Crazy Golf heading to Eldon Square in Newcastle

Crazy Golf will be part of a new development at Eldon Square in Newcastle city centre.

We've been to Newcastle several times and played a few minigolf courses there. The new venue at Eldon Square will be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Today is Ghostbusters Day

Happy Ghostbusters Day.

Ecto-1a and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the Eden Square shopping centre in Urmston, Greater Manchester at Halloween in 2019

Ghostbusters was released in the USA on this day in 1984.

Slimer at Ghetto Golf at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle

Slimer and a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on a tenpin bowling themed hole at Ghetto Golf in Liverpool

The Tyne & Wear Metro turns 40 today

The Tyne and Wear Metro light rail system is 40 years old today.

The The Tyne & Wear Metro system opened on this day in 1980. The network was opened in stages between 1980 and 1984 with the trains running on a mixture of old railway routes and new track to bespoke stations.

A Tyne & Wear Metro train crossing the Queen Elizabeth II bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne

The first route to open was Haymarket to Tynemouth.

A Tyne & Wear Metro service heading into Newcastle from Byker

Street art on the Tyne & Wear Metro

We were in Newcastle and Gateshead for the World Transplant Games last year and while in the area went Space Invader hunting. Three of the mosaic tile pieces by the French street artist Invader can be found at Gateshead Interchange Tyne & Wear Metro station.

Space Invader NCL_21 downstairs in Gateshead Interchange metro station

A closer look at Invader NCL_21

NCL_19 is above ground at Gateshead Interchange

Invader NCL_20 is deep underground at Gateshead Interchange

Mini Golf at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne

Playing the Mini Golf course at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

While we were in Newcastle for the World Transplant Games last year we swung by Lane7 for a game of minigolf.

Visit the Lane7 website for more information.

The 9-hole indoor minigolf course at Lane7 was the 840th course visited and 495th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Since our last visit to the North East the team behind Lane7 opened up a new venue called Gutterball Alley. The centre in North Shields is home to tenpin bowling, Guttergolf crazy golf, arcades, karaoke and Ping Pong.

We're looking forward to playing there in the future.

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Junkyard Golf opening in Newcastle upon Tyne

A new Junkyard Golf crazy golf venue is set to open in Newcastle this year.

The new Junkyard Golf venue in Newcastle has been given the green light and will open on Newgate Street in the city centre.

Junkyard Golf Newcastle will be home to three 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses.

The last minigolf course I played before lockdown was at Junkyard Golf on First Street in Manchester back in March.

You can also find Junkyard Golf courses in London, Leeds, Oxford and Liverpool.

Visit the Junkyard Golf website for more information.

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World Art Day - Space Invader street art

Happy World Art Day!

These are a few of the Space Invaders by the street artist Invader I've found on my travels around Manchester, down in London and up in Newcastle.

I'm looking forward to getting out exploring and finding new street art when the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Related blog posts:
- Art
- Space Invaders
- Art and sculpture trails

Minigolf in Newcastle

A look at minigolf courses in Newcastle upon Tyne.

We've been to Newcastle a number of times over the years and played minigolf at the city's various layouts.

Parklands Golf Club Mini Golf

Parklands Golf Club at Gosforth Park is home to an 18-hole Harris Miniature Golf course. We played there in 2009.

Playing Mini Golf at Parklands Golf Club in 2009

Lane7 Mini Golf

Lane7 in the city centre has a very nice 9-hole Mini Golf course. You can find the course next to the bowling lanes in the basement of the competitive socialising venue. We've played the course on both of our recent visits to Newcastle.

Lane7's indoor minigolf course

Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf

Mr Mulligan's Space Golf has three 9-hole courses - the Inventors Hangar, Lunar Crash and Cosmic Storm. We played them all on Miniature Golf Day in 2018.

Playing Mr Mulligan's Adventure Golf

Ghetto Golf indoor crazy golf

You can find a Ghetto Golf indoor crazy golf course at Hoults Yard in Byker. We visited when we were last up in Newcastle last summer.

One of the intriguing holes at Ghetto Golf

Junkyard Golf

There is a new Junkyard Golf venue opening in the city this year. The site will be home to three 9-hole crazy golf courses.

Junkyard Golf in Newcastle will be home to three indoor courses

Exhibition Park

There used to be a Crazy Golf course at Exhibition Park. Sadly that is long gone. There is a miniature railway there though.

The lost crazy golf course in Exhibition Park

Other spots for a game in the area

You can also find courses South Shields - Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf - and Tynemouth - the Lost World Adventure Golf at Tynemouth Park. We played both in 2009.

Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf at South Shields, Tyneside was the 100th course I played. We've now been to 945 courses

Playing the Lost World Adventure Golf course in Tynemouth

Minigolfing in other Newcastles...

We've also played the miniature golf courses at The Clubhouse Stoke in Newcastle-under-Lyme and at Henllan Station on the Teifi Valley Railway in Newcastle Emlyn.

There's also an Adventure Golf course at Golf Centre Newcastle in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. We haven't played there yet.

Junkyard Golf heading to Newcastle

New Junkyard Golf opening in Newcastle upon Tyne.

A new Junkyard Golf venue is set to open in Newcastle later this year.

Junkyard Golf Newcastle will be home to three 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses.

You can find other Junkyard Golf courses in Manchester, London, Leeds, Oxford and Liverpool.

Visit the Junkyard Golf website for more information.

Art and sculpture trails

A look at some of the art and and sculpture trails we've followed this year.

This summer we've seen a number of different art and sculpture trails pop-up in Greater Manchester and beyond.

