Pubs of Stockport during the coronavirus pandemic

A look at Stopfordian Pubs during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Four years ago today we photographed The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. It became the first of 265 pubs, bars and clubs we visited in the borough between April and the 4th of July when the first coronavirus pandemic lockdown ended.

Pub number 1 - The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. A lovely Art Deco building. We'd never seen it shuttered before the lockdown

We visited each of the pubs while on our daily outdoor exercise between Wednesday 1st April and before pubs were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures on Saturday 4th July.

It gave us something to do during the lockdowns and it was interesting to see the variety of architecture, different signage, parts of the town we haven't been to for a long time and other parts of the area we've never been to. I documented the pubs on Instagram using the #StopfordianPubs tag.

At the 265th pub on our lockdown 'pub crawl'. Not a drop was drunk on our daily walks in April, May, June and July

Pubs of Stockport during the coronavirus pandemic

A look at Stopfordian Pubs.

Three years ago today we photographed The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. It became the first of 265 pubs, bars and clubs we visited in the borough between April and the 4th of July when the first lockdown ended.

Pub number 1 - The Kings Tap on Station Road in Cheadle Hulme. A lovely Art Deco building. We'd never seen it shuttered before the lockdown

We visited each of the pubs while on our daily outdoor exercise between Wednesday 1st April and before pubs were allowed to reopen with social distancing measures on Saturday 4th July.

It gave us something to do during the lockdowns and it was interesting to see the variety of architecture, different signage, parts of the town we haven't been to for a long time and other parts of the area we've never been to. I documented the pubs on Instagram using the #StopfordianPubs tag.

At the 265th pub on our lockdown 'pub crawl'. Not a drop was drunk on our daily walks in April, May, June and July

Dr Pac-Man's Covid-19 Testing Centre in Lanzarote

We've been documenting the signs of the covid times since the pandemic began in 2020 and have seen a number of different, interesting and fun ways to promote social distancing, testing and getting a jab.

Doctors Covid-19 Testing in Lanzarote

This escalator advertising for a Covid-19 Testing Centre that Emily spotted in Lanzarote last month is one of the best!

Surely Pac-Man should be avoiding the covvy though!

Doctors Covid-19 Testing in Lanzarote

Herne Bay Mini Golf

A look at the Mini Golf course on the seafront in Herne Bay, Kent.

Herne Bay Mini Golf

We revisited the 78th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last month.

Mini Golf Rules

It doesn't seem like we first swung by it in 2008! Time certainly flies.

We've now been to 983 courses on our travels since 2006.

Visit the iFun Family Entertainment Centre website for more info on the Herne Bay Mini Golf course.

I've been documenting coronavirus signs during the pandemic and it was interesting to see some social distancing signs at the Herne Bay course.

A Covid-19 sign at Herne Bay Mini Golf

A social distancing sign on the Herne Bay Mini Golf course

A Coronavirus social distancing sign at Herne Bay Mini Golf

Social Distancing signs at SEA LIFE Blackpool

A look at the social distancing signs at the SEA LIFE centre in Blackpool.

I spotted these nice social distancing signs outside the SEA LIFE centre on the promenade in Blackpool on my trip to the seaside town last month.

I've been documenting all of the Covid-19 signs I've seen during the pandemic on my Instagram account and here on the blog.

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.

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.

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.

Pac-Man at Southampton Inside/Out

We spotted Pac-Man and a blue ghost while walking around Southampton last month!

They were created as part of the social distancing floor markings as part of the Southampton Inside Out dining campaign to create more places to dine out during the coronavirus pandemic.

Woolworths in Nuneaton

Finding a Woolworths ghost sign.

We were surprised to see a Woolworths ghost sign while walking through Nuneaton town centre!

The sign was above the store's former entrance on Queens Road.

Social distancing signage alongside Woolworths branding - not something I ever thought I'd see

The shop was most recently a Poundland and before then had been a 99p Stores and a TJ Hughes.

It's always fun seeing old & lost brands, ghost signs and retail relics.

You can see some of Poundland's 'Sorry We Have Closed' messaging on the shopfront. Interestingly one of our local Poundland shops in Stockport has recently closed and where the signage has been removed you can see a British Home Stores ghost sign

Other Woolies

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009 so it's always nice when remnants of the brand become visible again.

We visited the Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent last September. That store still has the signage in place and we'd originally spotted it while driving through the town the previous November.

We took a look at an old Woolworths store in Brunstane, Edinburgh in August 2011. That was a Big W Woolworths store at The Jewel retail park. It's long gone now.

You can however still see an old mosaic tile logo at the former Woolworths on Stamford Street Central in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.

