National Hot Dog Month and National Hot Dog Day

July is National Hot Dog Month.

This year National Hot Dog Day (in the USA) is on Wednesday 21st July.

In the UK National Hot Dog Day is on Friday 10th September.

Some of the Hot Dog mascots we've seen on our travels

As someone with Coeliac Disease it can be tough to find gluten free hot dogs. Luckily we recently found Morliny Berlinki Classic and Cheese hot dogs are gluten free. And very tasty.

Find out more about hot dogs in general, National Hot Dog Month and National Hot Dog Day on the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website.

Tommy Chip Cone says "Stay safe."

I spotted this pandemic-themed sign on a chip cone mascot at Tommy's fish & chip shop in Middleton, Rochdale earlier this week.

Harry Hot Dog at Blackpool Fish Factory

When in Blackpool...

...you've got to have a snap with a hot dog man!

The 2019 World Transplant Games in Newcastle Gateshead

We had a brilliant time in Newcastle and Gateshead at the weekend. We were visiting to cheer on our friend, minigolf rival and GB international athlete John Moore in the 2019 World Transplant Games.

The World Transplant Games is a multi-sports event with thousands of athletes from 53 countries competing in 16 sports. Sporting events range from Archery and Athletics to Darts, Football and Golf to Tenpin Bowling, Squash, Swimming and Volleyball.

It was brilliant to see all of the World Transplant Games signs, banners and activity around Newcastle and Gateshead

The 2019 World Transplant Games are the 22nd edition and the first in the UK since the Manchester Games in 1995.

We've previously been to the British Transplant Games in Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham.

The Games were created to be a celebration of a second chance of life, and to demonstrate the success of transplant surgery while also promoting the need to raise public awareness of organ and tissue donation.

I got some very nice pins for my sporting badge collection at the Games

There are currently around 6,080 people on the transplant waiting list including around 150 children and teenagers. On average three people die every day who could have benefited from an organ transplant.

If you want to save lives through organ donation and join the NHS Organ Donor Register it only takes a few minutes to sign up. Do ask your family and friends whether they want to be donors too.

After a healthy walk it was nice to get to heart of the city to see the Athlete's Parade through Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.

A snap with the Games mascot Hope at the Athlete's Parade

With the athletics getting underway on Sunday John got off to a winning start, with victory in the 5k Road Race in both the individual and team categories.

Emily and I also took part in the Gift of Life 5k Run at Exhibition Park and the Town Moor on Sunday.

After the 5k run

The Gift of Life Run was my second 5k, after the Donor Run at last year's British Transplant Games in Birmingham. I felt a lot better this time and really need to run some more

Another day and another photo with Hope the mascot

While having a lovely walk around Newcastle and Gateshead on Saturday we found the Petanque Boulodrome and watched a bit of the practice.

The upper terrain

Petanque players practicing on the middle terrain

We enjoy playing petanque and it was superb to see the game being played at the World Transplant Games.

Australian players practicing on the third terrain

The petanque terrains had been created on a car park and the approach to the Sage Gateshead music centre. It looked like it had been turned into a really good spot to play the tournament. A great use of a car park.

Our friend Kay, John's sister, is a volunteer at the Games and one of the sports she has been assigned is Petanque.

A view of the two lower terrains

Events are taking place across Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland until Friday 23rd August. For more information visit the World Transplant Games website.

Links:
- World Transplant Games 2019
- Join the NHS Organ Donor Register

Chip mascot in Southend

The 'Chip shop mascot man who is eating himself' at Southend's Adventure Island Theme Park has had a bit of a paint job since we saw him last year.

He used to be blue

The cannibal chip man was blue when we saw him - and a number of hot dog mascots - last July.

Hot Dog mascots of Southend

On our day out in Southend we spotted quite a few Hot Dog fast food mascots - three of which were in Adventure Island, and two of those were of a style we'd not seen on our travels before.

Not a Burger

A new type of happy hot dog man mascot - this one is covered in tomato sauce, or tomato ketchup

And another - this one is mustardy

Another example of the classic self- condimentising hot dog man

We also spotted a fair few cannibal chip men too.

Don't forget that July is National Hot Dog Month!

Related blogs posts:
- Hot Dogs
- Hot Dog Man

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Mr Mulligan's Pirate Adventure Golf in Milton Keynes

Revisiting Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf course in Milton Keynes.

A view of the tremendous facility

On Tuesday 2nd February I played my first round of miniature golf of the year as I swung into action against my old minigolf rival Marc 'The Roller' Bazeley at Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf course at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre in Milton Keynes.

Playing through the cannon

Marc in the ship on hole 1

The game was a rematch from our first round at the tremendous facility in December 2011.

A criminal element on the course

This time the score was not as close, as I picked up the win with a score of 47 to Marc's 60. March had been royally robbed on the 9th hole as he scored a dreadful seven. A couple of other jiffs on his scorecard, caused in no small part to his ridiculous 'tactic' of only playing the ball "to the right" on every single hole, meant 'The Roller' added another silver medal to his collection.

