An East Anglian Minigolf Road-Trip

Visiting and playing some minigolf in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

We've just returned from a trip to East Anglia to visit family and friends in the area. It's the first time we've been there since 2019 and there were a few new minigolf courses to swing by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We also managed to revisit some of our favourite layouts on the trip.

Before the holiday Emily and I had visited a combined total of 967 courses since September 2006. My little brother Christopher is a founding member of the tour and with the courses he has been to we were at 998 courses. With his wife Nina joining the adventures the tally stood at 999 courses before the trip!

In total we managed to visit thirteen courses, with six of them being new to our tour. Some of the courses we had played at before had undergone some changes, with new names and the addition of new holes to extend the layouts.

We also hit the 1,000th course visit milestone on the trip. Twice. The first was at Glo Golf in Peterborough, the second was at Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich.

Here's a look at the lucky thirteen courses and the stats from our trip.

Pitch & Putt at Orton Meadows Golf Course in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

• Course visit 968 by Richard & Emily Gottfried.
• Number 929 in the British Isles.
• The 998th visited on the three founding members Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
• The 999th visited on our combined travels.

Glo Golf in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

• Course visit 969 by Richard & Emily.
• Number 930 in the British Isles.
• The 551st course we've played.
• The 999th visited on the founders tour.
• The 1000th visited on the combined tour.

Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich, Norfolk

• Course visit 970 by Richard & Emily.
• Number 931 in the British Isles.
• The 552nd played.
• The 1000th visited on the founders tour.
• The 1001st visited on the combined tour.

Pirates Island Adventure Golf at Norfolk Premier Golf in Blofield, Norfolk

• Course visit numbers 971 / 1001 / 1002.

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk

• A revisit to the 88th course played.

Stonehenge Mini Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk

• A revisit to the 174th course played.

Thatched Roof Putting / Kirkley Cliff Putting Green in Lowestoft, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 264th course played.
• The easternmost Putting course in the British Isles.

Family Adventure Golf at Little Joe's Ice Cream Shack in Lowestoft, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 20th course played.
• The easternmost Adventure Golf course in the British Isles.

Magical Golf at Mannings in Felixstowe, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 5th course played.

Fantasia Adventure Golf in Felixstowe, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 7th course played.

Skull Point Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

• Course visit numbers 972 / 1002 / 1003.

Greensward Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

• Course visit numbers 973 / 1003 / 1004.

Pavilion Adventure Golf at the Pavilion Fun Park in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

• A revisit to the 94th course played.
• It was an 11-hole course, now a 14-hole Adventure Golf course with a different theme.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour page to see details of all the courses we've been to since September 2006.

Guest blog - Planning a BIG minigolf break

Check out our guest blog post over on the Putterfingers Crazy Golf website at "Planning a BIG minigolf break".

The Crazy Putting Challenge at Hamptworth Golf Centre - one of 18 courses we visited on a road-trip in May 2019

The Holbeck Putting Green in Scarborough. The course has been open since 1925. It was the 901st visited overall on our travels and one of seven miniature golf courses we went to on the trip back in June 2019

Happy Eater

Do you remember Happy Eater?

Did you used to stop at Happy Eater, or were you more of a Little Chef fan?

Happy Eater restaurants were once a familiar sight on A-roads in the South East and Midlands of England. Set up in 1973 Happy Eater was created as a competitor to Little Chef.

The brand was eventually bought out by it's big rival Little Chef in the mid-nineties. The last Happy Eater closed its doors in 1997.

Neither brand exists on the roadsides of England anymore.

Interestingly if you visit Mauritius you can still dine at a Happy Eater restaurant!

Lost brands

We've seen traces of a number of old and defunct brands that were big in the 80s and 90s on our travels around the country. These have included Woolworths in Stoke-on-Trent, Woolworths Big W in Edinburgh, Kwik Save in Barrow-in-Furness, Blockbuster Video in Fallowfield, Tandy in Hitchin, RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes and Toys R Us in Ancoats and Warrington.

Highway to hell?

Having been to Bolton at the end of last year I must say I really like the town. But it does make me smile that the road that takes you there is the A666!

Mini Golf in the South West of England

Visiting 62 more miniature golf courses on a tour of the South West of England.

We've been on some big road-trips in the past few years and this summer we had a brilliant two-week holiday around the coast of South West England.

At Gilmores Golf in Newquay, part-way through our mammoth road-trip around the South West coast of England

During our time away we visited the milestone 600th course. The Jurassic Adventure Golf course at the Santa-Fe Fun Park in Swanage, Dorset became the 364th course played when we visited on Sunday 31st May.

Jurassic Adventure Golf in Swanage

Two weeks later we visited Mini Golf course number 661 at Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset. The 18-hole course was the 380th we've played since the tour began in September 2006, and the 17th played on our holiday.

Mini Golf in Vivary Park, Taunton

We got into playing minigolf after making a resolution in 2006 to visit as much of the UK's coast and on this trip we reached 227 seasides visited. We're looking forward to our next holiday already.

