Showing posts with label Porthcawl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Porthcawl. Show all posts

Friday, July 31, 2020

Porthcawl

Ah to be at the seaside on a day like today.


Looking through my photos from last year I spotted this lovely view of the beach in Porthcawl, Wales.

Porthcawl beach

I can't wait to be able to head back out on our travels and visit the coast.

Putting Green in Griffin Park, Porthcawl
It was slightly outside of the season so I couldn't have a game on the Putting Green in Griffin Park

Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines at Coney Beach in Porthcawl
Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines at Coney Beach

7D Cinema at Coney Beach in Porthcawl
What are the 7 Dimensions?

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Putting Green at Griffin Park in Porthcawl

A visit to the Putting Green at Griffin Park in Porthcawl.


Putting Green at Griffin Park in Porthcawl

On my way home from the Welsh Mini Golf Club's Doubles Championships in Aberavon I stopped off at Porthcawl as I'd seen there was a Putting Green in Griffin Park. Unfortunately it wasn't yet open for the season and the groundskeepers were working on a few other areas of the park to get it ready for the summer.


Griffin Park's Putting Green in Porthcawl

We have been to Porthcawl before, although only to Trecco Bay Holiday Park where we played Adventure Golf back in 2009. So it was nice to explore a new seaside resort and play in some new amusement arcades.

The Hi-Tide amusement arcade in Porthcawl
The Hi-Tide amusement arcade in Porthcawl

Porthcawl beach
Porthcawl beach looked amazing

The Putting Green at Griffin Park in Porthcawl was the 886th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

7D cinema in Porthcawl
I also saw a 7D cinema there! Sadly it was closed

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - update from Wales
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Wales

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - update from Wales

A blog post from a wonderful weekend in Wales.


I've just returned from a brilliant weekend away in Wales. Hours and hours of minigolf on some new courses, superb weather and visits to some new seasides added up to a lot of fun.


Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course at Aberavon beach in Port Talbot
It's always nice to see a shark obstacle on a minigolf course

I arrived in Wales at 10.40am on Saturday morning and my first stop was in Port Talbot town centre for a wander, a bit of charity shop shopping and some lunch. While there I spotted the outdoor market/car boot sale in a car park and was surprised to be able to add to a number of my collections by finding some retro 80's toys, pin badges and amusement park tokens! The weekend got off to a bright start.

After checking in at the excellent Aberavon Beach Hotel on the seafront I went straight to the Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course to practice for the Welsh Mini Golf Club's Doubles Championship.

The Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course at Aberavon beach in Port Talbot
The Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course in Aberavon

The 12-hole Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course became the 865th course visited and 516th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Created by the Natural Play Company, it's a tricky layout and while there are hole-in-one opportunities, they are few and far between!

We warmed up for Sunday's tournament with a singles competition to celebrate National Miniature Golf Day. The in-form David Hartley added to his recent trophy haul by taking the win by one-shot, with Marion Hartley and me tied for second place.

Aberavon beach is such a lovely spot and provides spectacular views - Swansea Bay to the right and the steelworks to the left! It was a very nice place to spend time Putting.

Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course at Aberavon beach in Port Talbot
Playing hole 12

Wandering along the prom I noticed an odd-shaped lump in the distance and upon closer inspection found it to be a huge concrete whale, surrounded by some penguins! I've been told that this was once part of another, long-gone, Crazy Golf course! I'd love to know more about Aberavon's Whale Park...

The Whale Park in Aberavon
The Whale Park in Aberavon

The Whale Park in Aberavon, Port Talbot
It was the largest fake whale I've seen on my travels

Sunday's Welsh Mini Golf Club Doubles Championship was a great event to be a part of. The Welsh Mini Golf Club are relative newcomers to the world of minigolf and have put in a lot of effort to create new events, play at different courses and become competitive on the national minigolf tour.

The weather was perfect, with not a cloud in the sky and only a slight sea breeze. This, though would cause a lot of 'classic' minigolfer's sunburn by the end of the day!