Unfortunately the rafts were out of action rendering the island hole unplayable

Visit Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf website for details of the course, opening times and prices. You can also find out about other Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf courses in Castleford, Nottingham and Woking. We've played at Castleford and Woking, but are yet to get to the Ramsdale Park Golf Centre course. There's a pair of new Mr Mulligan Adventure Golf courses opening in Stevenage, Hertfordshire this year too.

Related blog posts:
- Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf in Milton Keynes
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Abbey Hill Golf Centre, Milton Keynes - Minigolf Course Played #281
- Milton Keynes
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Links:
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf website
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf, Milton Keynes website
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf on the Abbey Hill Golf Centre website

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow Richard and Emily on Twitter. You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf in Milton Keynes

A visit to Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf course in Milton Keynes.

On the way home from a recent trip to Milton Keynes I swung by Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre for a round on the 18-hole course.

Welcome to Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf

Back in December 2011 the course became the 281st played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It's changed a bit since my first visit. Most noticeable is the change of name from its previous incarnation as Pirate Island Adventure Golf.

A skull's eye view of the 18th and 2nd holes

The course itself was still in good condition and the huge pirate ship that houses the first two holes of the 18-hole layout is still a dominant site upon entering the car park at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre!

Hole 1 is an indoor hole, with hole two having upper and lower level tee-off points

The 'High Rise Pirates' tee-off area of hole 2

As it was a bit drizzly on my visit I was able to have a clear course ahead and behind me so got to enjoy the £8.25 round at a leisurely pace.

There's a pair of dueling pirates near the fourth hole

Mr Mulligan's Milton Keynes course is really tough, with some large minigolf holes, tricky obstacles and uneven greens. It's a course worthy of its par score of 55 (I shot a 51! And that included a hole-in-one on the very long fourth hole).

The very long fourth hole. Nicely aceable

You can find Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre on Monks Way in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK8 8AA.

The coffin is a new addition

You used to have to play over the gap and avoid the water

The Scallywag's Tee

A soggy green

Another one of the skellingtons on the course. There are loads of them there now!

There's a stack of treasure beyond the double plateau

You have to travel by raft to get on and off the island hole

Rummy the crocodile. Or is it an alligator?

A view from the island hole

I do like good theming

Visit Mr Mulligan's Pirate Golf website for details of the course, opening times and prices, as well as the other Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf courses in Castleford, Nottingham and Woking. We've played at Castleford and Woking, but are yet to get to the Ramsdale Park Golf Centre course.

Related blog posts:
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Abbey Hill Golf Centre, Milton Keynes - Minigolf Course Played #281
- Milton Keynes
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Links:
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf website
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf, Milton Keynes website
- Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf on the Abbey Hill Golf Centre website

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

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Pirate Island Adventure Golf in Castleford

Playing the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course in Castleford.

On Sunday 12 April we were heading back from a trip in York and Knaresborough and decided to swing into Castleford for some minigolf action.

A view of the Smugglers Bay course in Castleford

We didn't know it when we arrived, but Pirate Island Adventure Golf at the Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village was celebrating its first birthday, with lots of people out on the two 18-hole courses, despite the chilly weather.

Pirate Island Adventure Golf has two 18-hole courses

With 36-holes of minigolf available we decided to play the slightly less busy Smugglers Bay course and great fun it was too. There were plenty of hole layouts and obstacles we hadn't seen before.

This was a particularly nice looking hole involving a tunnel and plateau

The Smugglers Bay course became the 358th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 592nd visited overall. The Skull Cove course was the 593rd visited.

Watch out for the BIG octopus on this minigolf course

Emily lining up a putt

I almost aced this hole. Almost

Emily about to play through a castle ruin

Firing a shot at the hole

Close, but no cigar. At least it stayed up on the plateau

The giant snake was an interesting obstacle

You can play through the snake, or around it

A tap in for Emily

In our match-up on the Smugglers Bay course I beat Emily with a score of 38 to 44.

I won the gold medal this time (available at the kiosk for only 30p)

For further information, opening times and prices visit the Pirate Island Adventure Golf website.

Before we played the course we bumped into Pirate Island Adventure Golf's minigolf mascot, Stow-Away Sam!

Stow-Away Sam on the course

We're looking forward to returning to play the Skull Cove course at Pirate Island Adventure Golf in the future.

We'll take on Skull Cove next time we're in Castleford

Our tour has also taken us to the Pirate Island courses at the Abbey Hill Golf Centre in Milton Keynes and Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking. We've yet to play the Pirate Island course at Ramsdale Park Golf Centre in Nottingham.

One of the crocodiles (or is it an alligator?) lurking on the course

Links:
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf website
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf on Twitter
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf on Facebook
- Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village website

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Castleford
- Crazy Golf Crocodiles and Adventure Golf Alligators
- Mini Golf in Castleford