The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze

Playing The Crystal Maze game at CC2000, near Narbeth, Wales.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

Challenge TV are showing repeats of The Crystal Maze every weekday evening at 6pm and I'm addicted to watching it. It was a staple of my childhood and teenage years, and it would've been brilliant to go on the show. Perhaps I should apply if and when a new series is made.

Rewatching the show has reminded me of our holiday around the Welsh coast in 2009 when we took a break from playing Crazy Golf to visit the Oakwood Indoor Family Entertainment Centre - where we entered The Crystal Maze!

At that time it was the last remaining Cyberdrome Crystal Maze game in the UK. Sadly it closed for good in June 2010. It would've been brilliant to return for a few more games there.

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was absolutely awesome to play. More of them should have been built back in the day. There were a total of eight built - five in the UK, two in Japan, and one in Dubai.

Just like the TV show, games were played in four themed zones - Aztec, Futuristic Medieval, and Ocean. But unlike the TV, show players were guided around the maze by Merlin - a computerised Maze Master.

Being set a task by Merlin

Aztec Zone

Futuristic Zone

Medieval Zone

Ocean Zone

We managed to win six of the nine games we played, and in the Crystal Dome itself we collected 103 Gold and 28 Silver 'tokens' for a grand total of 75. So we didn't win the the "super-duper" prize, but we were first on the leaderboard for the day and got 1st of 1 on our souvenir certificate!

Inside the Crystal Dome

At that time the Cyberdrome Crystal Maze was the closest you could get to playing the real Crystal Maze. Now you can play The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience in London and Manchester. We Manchester venue is so close, we really ought to get a team together for a game there.

Photos of The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in Tenby

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze in 2009

Corn on the Club Crazy Golf at York Maze

There's a crazy golf course at York Maze.

I've found out that there's a crazy golf course at York Maze.

I've also discovered that York Maze is Europe's biggest maze!

We've played minigolf in York on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before and look forward to doing so again. Corn on the Club Crazy Golf sounds like brilliant fun.

Checking out the course on the York Maze website the layout looks to be of the Swedish Felt variety (and is the perfect colour for a corn-themed course). There are some fun looking corn characters on it too.

Each year York Maze creates a different maze layout. This year's theme is to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Mr Men and Little Miss characters.

Visit the York Maze website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Brimstage Maize Maze

There's a Crazy Golf course at Brimstage Maize Maze in Brimstage, Wirral.

It's another course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Visit the Brimstage Maize Maze website and Facebook Page for more information.

Crazy Golf at Thornton Abbey Maze

There's a new Crazy Golf course at Thornton Abbey Maize Maze in Lincolnshire.

This year the maize maze layout at the farm is golf-themed!

Visit the Thornton Abbey Maze website for more information.

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Putting Green at Allen House Grounds in Guildford

Not playing the Putting Green at Allen House Grounds in Guildford, Surrey.

On a visit to Guildford, Surrey back in April 2012 my friend and minigolf rival Oliver 'The Machine' Florence competed in a number of sports and games. One of those wasn't playing Putting at Allen House Grounds as the course was not yet open for the season.

The Jabberwocky Maze at Allen House Grounds in Guildford was 'open'

A visit to Southport Pleasureland

Southport Pleasureland, the 'Happy Halloween Capital of the UK!'

We recently returned to Southport for the first time since September 2009 and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the Pleasureland theme park had reopened. Not only that, but it looked to be doing very well and they had really gone to town on the Halloween theming.

We survived the haunted maze at Southport Pleasureland

In fact they've gone so far as to declare themselves the 'Happy Halloween Capital of the UK!'

I don't think I have ever seen so many pumpkins in one place before. There are thousands of them there!

The pumpkins came in all shapes and sizes

Plenty of characters too

Some were ominously congregating

Others were on their own

There were clowns

'Sleeping' ones

And more traditional Jack-o'-lanterns

Unfortunately since our previous visit the Moroccan Adventure Golf course has been removed as the park has had extensive changes made. The area that was once home to the minigolf course is now a pathway. A shame really.

The Adventure Golf course at Pleasureland Southport as it was just after the theme park had been left abandoned in 2009

What the same area looks like now

However, the rest of Pleasureland is great. We really enjoyed our wander round - especially the walk through the haunted maze.

We dared to enter the haunted maze

A view of the outside world from within the maze

We escaped - as did our shadows

Check out the Southport Pleasureland website for more information and opening times.

You can see the blog post from our visit to Pleasure Land in 2009 in our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour archives.

Southport is still home to plenty of other Crazy Golf options and a lot of other things to keep you entertained. We're looking forward to our next visit and keep 'em peeled for more blog posts from our trip to Southport that are coming up.

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems.

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Christmas Tree Maze at the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival

Not getting lost in a Christmas Tree Maze in London.

While having a day out in London Emily and I had a wander along the Southbank and spotted a Christmas Tree Maze!

