Video Express in Swansea

Emily spotted the old Video Express video shop in Swansea on her recent trip to the city.

What a blockbuster find!

It's always interesting finding lost video shops and old retail signs on our travels.

There are still traces of other former video shops to be found on the streets of the UK. Most of those are old Blockbuster Video stores. But there are remnants of independent video shops to be seen if you're lucky.

• Video Rentals at The Village Top Shop in Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham
• Shahenshah Videos in Luton
• Deane Video Centre in Bolton
• Video Box Office at the Happy Shopper Wayfairer Discount Store in Ilkeston
• Video Future in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
• The Movie Box in Manchester
• Jubilee Films video in Ashton-under-Lyne
  

Blockbuster Video stores we've visited to date:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Other video shops we've been to include B.V.C. - Bolton Video Centre in Little Lever, Bolton and 20th Century Flicks in Bristol - and both were still trading!

Who You Gonna Call?

This Ghostbuster?

Emily spotted this 'Ghostbusters' van on her recent trip to Swansea!

We've seen a few Ghostbusters vehicles on our travels, including Ecto-1a in Urmston, a Ghostbusters car in Scarborough, and Ecto-1 at The Light cinema in Stockport and at the Totally Stockport Comic Con.

The Big Apple Kiosk at the Mumbles in Swansea

A look at the The Big Apple Kiosk in Swansea.

During our road-trip around the Welsh coast in August 2009 we spent a day playing petanque and crazy golf at the Mumbles in Swansea.

While we were there the strange Big Apple building near the pier caught our eye.

From our seaside travels archive

Looking through our photo archives I found this snap of it in a bit of a state. Apparently it had been hit by a vehicle just days prior to our visit!

Looking online it appears that the kiosk was granted listed building status last year.

The Big Apple kiosk was created in the 1930s as part of a promotional campaign for the Cidertone cider brand and at one time others could be found at seaside locations around the UK.

Unfortunately the Big Apple at the Mumbles is the last one standing.

A return is planned

We haven't been to Swansea since, but it is on our revisit list as there's a new crazy golf venue in the town.

We love visiting Wales and the Welsh coast and can't wait until the coronavirus pandemic is over so we can return.

Scorecards from Swansea Crazy Golf

A pair of old scorecards from Swansea Crazy Golf.

I bought two old Swansea Crazy Golf scorecards at the last postcard fair I attended in Stockport.

One is an adult ticket/scorecard and the other is for a child.

They're lovely items.

Very rulesy!

Has anyone ever met a Crazy Golf course Ticket Inspector?

We played the two Crazy Golf courses in Swansea back in 2009. I'll have to dig out the scorecards from those games to compare.

Crazy Golf at Southend Park in The Mumbles Swansea

It's interesting to note the scorecards were printed in Ashton-under-Lyne. Looking online Williamson was a big printing business and produced tickets for all many of events, activities and transport. The business was sold in the late 1970's.

Printed in Ashton-under-Lyne for a course in Swansea and bought in Stockport from a seller from Southport.

Bunkers! Crazy Golf & Drinks opening in Swansea

There's a new indoor Crazy Golf course and bar opening in Swansea, Wales.

Swansea will soon be home to a new minigolf course as Bunkers! Crazy Golf opens in December.

Visit the Bunkers! website for more information.

Bunkers! Crazy Golf is from Adventure Leisure Ltd, part of Burhill Group Limited and the team behind Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf.

It'll be interesting to see the new Bunkers! Crazy Golf course when it opens.

We enjoyed our last visit to Swansea way back in 2009 and always love visiting Wales.

Minigolf Course Visits 124 & 125 - Swansea / Abertawe

The courses we played in the 2009 Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg tournament were the 124th and 125th Mini Golf / Crazy Golf courses visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Both courses in Swansea were played 'blind' with no practice time prior to the tournament itself.

Both courses were of similar design and build and shared many of the same obstacles, the course at The Mumbles (below) was judged to be the tougher of the two.






Is this the 'Lucky 19th Hole'?

Although we didn't get to play the Crazy Golf course at Singleton Boating Lake on the day before the Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg we did go along to have a sneak preview.





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

Boules Invitational Tournament at The Mumbles

A Kukielka vs. Gottfried family sporting clash in Swansea.


On Saturday 15th August the Gottfrieds met the Kukielkas at Southend Park at The Mumbles in Swansea for the first Boules Invitational Tournament.


After a series of qualifying rounds it was me versus Seve Kukielka in the final match of the morning to decide who would be winning the prestigious silver salver.


After Seve took the lead I fought back but eventually lost, and took what would eventually be the first of my two sporting runner-up places of the day.

Gluten Free Fish & Chips at Rossi's in Swansea

Prior to competing in the Cystadleuaeth Minigolff Cymraeg (Welsh Minigolf Tournament) in Swansea we found a Fish & Chip Shop that catered for Coeliacs so I was able to treat myself to Gluten Free Fish & Chips for the first-time!



Rossi's Original Fish & Chips can be found at 235-240 Neath Rd, Landore, Swansea, SA1 2JG. check out the Rossi's website and Facebook page.

More information about Coeliac Disease can be found on the Coeliac UK website.

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free Fish & Chips that we've found on our travels
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac Disease