Mini Golf at Hollywood Bowl Stockton

A new Mini Golf course is now open at the Hollywood Bowl at Teesside Park in Stockton-on-Tees.

The 12-hole indoor Mini Golf course has opened as part of an expanded Hollywood Bowl centre.

Visit the Hollywood Bowl website for more information.

We've played one of the Hollywood Bowl mini golf courses before, and been to Teesside Retail Park - but not done both together. We visited the old Toys R Us store there in April 2021.

It's another new course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Hollywood Bowl Mini-Golf at Teesside Park in Stockton-on-Tees

A new Mini-Golf course is opening at Teesside Park in Stockton-on-Tees.

The 12-hole indoor Mini-Golf course is set to open as part of an expanded Hollywood Bowl centre.

The layout will be a Puttstars Mini-Golf course and is opening on Friday 22nd March.

Puttstars Mini-Golf in Rochdale (June 2021)

Visit the Hollywood Bowl and Puttstars websites for more information.

We've played at Puttstars before, and been to Teesside Retail Park - but not done both together. We visited the old Toys R Us store there in April 2021.

Toys R Us at Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees

Visiting the old Toys R Us store at Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees.

We visited the former Toys R Us store in Stockton-on-Tees back in April 2021.

It's a very nice example of a closed store, with lots of the original signage still visible.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018.

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham

A look at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

We visited the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre back in April 2021.

The shopfront was very well maintained and it was nice to see the original signage.

Finding other old Blockbuster Video shops.

It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• 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
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Mini-Golf at Teesside Park

A new Mini-Golf course is planned to open at Teesside Park in Stockton-on-Tees.

The 12-hole indoor Mini-Golf course is set to open as part of an expanded Hollywood Bowl centre.

The layout will be a Puttstars Mini-Golf course.

Puttstars Mini-Golf in Rochdale (June 2021)

Visit the Hollywood Bowl and Puttstars websites for more information.

We've played at Puttstars before, and been to Teesside Retail Park - but not done both together. We visited the old Toys R Us store there in April 2021.

New Adventure Golf course in Redcar

A new penguin-themed adventure golf course is opening in Redcar, Teesside.

The 18-hole layout is opening in the Coatham area of the seaside town.

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

Putter Chaos Adventure Golf opening in Middlesbrough

A new indoor adventure golf course is opening in Middlesbrough town centre.

Construction is underway, with the course planned to open in April.

Check out the Putter Chaos Adventure Golf website for more information.

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

Project Bunkerz Mini Golf in Middlesbrough

Project Bunkerz Mini Golf is opening in Middlesbrough.

A new indoor mini golf course is opening in Middlesbrough town centre.

Check out the Project Bunkerz website for more information.

It'll be another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour next time we're in Teesside.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

A look at the old Blockbuster Video shop in Billingham.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside, England was still standing when we visited last April.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

There were a few remnants inside too.

Many thanks go to LaserDisc Turtle on Twitter for letting us know about the store's existence and Visual Sound on Instagram for letting us know it was still there.

Blockbuster in Billingham, Teesside

Blockbuster Video

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500+ of which were in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

However, the UK's high streets, shopping precincts, malls and retail parks still hold traces of the brand. And we've been to most of them!

We've now been to 27 former Blockbuster Video stores since we found the remains of the Fallowfield shop near to us in Manchester.

• 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
• 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 Blockbusters

We've found a few other 'Blockbuster' stores on our travels - with one former store becoming a book shop called Bookbuster and a Crazy Golf hole themed on a store.

We've also seen out that a new video shop-themed bar called Blockbusters NQ is opening in Manchester's Northern Quarter later this year.

Covid-19 signage at Lofty's Crazy Golf course in Seaton Carew

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

It was lovely to be back at the seaside

During the pandemic we've visited ten new minigolf courses to us (as well as a few revisits). Our first new course visit of 2021 was in April when we swung by Lofty's Crazy Golf course in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, Teesside.

Covid-19 guidelines

Course rules

Social distancing markings at the entrance

Hole 1

It'll be nice to have a round on the 10-hole seafront course in the future.

In addition to the minigolf signs I've been documenting all of the Covid-19 signs I've seen on my Instagram account.

Toys R Us in Stockton-on-Tees

A visit to the old Toys R Us store at Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees.

We recently took a look at the former Toys R Us in Stockton-on-Tees.

It's a very nice example of a closed store, with lots of the original signage still visible.

I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's fun to see that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK. 

Check out my blog posts below about other former Toys R Us stores:

• Enfield Retail Park in Enfield
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby
• Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham

Blockbuster in Billingham

A look at the old Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

The former Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham is one of the last remaining Blockbuster storefronts that is almost fully intact in the UK.

It's always interesting seeing ghost signs for lost brands and even better when those ghost signs are so fresh looking.

Blockbuster in the UK

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

Blockbuster around the world

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores operating around the world. There is now just one remaining store open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Blockbuster visits

We've visited a number of former Blockbuster locations, including:

• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Colne, Lancashire
• Chester, Cheshire
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Wythenshawe, Manchester
• Billingham, Teesside

Toys R Us at Teesside Park in Stockton-on-Tees

A look at the old Toys R Us store at Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. Luckily there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK. I worked in the Gipsy Lane store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Check out my blog posts below about other former Toys R Us stores:

• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby
• Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham

Lofty's Crazy Golf course in Seaton Carew

A visit to Lofty's Crazy Golf course in Seaton Carew, Teesside.

We made our first new minigolf course visit of the year yesterday as we swung by Lofty's Crazy Golf course on the seafront in Seaton Carew, Teeside.

We couldn't get a game as it was a weekday out-of-season so the course wasn't open.

It looks like a fun layout and very well made. We'll be heading back to play in the future.

Check out the Lofty's Crazy Golf website for more information, opening times and prices for the 10-hole course.

It was the first new course we've visited since the 3rd September last year!

We've now been to 957 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

Blockbuster Video Express in Billingham

A visit to the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

This is one of the very last remaining Blockbuster store shopfronts that is almost fully intact in the UK.

What a sight!

Many thanks to LaserDisc Turtle on Twitter for letting me know about the store's existence and Visual Sound on Instagram for recently letting me know it was still there.

We live near an abandoned Blockbuster Video store here in Manchester. It's always an eerie, interesting and nostalgic thing to drive past the old shop at Fallowfield Retail Park.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world. There is now just one remaining store open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

We've visited a number of former Blockbuster locations, including the site in Colne, Lancashire last summer.

New Crazy Golf course planned for Redcar

The Coatham area of Redcar in Teesside will be home to a new 18-hole Crazy Golf course on the site of the former Coatham Bowl.

We've been to Redcar a couple of times on our travels around Teesside and it'll be good to head back to play the new course in the future.

New indoor minigolf course in Seaton Carew

A new indoor minigolf venue is now open in Seaton Carew, Teesside.

Drive & Putt has opened at the Sports Domes in Seaton Carew, Hartlepool.

In September 2018 we tried to play the Golf Trail adventure putting course at the Golf Dome in the town. Sadly it had closed down.

The venue is now under new ownership.

It's another new minigolf course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Visit the Drive & Putt Facebook Page for more information.

Minigolf in Seaton Carew

As well as the new Dive & Putt course you can also play outdoors at Lofty's Crazy Golf.

On our first visit to Seaton Carew in 2009 we looked for the old Crazy Golf course but found no trace of it.

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