Last year there was the Bee in the City trail in Manchester with 100 big bees and 130 little bees to spot. Some of those are still in situ.

A bee in Didsbury

There was also an ice sculpture trail in Stockport town centre last December and this summer the town has had a very popular frog trail with 22 decorated frogs to spot on the Giant Leap.

A froggy character was part of the Stockport Ice Trail last December

Edgeleap, the Stockport County frog

As fans of tickable lists, wandering and exploring we've enjoyed the different art and sculpture trails we've taken part in.

Earlier this summer the Trafford Centre had a Big Bug Tour and on a recent trip to the Lowry Outlet mall in Media City we saw there was a Bear Hunt.

Meadow grasshopper - number 8 on the Big Bug Tour

Sitting on a sitting Grizzly Bear - number 2 on the Lowry Outlet's Bear Hunt

The latest trail we followed was quite unexpected. On a trip to visit family and friends in Ipswich we noticed an elephant sculpture at the side of the road and soon noticed a lot more of them on the drive to our hotel.

Elephant number 1 - Pip - the first of the elephants we saw

They were part of Elmer's Big Parade Suffolk in aid of St Elizabeth Hospice with 139 placed around Ipswich. In the short time we were in town we managed to find 55 of them.

Nine of the elephants on parade in Ipswich

We've also found quite a few more of the Space Invader pieces of street art by the French artist Invader on our trips to London and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as seeing some reactivated pieces in Manchester city centre.

The seven Invaders in Gateshead

A selection of the Invaders in Manchester

The various trails and maps we've followed have seen us explore new places, see different things and also rediscover parts of towns and cities.

They're a nice way to bring communities together, attract and retain visitors to towns, shopping centres and malls, as well as raising money for good causes.

Do you have a favourite art-trail, or know of others? Do let us know in the comments.

Related blog posts:
- Art
- Sculptures
- Tickable Lists

Mini Golf at Lane7 in Newcastle

A revisit to the Mini Golf course at Lane7 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

On Saturday night we replayed the indoor mini golf course at Lane7 in Newcastle. In our one-round shootout I got the win with a score of 22 to Emily's 23.

We first played the mini golf course at Lane7 on Miniature Golf Day last September.

The mini golf course is located in the basement of the three-storey venue and sits alongside a pair of tenpin bowling lanes and bar area.

The 9-hole indoor minigolf course was the 495th played and 840th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily playing hole 3

We've now visited 922 courses since September 2006.

Playing hole 6

Visit the Lane7 website for opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Lane7
- Newcastle
- Minigolf and tenpin bowling
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Mini Golf at Lane7 in Newcastle

Link:
- Lane7

Miniature Railway at Exhibition Park in Newcastle

A visit to the Miniature Railway at Exhibition Park in Newcastle upon Tyne.

We were taking part in the Gift of Life 5k Run in Newcastle's Exhibition Park on Sunday and on our second lap of the Town Moor we spotted the miniature railway running!

We'll have to tot up how many miniature railways we've visited on our travels. We seem to be finding a lot more!

The miniature railway is operated by the Tyneside Society of Model & Experimental Engineers. One of the members told us that they operate train rides on the first Sunday of the month.

Visit the Tyneside Society of Model & Experimental Engineers website for more information.

Back in 2009 we visited Exhibition Park to look at the derelict abandoned Crazy Golf course there. It was in a right state then and there was talk of a new course being built. That hasn't happened. We couldn't see the old course there either.

Related blog posts:
- Miniature Railways
- Newcastle

Link:
- Tyneside Society of Model & Experimental Engineers

Space Invaders in Gateshead

A look at the seven Gateshead Invaders.

The French street artist known as Invader has invaded London, Manchester and Newcastle. On our trip to the World Transplant Games in Newcastle last weekend we were able to add to our tally of Invaders spotted.

Clockwise from top left - NCL_21, NCL_19, NCL_20, NCL_14, NCL_25, NCL_05 and NCL_06

There were originally 25 Space Invaders in Newcastle and Gateshead. Made during the INVASION of Newcastle in 2006. One has since been destroyed. We've found the remaining 24, with seven of these 'Newcastle Invaders' over the border in Gateshead.

• NCL_05
• NCL_06
• NCL_14
• NCL_19
• NCL_20
• NCL_21
• NCL_25

You can find them at Gateshead Interchange, on the approach to the Sage Gateshead and at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.

Invader has so far invaded 78 cities around the world, putting up 3785 pieces.

To date I've managed to find 120 Invaders, worth 3040 points on the Flash Invaders app. At the time of writing I'm ranked 13640 in the ever-changing world rankings. Emily is 34485. The person at the top of the leader-board has found 2544 of them!

Looking for the Space Invaders has been great fun and we've seen lots of the parts of cities we wouldn't necessarily have explored if we weren't Invader hunting.

Ghetto Golf at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle

A look at the latest Ghetto Golf Crazy Golf course.

Earlier this year the team at Ghetto Golf opened their third indoor minigolf venue with an 18-hole course at Hoults Yard in Byker, Newcastle.

We swung by for a look on Saturday afternoon and found the course to be proving very popular.

Ghetto Golf is something a bit different

The UV areas of the course are my favourite.

The graffiti artists certainly like retro games and 80's pop culture.

Bit rude!

There are also Ghetto Golf courses in Liverpool and Birmingham. Check out the Ghetto Golf website for more information.

One of the more 'normal' holes at Ghetto Golf

Something is definitely wrong with this lavvy hole!

Down the pan...

I'm not sure you'll be feeling too flush after putting into this pan!

Related blog posts:
- Ghetto Golf
- Newcastle
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Ghetto Golf