Junkyard Golf in Oxford

A visit to Junkyard Golf in Oxford.

On Friday 9th November we swung by Junkyard Golf in my home city of Oxford.

Junkyard Golf Oxford is home to three 9-hole indoor Crazy Golf courses - 'Gary' is a scrapyard challenge, 'Bozo' is a circus-themed course and 'Pablo' is jungle-themed.

Junkyard Golf began in my new home city of Manchester and there are now also Junkyard Golf courses in London and Leeds.

You can find Junkyard Golf Oxford in the Westgate Social Street Food section of the Westgate shopping centre.

Check out the Junkyard Golf website for more details, opening times and prices.

Related blog posts:
- Junkyard Golf
- Oxford

Junkyard Crazy Golf in Oxford

New Junkyard Crazy Golf course opening in Oxford.

I've heard that the team at Junkyard Golf Club are opening a new course in Oxford later this year.

Junkyard Golf Club's brand of Crazy Golf isn't run of the mill

It's a smart move as Oxford has been crying out for a minigolf course for years. While there are three minigolf layouts in the city these are in parks on the outskirts, rather than in the city centre.

Growing up in nearby Abingdon I was sad to hear that the town's only Crazy Golf course was recently removed to make way for a new play area. At least people in the town can soon head over to Oxford for a game.

Part of the glow-in-the-dark section of the Junkyard Crazy Golf course in Manchester

Junkyard Golf Club currently has two locations - Manchester and London - with the Manchester course soon to be moving to a new permanent space at First Street after two successful spells as a pop-up at the Great Northern Warehouse and in Piccadilly. The London venue has three courses at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

The two 9-hole Junkyard Crazy Golf Club courses in Manchester's Piccadilly Place were the 718th and 719th courses visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last November and in January this year they became the 421st and 422nd played.

Visit the Junkyard Golf Club website for more info.

Abingdon to host first-ever World Championship Egg and Spoon Race

First-ever World Championship Egg and Spoon Race to take place in Abingdon.

My home town of Abingdon-on-Thames is famous for its curious tradition of Bun Throwing, but this year a new World Title will be contested in the town's Abbey Gardens over the Easter weekend - the World Championship Egg & Spoon Race!

A world championship winning egg in 2012

A view of the Abbey Grounds on a frosty December day in 2014

I'm quite tempted to enter the event as I have a bit of a pedigree in egg and odd athletics based sports. In 2012 Jas Kukielka and I won the World Alternative Games Egg Throwing Championship in Wales and I also took part in the first-ever Ripping Yarns Hopathon in London. The World Championship Egg & Spoon Race title - and trophy presumably - would be a great addition to my sporting CV.

En route to an egg-based world title victory in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

In a hopping race on Hampstead Heath

Abingdon's World Championship Egg & Spoon Race has been inspired by Paul Gustafson, the award winning local author of the children’s ‘Eggbert’s Adventure’ books.

Many thanks to my mate Adam Dewar for letting me know about the event which is taking place on Saturday 15th April. Further details are available on the Visit Abingdon website.

Link:
- Visit Abingdon website

Related blog posts:
- Abingdon
- Eggs

Ten years ago today

A look back at the 10th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Ten years ago today we visited the 10th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. On a bitterly cold 23rd December 2006 Emily, Christopher and I headed along to the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire to have a game on their beer garden Crazy Golf course.

Emily putting away as Christopher thinks 'What on Earth are we doing?'

What a course it was - we'd not seen anything like it before. And we haven't seen anything quite like it since!

One of the Crazy Golf holes in the Horse and Harrow pub beer garden on the 23rd December 2006

We revisited the course in April 2011.

The course in April 2011

A long minigolf hole

The green that Emily was putting on in the photo above

Back in 2006 we never realised quite how BIG the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour would become. To date we've visited 720 courses!

Y indeed!

I'm not sure if the Crazy Golf course is still at the pub. There's no mention of it on the pub's website and the last Google Street View image of the location is from April 2011 too. We'll have to swing by next time we're in the Abingdon / Didcot area...

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf at the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne
- Crazy Golf at the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne revisit
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

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. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

Crazy Golf in Abingdon's Abbey Meadows

A revisit to the first miniature golf course I ever played.

The Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

At the weekend I visited my home town of Abingdon-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. While there I had to go and have a look at the Crazy Golf course that was the first-ever minigolf course I played.

At the first minigolf course I ever played

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour the Abbey Meadows Crazy Golf course became the 31st played in August 2007.

When we first walked up to the out-of season minigolf course we thought it had been felted, but no, it was a build-up of moss on holes one and two!

I last played the course in June 2012 in match-up against my brother Jon. That visit saw a rematch following our game in April 2012.

One of the tricky minigolf holes at the Abbey Meadows Crazy Golf course in Abingdon-on-Thames

Related Blog Posts:
- A Gottfried vs. Gottfried Crazy Golf Match in Abingdon-on-Thames
- A day out of Bun Throwing, Crazy Golf and Bar Billiards in Abingdon-on-Thames
- Abingdon Abbey Meadows Crazy Golf Course Replay on a Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Revisit
- Crazy Golf in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- Abingdon
- Abingdon-on-Thames
- World of Bun Throwing blog
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Link:
- Abbey Meadows, Abingdon on the Vale of White Horse District Council website

A 'Royal' Diamond Jubilee Garden Party in the riverside village of Benson

Spotting 'The Queen' & 'Prince Philip' in Oxfordshire today!

After a brilliant day of Diamond Jubilee fun in my old home town of Abingdon-on-Thames we headed back to Luton today by way of the Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete and the riverside village of Benson. Driving through the village we saw a ‘royal’ garden party!

'The Queen' & 'Prince Philip' enjoy a glass of wine at a 'Royal' Garden Party in Oxfordshire

More blog posts of our adventures, fun and games in Abingdon and beyond are to follow...

Crazy Golf at The Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - April 2011

On our trip to Oxfordshire last weekend we made a revisit to the Horse & Harrow Pub in the village of West Hagbourne. We originally visited the Pub and its 9-hole Crazy Golf course on the 23rd December 2006 when the course became the 10th course visited on what would become our epic Crazy World of Minigolf Tour!

The weather on this visit in April 2011 was far better than the very cold and wet winters day all those years ago!

We didn't play the Crazy Golf course on this particular visit, but instead had a Pool match, which I won 2-1.

For other course visits check out the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour List.

The Village of West Hagbourne had also got into the spirit of the week, with St George's Day & Royal Wedding celebrations including St George (with the face of Prince William!) and a few Dragons around the village!

Little Las Vegas

Not like Big Las Vegas at all!

Outside the 'Little Las Vegas' Amusement Arcade at the Wallingford Funfair

Spotted at a funfair in Wallingford, Oxfordshire at the weekend.

BIG Buttons in Liverpool

Real Buttons in Las Vegas

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Played #10 West Hagbourne, Oxon (Horse & Harrow Pub) - Crazy Golf

On the 23rd December 2006 (four years ago today!) we visited and played the 10th course on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - at the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire.

The course was quite crazy, as it was home-made and in the back garden of a pub! From what we remember, it was also very very cold on that particular Christmas Eve 'Eve'!!!

On the 29th December 2006 we visited and played course number 11 - also at a pub! This time in Bedfordshire (see below).

Other Pub crazy golf courses we've visited/played include:
#11 The Green Man Pub, Stanford, Bedfordshire - Crazy Golf
#110 Tudor Rose Inn, Fordingbridge - Miniature Golf
#168 Sudbury, Suffolk (Maldon Grey Pub) - Crazy Golf
#223 overall visit - Melbourn, Cambridgeshire (The Dolphin Pub) - Crazy Golf
#34 not played - Abergwyngregyn, Aber Falls Tavern - Crazy Golf
#62 not played - Wendens Ambo (The Bell Pub) - Mini Golf
- Crazy Golf at The Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire - April 2011

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.

Minigolf Course Visits 118, 119 & 120 - Oxford Parks

On the journey to Wales for the epic leg of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour we stopped off to play the three Swedish Felt B Run courses in Oxford's Parks on the 13th August.

On our previous visit to Oxford in December the courses were all closed. However, this time they were all open.

Course visit #118 was to Bury Knowle Park in Headington.


Course visit #119 was to Florence Park in Cowley.




Course visit #120 was to Cutteslowe and Sunnymead Park.

Over the three rounds and 27-holes I hit a total of 99(+42) to take the Oxford title, while Emily scored 103(+49).