Indoor Crazy Golf in Rochdale

A look at what was then called Puttstars Minigolf in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The venue is now called Putt & Play Rochdale.

On our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour visit back in June 2021 the location was home to three 9-hole indoor minigolf courses.

Visit the Putt & Play Rochdale website for more information.

Metrolink tram stop 'buffers' and dead-ends

A look at some of the 'buffers' at the end-of-the-line of Metrolink tram stops.

Metrolink tram at the end-of-the line at Media City UK tram stop in Salford in November 2019

East Didsbury Metrolink tram stop end-of-the-line in Parrs Wood, Manchester in May 2026

Eccles tram stop end-of-the-line on the Manchester Metrolink in August 2019

A Portaloo at the Metrolink tram stop in Rochdale in December 2019

A Solar Loo at the Metrolink tram stop in Rochdale in June 2021

Are there other types of dead-ends on the Metrolink network?

Related blog posts:

• Trams
• Trains
• Metrolink
• Tram videos on YouTube

Northern Pacer Railbus at Mills Hill railway station (October 2018)

A look at a Pacer Railbus train back in 2018.

This was a double Northern Pacer Railbus passing through Mills Hill railway station on the border of Middleton and Chadderton in Greater Manchester on the 24th October 2018.

The first Pacer Railbuses were introduced in 1984 and were designed as a short-term measure with a lifespan of twenty years. They were due to be withdrawn from service in 2019 and finally finished up in 2021.

Check out my Pacer Railbus trains playlist on YouTube.

Take a look at my trains playlist on YouTube.

Related blog posts:

• Pacer Railbus
• Train Nerd
• Trains

Northern Super Sprinter 156461 & Pacer Railbus 142045 at Rochdale railway station (February 2018)

A look at a Super Sprinter & Pacer Railbus train back in 2018.

Pacer Railbuses in the UK

The first Pacer Railbuses were introduced in 1984 and were designed as a short-term measure with a lifespan of twenty years. They were due to be withdrawn from service in 2019 and finally finished up in 2021.

YouTube Playlists

Check out my Pacer Railbus trains playlist on YouTube.

Take a look at my trains playlist on YouTube.

Related blog posts:

• Pacer Railbus
• Train Nerd
• Trains

Urban exploration - Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre in Rochdale, Greater Manchester

A look at the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

The Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre in Rochdale, Greater Manchester closed during the pandemic in 2020.

I remember shopping there when I worked in the town a few years earlier.

Putt & Play from Hollywood Bowl

Hollywood Bowl's minigolf brand has courses in four locations.

Putt & Play from Hollywood Bowl is the new name for Puttstars.

You can find Putt & Play courses in Harrow, Peterborough, Rochdale and Leeds Thorpe Park.

There are also minigolf courses at the Hollywood Bowl centres in Colchester, Leeds Hollywood Bowl, Stockton and York.

Find out more on the Putt & Play from Hollywood Bowl website.

We've played at the Rochdale centre on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale

A new Adventure Golf course is being created in Middleton.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course is being built at Bowlee Park Driving Range in Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.

It'll be another new - and fairly local - course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

New Adventure Golf course in Middleton, Rochdale

Bowlee Park Driving Range has plans to open a new Adventure Golf course.

The new outdoor Adventure Golf course would be at Bowlee Park Driving Range in Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Visit the Bowlee Park Driving Range website for more information.

It'll be another new - and fairly local - course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Covid-19 signage at Puttstars Mini Golf in Rochdale

I've been blogging about minigolf during the time of coronavirus and posting examples of Covid-19 and social distancing signage that I've seen or had shared with me during the pandemic.

During the pandemic we've played four minigolf courses, two of which were indoors. Last August we played our first game following lockdown at Gator Adventure Golf in Chorley. In September we played at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry. Last month we played at the newly refurbished Princess Parade Crazy Golf in Blackpool and earlier this month we played two of the three indoor courses at Puttstars in Rochdale.

A social distancing sign at the entrance to Rochdale Riverside

We didn't take the lift

The approach to Puttstars

A welcome sign

Hole one of the Slingshot course

A sign at the end of the round

Away from minigolf I've been documenting all of the Covid-19 signs I've seen on my Instagram account.

Tommy Chip Cone says "Stay safe."

I spotted this pandemic-themed sign on a chip cone mascot at Tommy's fish & chip shop in Middleton, Rochdale earlier this week.

Mini Golf at Puttstars in Rochdale

Playing Puttstars Mini Golf at Rochdale Riverside.

We played our first games of indoor minigolf since last August when we swung by Puttstars Mini Golf at Rochdale Riverside yesterday evening.

We played two of the three 9-hole courses at the venue, with Pinball becoming the 545th course we've played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the Zig Zag layout number 546 since 2006.

The scoring system differs to other minigolf courses and your strokes add up to points - with bonus points given depending on whether you play a 'joker' during your round. I won on one course and Emily got the win on the other. There are no paper scorecards, print outs or results sent to you after your round so you better be quick and take a photo of the screen at the end of your game!

Visit the Puttstars website for more information, opening times and prices.

We've now been to a total of 958 miniature golf courses on our travels. When our adventures began in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK, with just two of those indoors. There are now more than 1,000 courses in total and more than 100 of those are indoor locations, with more new courses opening all the time.

Springfield Park Model Railway in Rochdale

A visit to the Springfield Park Model Railway in Rochdale.

We're big fans of miniature railways but until very recently never knew there was one at Springfield Park in Rochdale!

Visit the Rochdale Society of Model & Experimental Engineers (RSMEE) website for more information and running times of the railway.