The Christmas Tree Maze at the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival

Unfortunately when we went to the Box Office to buy a ticket (£4 each) we were told that the maze was being resurfaced and wouldn't be open again for a few hours. A bit of a shame.

Bah humbug. The theme of finding things we want to do to be closed, abandoned or derelict, continued at the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival as we weren't able to get lost or find the centre of the Christmas Tree Maze 

Instead we went for a drinking chocolate and bought an excellent prize from the Christmas Market for our upcoming Christmas 'Do' at The Freemason's Arms in Hampstead.

The Southbank Centre's Christmas Tree Maze is filled with 300 Black Forest Christmas Trees and we think it'll look great at night.

Emily's going to another festive 'do' soon at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, which is also home to a Christmas Tree Maze.

Link:
- Southbank Centre's Winter Festival with NatWest

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Maze
- Fun and Games at the Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete
- Christmas Tree Maze at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

Christmas Tree Maze at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

Ice Skate Vauxhall to set up a unique Christmas Tree Maze at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London.

Researching ideas for a Christmas 'Do' Emily spotted that this year there'll be a Christmas Tree Maze at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in London!

Set up by Ice Skate Vauxhall, the Christmas Tree Maze will cover almost half a square kilometre and consist of hundreds of lit trees.

As well as the maze the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens will be home to an Ice Rink, a Christmas Street Food Market, family entertainment rides and stalls.

It sounds great.

Back in the summer of 2012 I competed in a Christmas Tree Throwing Competition and the Christmas Tree Maze sounds like great festive fun

Hopefully we'll get along to the Christmas Tree Maze this festive season.

Link:
- Ice Skate Vauxhall Christmas Tree Maze

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Maze
- Fun and Games at the Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete

Crazy Croquet at Hemsby Mega Maze

Finding out about the new game of Crazy Croquet.

My cousins have recently been on holiday in Norfolk and one of the places they visited was Hemsby Mega Maze where they discovered the game of Crazy Croquet!

Photos of the course by Sarah Roberts.

Crazy Croquet at Hemsby Mega Maze

One of the Crazy Croquet obstacles - a long pipe and dustbin!

Two of the other obstacles at Hemsby Mega Maze's Crazy Croquet course

Two of my cousins preparing to tee-off on the Tractor hole of the Crazy Croquet course

Crazy Croquet is played using a tennis ball and a wellington boot on a stick as the 'club'!

It looks like a bizarre hybrid sport and we'll hopefully give it a go next time we're in the area. Crazy Croquet could also be a potential new sport for my fellow Minigolfer, and champion Croquet player, John Moore too.

For further information about Crazy Croquet visit the Hemsby Mega Maize Maze website.

The seaside town of Hemsby is also home to two great miniature golf courses - the Lost World Adventure Golf Course and Stonehenge BIG Minigolf.

On the trip to East Anglia my family let me know they visited Wroxham Barns too, a great venue and home to an 18-hole Minigolf course.

Link:
- Hemsby Mega Maze

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Types and Variants of Miniature Golf visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

The Quest for Excalibur Laser Maze in Las Vegas

While staying at The Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada we headed to the hotel's Fun Dungeon for a play on the amusements there. One of which was The Quest for Excalibur Laser Maze! As fans of Laser Games we had to give it a go!

In had two goes in the Laser Maze, the first time I recorded on the 8th of September was 490.7 which, at the time, put me in 2nd place of 4 players and won me a Magic Hat!

On the 10th of September Emily and I both had a go, with Emily scoring a great 232.5, but I bumbled to another 400+ score of 404.3. The competition was much tougher on the 10th and neither of us made the top ten to earn a hat, but we did both win a pair of Dollar Sign Glasses.

The only other Laser Maze we've ever played on our adventures was the one at Weston-Super-Mare's Grand Pier back in July.

Other Blog Posts About Lasers...

Earlswood (Earlswood Lakes) - Farmer Steve's Golf Mini Course - Under (re)construction

On Friday 29th July 2011 we headed to Earlswood Lakes to check out the Crazy Golf course that we had seen advertised last year.

Our fellow Minigolf course explorers - Paul and Owen Johnson - played the course last year and reported back that it was of a concrete construction. However, looking around we found a number of obstacles and painted hole markers on a grass surfaced 'course'.

The course also looked to be under (re)construction, and the layout looked very different to the photos I had seen from last year.

Photos from our visit (July 2011)

Photo: The Rules of Play

Photo: Richard attempts to contact fellow Minigolf tourist Paul Johnson to inform him of the course changes

A leaflet we picked up at Earlswood Lakes also described the Miniature Golf course as "Farmer Steve's Golf Mini Course".

While we were at Earlswood Lakes Emily put me in the Stocks for the second time in two weeks, having spent a spell in the Stocks at the Adventure Golf course at Andover!

This year there is no Maize Maze at Earlswood Lakes. However, there are still a number of shops and a tearoom and on our short visit it seemed a nice place to wile away some time.

Earlswood Maize Maze Website

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour