The end of Felixstowe Pier...and the new one

Taking a look at the building of the new pier in Felixstowe.

Last weekend we visited the seaside town of Felixstowe in Suffolk. It's probably our most visited seaside as we take a trip there pretty much every time we go back to Ipswich to visit friends and family. On this occasion we had a look at the pier as it's undergoing a great deal of redevelopment!

How the pier looked in January 2015.

The pier entrance building in May 2011.

And in December 2011.

On our visit last year we walked UNDER the pier for the first time and saw this ominous message!

The new pier is scheduled to reopen in August 2017. It'll be interesting to see how it differs to the old one.

Check out our other blog posts about Felixstowe.

Love Luton

More about the Love Luton campaign.

Love Luton was formed in 2010 to lead the City Status bid. While that was unsuccessful the campaign continued into 2012 for celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and hosting the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. The Love Luton campaign is planned to continue through 2016 and beyond.

Some of the Love Luton campaign badges amongst others in my pin collection. I've got a stack of the new round pin to give out on my travels

Emily and I have lived in Luton since we came to study in the town in the year 2000. It's certainly an interesting place. There are plenty of quirks, interesting history and fun to be had here.

You can find the source of the River Lea in Luton. It's not far from where we live in the northern bit of the town called Leagrave

Over the years we've been involved in a lot of events in the town, and we can say we've explored pretty much everything the town has had to offer and are proud to be adopted Lutonians.

The 'Love Luton' branded Arriva bus went past Wardown Park just before the official count at the successful Guinness World Record attempt for the 'Largest Gathering of People Wearing Boater Hats' organised by the town's Museum Makers. I wonder what all the people driving along Old Bedford Road thought of the massed ranks of be-hatted people assembled in the park!

Check out the links below for more on the Love Luton campaign.

Links:
- Love Luton website
- Love Luton on Twitter
- Love Luton on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Luton
- Luton is still a town
- Lutonians break Guinness World Record!

Workplace Challenge Fancy Dress Dodgeball Tournament in Luton

team BEDS&LUTON - the county sports partnership for Luton and Bedfordshire - is organising a Dodgeball competition in Luton as part of the Workplace Challenge initiative.

The Workplace Challenge Fancy Dress Dodgeball Tournament is taking place on Friday 22nd April from 6.30pm-9.30pm at Putteridge High School in Luton.

Find out more about the tournament on the team BEDS&LUTON website.

Back in 2005 we ran a Dodgeball league with players from around the UK travelling to events in Luton.

As part of the 'Get Back Into...' programme I joined the Luton Dodgeaball Club in 2010, I followed this up with a stint in the Harpenden Dodgeball Club.

Links:
- team BEDS&LUTON
- Workplace Challenge
- UK Dodgeball Association

Related blog posts:
- Dodgeball
- team BEDS&LUTON

We Sell Xmas Trees

Driving home from work the other evening I had to take a detour through Luton town centre and spotted a sight that brought a smile to my face. I knew I'd have to head back in the daylight to get a snap of me next to it! And so I did.

You can buy Christmas Trees at The Windmill pub on Gipsy Lane in Luton

Looking at my Facebook Year in Review 99.9% of the photos show me next to, on, or inside something ridiculous! Long may it continue.

In a little hut at Brynbuga Castle in Usk

Having a whale of a time in Worthing

On some sort of podium in Nottingham

Celebrating Bedfordshire Day

Another day, another mascot

Related blog posts:
- Airdancer
- Christmas
- Christmas Tree
- Wacky Waving Arm-Flailing Inflatable Tube-man

Loo-town

This evening I popped into Luton town centre to collect a parcel and decided to park up in my old stomping ground of High Town.

Driving along Havelock Road I saw this most peculiar sight!

There wasn't even a building site nearby. Perhaps the lavvy had just been dumped

Are the council calling for people to recycle EVERYTHING now! Or has someone flytipped an actual portable toilet at the recycling point?

There's a dearth of public conveniences in Luton, perhaps this is the future...

Links:
- Rubbish, Waste and Recycling on Luton Borough Council's website
- Elliott Loohire website

Related blog posts:
- Recycling
- Public Toilets
- Toilets

Luton Mini Golf Meadows

Visiting the new meadows in Wardown Park, Luton.

Luton's new Mini Golf Meadows

Earlier this week I read about the developments at the old minigolf and crazy golf site in Luton's Wardown Park and today Emily and I headed down for a look at the new 'Luton Mini Golf Meadows'.

The area does look really nice

As part of our visit we met the project's co-ordinator Helen Hoyle who told us about the project, while we were able to tell her more about the minigolf courses that used to be there. We also completed a survey for the research while we wandered around the meadow.

Exploring the Mini Golf Meadows and completing my survey of 'Plot G'. Emily did 'Plot H'

The year-long project has been set-up to monitor how local Luton residents and insects react to the new meadows.

One of the pretty plots in the meadow

Over the years we played the minigolf courses in the park a fair bit. The Crazy Golf course that used to be in Wardown Park was the 18th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back on the 5th May 2007. The Grass Putting Miniature Golf layout became the 19th played on the 19th May. Until the meadows were planted minigolf had been played in the park since the 19th June 1934.

I spotted a metal cup from one of the grass minigolf holes sitting on the 'green' of the old Crazy Golf course. As a connoisseur of derelict minigolf courses it was interesting to see what had become of the old holes

Hole 1 as it used to look

Hole 1 now

A view of the old Crazy Golf site. The markings from the old fibreglass holes are still clear to see

Out standing in his field. In the middle of what once was a grass putting course

It was nice to see at some signs that the area was once home to two miniature golf courses.

A view of the Luton Mini Golf Meadows from the old Crazy Golf course

Hole 8 is no longer this way. You can find plots A-D there though

Signs of golf still exist 'in the rough'

Playing the Miniature Golf course back in 2010

Links:
- Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield
- F3ues Urban BESS project
- Green Estate
- Pictorial Meadows
- Luton Borough Council

Related blog post:
- Crazy Golf in Wardown Park Luton

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on ITV News

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour has hit the headlines with ITV's regional news programmes!

Emily and I had a great time filming the feature with reporter Lauren Hall last week. We played the 9-hole Mini Golf course at Tea Green Golf in Wandon End, Luton and were interviewed about our travels and the crazy challenge. Check out the video on the ITV Meridian News website at "Crazy golf fan is playing every course in Britain."

There's a new obstacle on hole 6 at the Tea Green Mini Golf course

Since the feature was filmed we've reached #669 courses visited.

Links:
- Crazy golf fan is playing every course in Britain on ITV Meridian News
- Tea Green Golf

Related Blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini Golf at Tea Green Golf at Wandon End, Luton
- Tea Green

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Mini Golf on BBC Three Counties Radio

Playing some Crazy Golf with the BBC Three Counties Radio Sports Team at Tea Green Golf in Luton.

Check out the Minigolf video from when the BBC Three Counties Radio Sport team of Geoff Doyle and Luke Ashmead met me at Tea Green Golf in Luton to find out more about the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.



My interview and the Mini Golf Challenge on BBC Three Counties Radio will now be broadcast next week (Monday 13th July). You'll be able to listen in from 6pm on the BBC Three Counties Radio Sports show website.

Links:
- BBC Three Counties Radio website
- BBC Three Counties Radio Sports Show
- Tea Green Golf website
- Geoff Doyle on Twitter
- Luke Ashmead on Twitter
- BBC Three Counties Radio on Twitter
- BBC Three Counties Radio on Facebook
- BBC Three Counties Radio on YouTube

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Tea Green Golf
- Crazy Golf on BBC Three Counties Radio

Crazy Golf on BBC Three Counties Radio

Tune into the Three Counties Sport show on BBC Three Counties Radio this Monday.

I had a great time talking about Crazy Golf and playing some Mini Golf with Geoff Doyle and Luke Ashmead from the BBC Three Counties Radio Sports show at Tea Green Golf in Luton today.

The Crazy Golfers ready for the BBC Three Counties Sport Challenge at Tea Green. From l-r Lester Coles, Geoff Doyle, Luke Ashmead and me

As part of the pair's regular sporting battles and forays into a wide-range of sports we had some matches on Tea Green Golf's recently refurbished miniature golf course.

Tea Green Golf's Mini Golf course

We also discussed the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and Emily and I hitting the landmark of 600 courses visited.

As well as some practice and training we had a doubles match and I refereed the showdown between the duo.

You can hear the show at 6pm on Monday 6th July and it'll be on the BBC Three Counties Radio website shortly after broadcast too. The video will be on their YouTube Channel on Monday.

In the meantime have a listen to last Monday's show. From the 16 minutes 20 seconds mark you can hear a bit about Crazy Golf.

It was great fun and as always it's nice to visit Tea Green Golf. There were some brilliant, and not so good, shots played and the results of the matches will follow...

I do enjoy listening to, and playing, Crazy Golf on the radio!

Check out my blog post about the upgraded Tea Green Mini Golf course too.