I teamed up with my former Midlands Minigolf Club team-mate Seve Kukielka for the event and after a shaky middle patch we qualified from the round-robin group stage as group winners. This meant a semi-final clash with Cardiff's combination of Holly and Stewart aka the team of 'How Hard Can This Be?'. Seve and I - as the 'Natural Disasters' - avoided catastrophe and qualified for the final match against 'Sturgeon's Nightmares', the combination of Planet Hastings' Dave Gomm and the Welsh Mini Golf Club's Simon Brown, who had defeated Cindy Kukielka and Andrew Edmonds in the other semi-final.

Pirate Cove Adventure Golf course at Aberavon beach in Port Talbot
Playing hole 11

The final itself was a very close match, with Dave and Simon leading by one-hole heading to the 12th. Simon managed to drain a long second putt to close out the match meaning Seve and I were runners-up. Even so it was a nice event to compete in and the new course was well suited to the doubles format.

The Welsh Doubles Championship silver medalists with Martyn Williams, captain of the Welsh Mini Golf Club
The silver medalists with Martyn Williams, captain of the Welsh Mini Golf Club

As I love holidays/minigolf/the Welsh coast I was in no rush to head home on Monday and stopped off at Porthcawl as I'd seen there was a Putting Green in Griffin Park. Unfortunately it wasn't yet open for the season and the groundskeepers were working on a few other areas of the park to get it ready for the summer.

Putting Green at Griffin Park in Porthcawl
You can make out the shape of the holes at Griffin Park's Putting Green

We have been to Porthcawl before, although only to Trecco Bay Holiday Park where we played Adventure Golf back in 2009. So it was nice to explore a new seaside resort and play in some new amusement arcades.

The Hi-Tide amusement arcade in Porthcawl
The Hi-Tide amusement arcade in Porthcawl - can you see Pac-Man?

I'd recently heard from the team at Greenspan Projects that there was a brand new minigolf course at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose and luckily for me that was on my route.

Dragon's Quest Adventure Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park
I do like a mining theme

It was great to have a round on the 18-hole Dragon's Quest Adventure Golf course. It looks really nice and has some interesting features, most noticeably the BIG red dragon!

Dragon's Quest Adventure Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park
The dragon breathes smoke at times too!

The Adventure Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park became the 887th visited and 517th played since September 2006.

View from the patio at Fontygary Leisure Park
What a view from the patio at Fontygary Leisure Park

My next stop was somewhere I know well, as my family had many happy holidays in Barry Island back in the 1980's and 1990's.

Barry Island is still recognisable from my time there 30 years ago, even though the holiday camp has been knocked down to make way for housing and a public car park.

Site of the old Butlin's Holiday Camp at Barry Island
They paved paradise

While in Barry Island I revisited a lot of my old haunts including the Quasar and had a nice chat with the owner who told me about it's history. It opened in July 1992, so I must've been one of the first players through the door on our summer holiday that year!

Me with a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 Series 800 Terminator at Barry Island Quasar
Me with a Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 Series 800 Terminator at Barry Island Quasar

Before I left I had a round on the Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf course - a course we first played in 2009 - and had one last walk on the beach.

Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf at Barry Island
The Smuggler's Cove course at Barry Island was the 121st visited

Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf at Barry Island

Smuggler's Cove Adventure Golf at Barry Island

Barrybados beach
Big Steve the seagull on Barry Island beach

Rather reluctantly, I left Barry Island for the trip back north to Stockport and re-entered England at 5.38pm.

Barry Island railway station
I might look happy here - well, that is a double Pacer Railbus formation - but it was sad to leave Barry Island on such a lovely sunny day

All in all it was a marvellous weekend and I'm looking forward to my next trip to the Welsh coast already.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Minigolf Course Visits 122 & 123 - Trecco Caravan Park, Porthcawl

After visiting Barry Island we headed to the Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl which is home to an 18-hole Adventure Golf course and also a 5-hole Putting Course (which has a very testing plateau hole).

Adventure Golf at Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl
Adventure Golf at Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl
Adventure Golf at Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl
The Putting Course:
Mini Golf at Trecco Caravan Park in Porthcawl
The course was built by the same company as the Blackpool Pleasure Beach course that hosted the Pleasure Beach Open last year.

The 12th hole at Porthcawl and Blackpool both have big hills (I mentioned Blackpool's hilly 12th in the video here).

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour list of courses visited and played
Wales