Here's the list of the 62 courses we visited in Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and Somerset:
• Swanage (Santa Fe Fun Park) - Jurassic Adventure Golf - 600th course visited overall
• Lyme Regis (Lister Gardens) - Crazy Golf

The Lister Gardens Mini Golf course in Lyme Regis

• Seaton - Grass Putting Green
• Oak Mead Family Golf Centre - Grass Putting Green
• Oak Mead Family Golf Centre - Pitch and Putt
• Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth (Thorne Park Golf Centre) - Crazy Golf

Putting on the Crazy Golf course at Thorne Park Golf Centre near Sidmouth

• Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth (Thorne Park Golf Centre) - Grass Putting Green
• Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth (Thorne Park Golf Centre) - Pitch and Putt
• Sidmouth (The Victoria Hotel) - Grass Putting Green
• Sidmouth (The Belmont Hotel) - Grass Putting Green
• Sidmouth (The Triangle / Coburg Fields) - Grass Putting Green
• Exmouth (Seafront) - Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf
• Exmouth (Seafront) - Grass Putting Green
• Exmouth (The Imperial Hotel) - Grass Putting Green
• Dawlish Warren (Funderland) - Adventure Golf

A crazy hole on the Funderland Adventure Golf course in Dawlish Warren

• Dawlish (Station Road) - Swedish Felt B-Run Mini Golf
• Teignmouth (Sea Front) - Jurassic Adventure Golf

The Adventure Golf course in Teignmouth

• Torquay (The Imperial Hotel) - Crazy Golf

Our hotel in Torquay had a Crazy Golf course - what a bonus!

• Torquay (Torre Abbey Gardens) - Jungle Journey Adventure Golf
• Paignton (Sea Front) - Pirates Bay Adventure Golf
• Paignton (Junior Browns) - UV Indoor Crazy Golf - course removed from venue
• Goodrington Sands, Paignton - Beton Mini Golf - 600th course visited in the UK

The Goodrington Sands Beton Mini Golf course in Paignton

• Roundham Head, Goodrington Sands, Paignton - Pitch and Putt
• Torquay (Torre Abbey Gardens) - Pitch and Putt
• Dartmouth (near Higher Ferry) - Grass Putting course
• Plymouth (The Hoe) - Grass Putting course
• Plymouth (West Hoe Park) - Treasure Island Adventure Golf
• St Martins (Parkdean Looe Bay Holiday Park) - Crazy Golf
• Looe (Looe Bowling Club, Marine Drive) - Upper Grass Putting course
• Looe (Looe Bowling Club, Marine Drive) - Lower Grass Putting course

Looe Bowling Club in Cornwall is home to two grass Putting courses with some great views

• St Austell (Kidzworld Cornwall, Stadium Retail Park) - Mini Golf
• Swanpool, Falmouth (Swanpool Park) - Crazy Golf

The Crazy Golf course in Swanpool Park, Falmouth is in a great spot

• Falmouth (Gyllyngvase Beach) - Crazy Golf - now part of a garden
• Penzance (The Alexandra Inn) - pub beer garden Crazy Golf

The beer garden of The Alexandra Inn, Penzance has a 17-hole Crazy Golf course in it!

• St Ives (Porthminster Beach) - Grass Putting course
• St Ives (Porthmeor Beach) - Grass Putting course
• St Erth (Penwith Pitch and Putt) - Crazy Golf

The Penwith Pitch & Putt centre in St Erth, near St Ives, has a very bright and colourful Crazy Golf course

• St Erth (Penwith Pitch and Putt) - Pitch and Putt
• Perranporth (Boating Lake) - Grass Putting course
• Newquay (Gilmores Golf) - Beton Crazy Mini Golf

Playing the Beton Mini Golf course at Gilmores Golf in Newquay

• Newquay (Trenance Gardens) - Crazy Golf

The Trenance Gardens Crazy Golf course in Newquay

• Newquay (Trenance Gardens) - Pitch and Putt
• Newquay (Killacourt) - Grass Putting course - out of season
• Newquay (Tolcarne Beach) - Crazy Golf - course on the cliff has been removed
• Newquay (Narrowcliff, near Tolcarne Beach) - Crazy Golf - hut remains, no course evident
• Newquay (The Headland Hotel, near Fistral Beach) - Grass Putting course
• Porth Island, Newquay (Krazy Golf at Newquay Football Golf) - Crazy Golf

Putting at the Krazy Golf course on Porth Island, Newquay

• Mawgan Porth - Crazy Golf
• Mawgan Porth - Pitch and Putt
• Berryfields Holiday Park, Porthcothan Bay - Crazy Golf
• Padstow (Greens Cafe) - Crazy Golf - 650th course visited overall

Playing a Pyramid hole in Padstow

• Padstow (Greens Cafe) - Grass Putting / Pitch and Putt
• Bude (Bude Haven Recreation Ground) - Crazy Golf

A snakey hole in Bude

• Bude (Bude Haven Recreation Ground) - Grass Putting Green 1
• Bude (Bude Haven Recreation Ground) - Grass Putting Green 2
• Bude (Crooklets Beach) - Pitch and Putt
• Westward Ho! - Putting course on a signpost - not found
• Westward Ho! (Pebble Ridge) - Pirate Adventure Golf
• Woolacombe (The Bay Hotel) - Mini Golf (Pitch and Putt)
• Woolacombe (Funderland) - 15-hole Adventure Golf
• Ilfracombe (The Promenade) - Crazy Golf
• Taunton (Vivary Park) - Mini Golf

It wasn't possible to stop at, or play all of the mini, crazy and adventure golf courses, or all the putting greens and pitch & putts we saw on this trip, or those we'd heard about beforehand.

On Broad Road in Swanage there is a piece of parkland that overlooks the bay and pier. This area has appeared on many postcards over the years and used to be home to a grass Miniature Golf course.

The Parkdean Holiday Park in West Bay, near Bridport used to have a Crazy Golf course. We checked, it's no longer there.

After we'd played the Crazy Golf course in Lister Gardens in Lyme Regis we noticed on the town map that the gardens are also home to a grass Putting Green. We had noticed a two-tier patch of land near to the course, but it wasn't laid out for putting. Perhaps it was too early in the season.

This year the Ladram Bay Holiday Park has created a Jurassic Adventure Golf course at the site in Otterton near Budleigh Salterton. We didn't get a chance to play it. Charter member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher Gottfried did visit the course on a trip to Devon last year.

On that trip Christopher also visited Paignton and spotted a Crazy Golf course on the pier. On our visit we saw it had been removed. There were trampolines instead. The stroll along the pier wasn't all for naught though as I got to have a go on a Hillbilly Shooting Shack.

It's not minigolf, but it's a seaside classic - a Hillbilly Shooting Shack on Paignton Pier

Other Crazy Golf courses we had to skip on this trip due to time constraints are at:
- Pecorama Games, Gardens and Trains in Beer
- Exmouth World of Country Life
- Babbacombe Model Village
- Holywell Bay Fun Park
- Lappa Valley Steam Railway
- Old MacDonald's Farm and Bed & Breakfast
- Bideford Atlantic Village
- Devon Railway Centre

There are also quite a few more miniature golf courses at holiday camps, caravan parks and hotels in the area.

Thanks to everyone for their tips and hints about places to visit on the trip, and special mentions to Tim 'Ace Man' Davies for his excellent course list on MiniatureGolfer.com, Jam Trubridge, Matt Dodd, Helen Dodd, Chris Harding, and Christopher Gottfried.

There'll be more blog posts about the courses we visited in the coming weeks so watch this space!

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Dorset
- Devon
- Cornwall
- Somerset

Videos:
- Crazy Golf Hole in One at the Jurassic Adventure Golf course in Swanage
- Mini Golf Hole in One at the Jurassic Adventure Golf course in Swanage
- Crazy Golf in Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Mini Golf in Lyme Regis, Dorset
- Mini Golf Hole-in-One at The Imperial Hotel in Torquay
- Crazy Golf Hole-in-One at The Alexandra Inn, Penzance 
- Playing Krazy Golf on Porth Island, Newquay

Crazy Golf in Seahouses, Northumberland

A visit to Seahouses to play Crazy Golf.

Back in April 2012 we embarked on a mammoth leg of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and visited a bumper crop of 49 miniature golf courses!

At Beaches Crazy Golf in Seahouses

On re-entering England the 18-hole Crazy Golf course at The Bunker on Seafield Road in Seahouses, Northumberland became the 494th course visited overall when we arrived in the town on the 9 April, and the next day became the 297th course played.

A view of the Seahouses Crazy Golf course

Driving through the town you can't miss the course as its sat right next to the road!

The Beaches Crazy Golf course is right next to Seafield Road in Seahouses. Note the historic plaque built into the wall - the public gardens were opened in April 1980

Each of the holes on the Beaches Crazy Golf course have a local landmark theme and name. The course is well worth a play, with some interesting, tricky obstacles and hole layouts.

Crazy Golf in Seahouses

In damp weather conditions on the 10 April 2012 we played a match-up on the course as part of our 'North West England, Scotland & North East England Tour Challenge' . In the contest I defeated Emily with a score of 36(par) to 45(+9).

Emily playing a criss-cross of two holes at the Seahouses Crazy Golf course!

The course was the last of the thirteen we were able to play on our roadtrip, and the 48th visited overall during the holiday.

For more information, photos and prices for the Seahouses Crazy Golf course check out The Bunker website.

The Crazy Golf course and The Bunker clubhouse in Seahouses

During the trip we managed to play the world's first miniature golf course - at St Andrews.

Link:
- The Bunker Seahouses

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Visiting a further 49 Minigolf and Crazy Golf courses in England and Scotland

Videos:
- View of the course 1
- View of the course 2