Interestingly there's a Woolworths Pick n' Mix Crazy Golf hole at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry!

The Dull Men's Club Self-Isolators of the Year Award

We won it.

We have been declared the Self-Isolators of the Year by the Dull Men's Club for the way we have continued to explore, promote and enjoy our minigolf hobby during the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

In recent years the Dull Men's Club has presented an 'Anorak of the Year' award. For 2018 it was presented to Kevin Beresford from Redditch, founder of the Roundabout Appreciation Society. For 2019 to Archie Workman, a drainspotter in Cumbria.

Leland Carlson, Assistant Vice President of the Dull Men's Club said "Normally the Dull Men's Club would have awarded the Dull Man of the Year Award in person, but coronavirus has put a stop to our ability to meet up and discuss the merits of our member's interests and present the award. At the last event in Manchester in November 2019 we awarded Archie Workman the Dull Man of the Year Award for his services to the world of Drain Spotting."

Leland continued "2020 was certainly a different year to most and it's unfortunate that the wide-range of people who make up our club haven't been able to get together in person. We've had a lot of conversations and meetings online and found that members of the club have adapted remarkably well to life indoors. Many of the hobbies and pastimes we practise are perfect for whiling away the hours, days, weeks and months of a lockdown."

"Richard and Emily are long-standing members of the club and always supportive of our events and the interests of fellow Dull people. While on the surface minigolf is not the dullest of activities and many would argue it is far more flashy than its 'big' brother Golf, there are plenty of rabbit holes to head down to research, explore and archive in the mini game. Dullness is a spectrum and everyone's hobby or interest has a place on it."

We appear in the 2021 edition of the Dull Men's Club Calendar along with a number of other characters each with their own 'dull' pursuit.

It was fun to be included in the Dull Men's Club Calendar again this year after debuting in the 2017 edition. To have been presented with the Self-Isolators of the Year Award is a fine accomplishment.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and obsession with the game does cause mixed opinions - some people find our fascination with all things related to miniature golf over-the-top to the point of dullness.

We're looking forward to getting back out on our minigolf travels again soon

I have given presentations on the history of minigolf at a number of Dull Men's Club events and always get good feedback. Perhaps it's a nice palate cleanser on the agenda in-between talks about such things as roundabouts, telegraph poles, postcards, cacti, drains, lawnmowers, giant vegetables and valve radios. I'm certainly looking forward to the time when we're able to meet up in person again to hear about other people's hobbies and interests and also what they've been up to during lockdown.

Minigolfing activities we have been involved in during the last year have included:

• Creating crazy golf holes and obstacles at home.
• Promoting a minigolf bucket list of things to do.
• Judging a crazy golf course design competition with the Filwood Fantastic Mini Golf Club community group in Knowle West, Bristol.
• Helping two charities re-open a crazy golf course on Princess Parade in Blackpool.
• Archiving contents in the online Crazy Golf Museum.
• Competing in tournaments on the Putt18 home putting game where we play against people in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and other parts of the UK.

When the first lockdown started we did wonder when we'd be able to play minigolf again, but as we're always keen to be active in minigolf projects we've managed to find lots to do.

I've been playing a lot of indoor golf in the last year

We have now visited 957 minigolf courses around the world since 2006, with 918 of them in the British Isles. In recent years before the pandemic we had visited around 60-80 new courses per year. We got off to a tremendous start to 2020 and visited 20 courses in the first 20 days of the year. But by the end of the year we had only been able to get to a total of 46.

Lofty's Crazy Golf course in Seaton Carew was the first course we've visited this year

Find out more on the Dull Men's Club website.

The Dull Men's Club 2021 Calendar is available from Amazon.

Signs of the coronavirus pandemic times

A look at signs of the Coronavirus pandemic, social distancing and lockdown.

I've been documenting the coronavirus pandemic in a number of ways, one of which is by photographing the different signs and posters I see on my walks and limited travels.

We're one year into lockdown in the UK and in that time I've collated some 922 of these (and counting) on my Instagram account.

One of the very first signs I snapped was this one during a local walk that passed by Cheadle Angling Club on Demmings Road in Cheadle.

We first saw social distancing measures in place at a miniature golf course in person on a walk to Bruntwood Park in Cheadle in May last year.

There is certainly a real variety of warnings, instructions and directional signage to do with social distancing, and I was amused by this photo Emily took of the social distancing measures in place on an escalator in M&S!

Surely the 2 metre apart distance stickers should be on the moving walkway as well, rather than the static sides of the escalator? I wonder how many people adhere to the rule and wait for the person ahead of them to reach the first marker?

Have you seen any interesting, quirky or amusing signs during these pandemic times? Do let me know.