its Stockport Bus Station Special Farewell Tour in the town centre yesterday.

An old orange Manchester SELNEC bus on a Farewell to Stockport Bus Station Tour

Videos of the area before the closure

A view of Stockport bus station - as well as the Hat Museum and Viaduct. Filmed the day before the bus station closed.

A view of Stockport bus station - as well as the Stockport Plaza, Wellington Road South (A6), the Hat Museum, Viaduct and Merseyway shopping centre. Filmed the day before the bus station closed.

Minigolf in Manchester city centre

A look at miniature golf courses in 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 look at the minigolf courses in Manchester city centre.

Junkyard Golf, First Street

Home to three 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses.

Blog from our visit.

Junkyard Golf's website.

Treetop Adventure Golf, The Printworks

A venue with two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses.

Blog from our visit.

Treetop Adventure Golf's website.

Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate

Home to an 18-hole indoor mini golf course.

Blog from our visit.

Roxy Ball Room's website.

Roxy Ball Room, Withy Grove

Home to a crazy pool layout (a cross between pool and crazy golf - played with cues, golf balls and obstacles on tables).

Roxy Ball Room's website.

Putters Mini-Golf at the Urban Playground, Arndale centre

A new indoor mini-golf course opening in 2021.

Urban Playground's website.

Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar, The Printworks

A new indoor crazy golf course opening in the future.

Boom: Battle Bar's website.

Minigolfing in Manchester

We've been travelling to play minigolf in Manchester 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.

Oldham Fried Chicken

My post about Various Fried Chicken shops reminded me of this one we spotted in Oldham a few years ago.

Covid-19 signage at Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale

I've been blogging about minigolf during the time of coronavirus and posting examples of Covid-19 and social distancing signage that I've seen or had shared with me during the pandemic.

During the pandemic we've played four minigolf courses, two of which were indoors. Last August we played our first game following lockdown at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley. In September we played at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry. Last month we played at the newly refurbished Princess Parade Crazy Golf in Blackpool and earlier this month we played two of the three indoor courses at Puttstars in Rochdale.

A social distancing sign at the entrance to Rochdale Riverside

We didn't take the lift

The approach to Puttstars

A welcome sign

Hole one of the Slingshot course

A sign at the end of the round

Away from minigolf I've been documenting all of the Covid-19 signs I've seen on my Instagram account.

Mini Golf at Puttstars in Rochdale

Playing Puttstars Mini Golf at Rochdale Riverside.

We played our first games of indoor minigolf since last August when we swung by Puttstars Mini Golf at Rochdale Riverside yesterday evening.

We played two of the three 9-hole courses at the venue, with Pinball becoming the 545th course we've played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the Zig Zag layout number 546 since 2006.

The scoring system differs to other minigolf courses and your strokes add up to points - with bonus points given depending on whether you play a 'joker' during your round. I won on one course and Emily got the win on the other. There are no paper scorecards, print outs or results sent to you after your round so you better be quick and take a photo of the screen at the end of your game!

Visit the Puttstars website for more information, opening times and prices.

We've now been to a total of 958 miniature golf courses on our travels. When our adventures began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK, with just two of those indoors. There are now more than 1,000 courses in total and more than 100 of those are indoor locations, with more new courses opening all the time.

Springfield Park Model Railway in Rochdale

A visit to the Springfield Park Model Railway in Rochdale.

We're big fans of miniature railways but until very recently never knew there was one at Springfield Park in Rochdale!

Visit the Rochdale Society of Model & Experimental Engineers (RSMEE) website for more information and running times of the railway.