The first hole Tea Green Golf's miniature course

Links:
- BBC Three Counties Radio website
- BBC Three Counties Radio Sports Show
- Tea Green Golf website
- Geoff Doyle on Twitter
- Luke Ashmead on Twitter
- BBC Three Counties Radio on Twitter
- BBC Three Counties Radio on Facebook
- BBC Three Counties Radio on YouTube

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Tea Green Golf

Another Luton

Visiting our third 'Luton'.

Luton in Devon

On our recent holiday we visited Devon and en route to Teignmouth from Dawlish we had to pop into one of the other places in the UK called 'Luton'. This one is near Newton Abbot.

All of the road signs on the way said Luton was 1 and a half miles away!

Look! There's another one

And another!

One of the two approach roads to Luton in Devon. Heading away from this Luton on the way to Teignmouth we had to drive across a golf course - that was interesting

The village sign was partially obscured by a hedge and stinging nettles. It was purely by chance that we spotted it too. Driving into this Luton we didn't see any signs, but after we'd driven through the village I did a three point turn near a farm on Fore Street and there it was!

'Home' again

Back in April 2012 we visited Luton in Chatham, Kent. That's little more than a street. We drove by that Luton again last year.

The only road sign we saw for Luton in Kent showed it was one mile away

There's another Luton in Devon, near Honiton. We didn't have time to visit on our road-trip, but next time we're down that way we're going to pop along for a look.

I'm originally from Oxford and on a road-trip to Scotland and back in 2012 we spotted an Oxford in Northumberland.

Related blog posts:
- Luton

Link:
- Luton, Devon on Wikipedia

Mini Golf at Tea Green Golf at Wandon End, Luton

A visit to the new Mini Golf course at Tea Green Golf Club in Wandon End, Luton.

The old Crazy Golf has been upgraded to this bright new Mini Golf 

Tea Green Golf Club in Luton has unveiled its upgraded Mini Golf layout and on Friday I headed up there for a few rounds on the course.

Playing hole 1. The 'classic' ace line has been blocked by two obstacles. There is still a way to get a hole-in-one though. You can see the old version of hole 1 here

Emily and I have been visiting Tea Green Golf since we found out that the club was home to a Crazy Golf course in July 2009. The course was the 111th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Since that first visit almost six years ago the courses has undergone some changes.

Revisiting the 111th course on our tour

Using the base holes as a foundation for the new miniature golf layout the 9-hole course has been refurbished and freshened up with new borders, obstacles and colours. I'm very pleased to say that the course manager Lester Coles and the team have taken on-board some of my suggestions for updating the course. There are now some nice undulations on the course, bright colours, high quality felt to play on, and of course there's a windmill on one of the holes.

Hole 5 has a windmill obstacle on it. It blocks the straight shot to the hole, but there is a fine angle to make the ace

Lester has also been a minigolf rival of mine since we first played the course in 2011 so he was itching to give me a game - and what a clash it was. Having set the record of 17(-1) on the first official day of the new course Lester bested me in the first two rounds (18 to 19), before we tied on 17. We then played another 18-hole round which saw me force a play-off with an ace at the last hole. The game continued to the 4th extra-hole before I was robbed by a bounce out from my second putt.

A view of the course from the turnaround point. Hole 7 (the blue hole in the photo) used to be hole 9

Over the years we've had many rounds on the course and scored a lot of holes-in-one. Lester and I were both amazed at how tricky it is to ace many of the holes during the round - we did however make some nice shots in some practice play. It'll be very interesting to see if the old course record of 14 (held forevermore by Scott Holmes) will ever be equalled or bettered...

The cost to play the course is just £2 and gives you unlimited play on your visit. Great value

Check out the photos of the 9-hole course below.

Tea Green Golf is a really friendly golf club that welcomes members and non-members alike. The Par-3 Golf course is a great test and they also have a really popular Footgolf course. Plus there's a bar, restaurant and games area (pool and darts). Visit the Tea Green Golf website, and check out the club on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Links:
- Tea Green Golf
- UrbanCrazy

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Tea Green
- Luton

Videos:
- A round of Minigolf at Tea Green Golf Course in Luton (July 2009)
- Attempting to play Crazy Golf in the snow at Tea Green Golf, Luton (January 2010)
- Hole in One at Tea Green Golf's Minigolf Course (March 2010)
- A round of Minigolf at Tea Green Golf Luton (May 2010)
- A round of Minigolf at Tea Green Golf for the Putter King Scavenger Hunt (September 2011)
- Minigolf Trick Shot - Blindfolded Hole-in-One for the Putter King Miniature Golf Scavenger Hunt (September 2011)