Toys R Us at Gateway Retail Park in Reading

Spotting an abandoned Toys R Us store in Reading, Berkshire.

We were surprised to see an old Toys R Us store while driving through Reading back in September 2022.

The shop unit at Gateway retail park looked to be in great condition and most of the signage and branding was still on display.

This particular branch of Toys R Us was only open for five months before the brand ceased trading in the UK.

Toys R Us closed its UK operation 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

Mini-Golf at Prospect Park in Reading

A look at the 999th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The 999th course we visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 9-hole Mini-Golf layout at Prospect Park in Reading, Berkshire on the 2nd September 2022.

Visit the course website for more information.

Spinners Mini Golf in Plymouth and Solihull

Two new Spinners Crazy Golf courses are opening this year.

The team at Spinners are opening two new venues in 2023.

Spinners Plymouth and Spinners Solihull will be new places for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Spinners has a course in Reading, Berkshire.

Check out the Spinners website for more information.

Toys R Us in Reading, Berkshire

Spotting an abandoned Toys R Us store in Reading, Berkshire.

We were surprised to see an old Toys R Us store while driving through Reading last Friday!

It still looks new

The shop unit at Gateway retail park looked in great condition and most of the signage and branding was still on display.

This particular branch of Toys R Us was only open for five months before the brand ceased trading in the UK.

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.

With Geoffrey in Reading

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

Minigolf courses 999, 1,000 and 1,001

Hitting our 1,000th minigolf course visit.

We reached our minigolf milestone of 1,000 course visits on a trip south last week when we swung by three new locations on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Course 999 - Mini-Golf at Prospect Park in Reading, Berkshire

Course 1,000 - Spinners Mini Golf in Reading town centre

Course 1,001 - Wildforest Falls Adventure Golf in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. This course was created on the same spot that had been a Putting Green

The first place we played on what would become a mammoth mission to visit all the courses in the UK was Treasure Island Adventure Golf on Southsea seafront back on the 30th September 2006 when Emily, me and my brother Christopher had a game on the 9-hole course and I won a Free Game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole.

When combined with my brother's branch of the tour, the total number of courses we've visited in the last 16 years is 1,041!

Back in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. Many many more have opened since and we've noted hundreds of new locations in the last couple of years.

We've been able to play 561 of the 1,001 courses Emily and I have been to as some have not been open, others were abandoned, derelict or completely removed from the spot they were supposed to be on!

The 18-hole Arnold Palmer Putting Course at Waterloo Gardens on the esplanade in Bognor Regis was the 275th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in October 2011. It's a superb layout and was a real pleasure to play it again. When I played Emily in 2011 I lost with a round of 42 to her 39. This time I shot another 42!

The remains of the old Crazy Golf course at Hotham Park in Bognor Regis can still be seen. We played it in 2011

Of the 1,001 courses, 956 have been in the British Isles, with others visited on our overseas travels.

Take a look at the full list of our epic Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Spinners Mini Golf opening in Reading

The new Spinners Mini Golf course in Reading, Berkshire is opening next week.

Spinners in Reading's Broad Street Mall will be opening its doors on Tuesday 29th June.

As well as the miniature golf course Spinners is home to tenpin bowling and darts activities.

Visit the Spinners Crazy Golf & Bowling website for more information, opening times and prices.

Spinners is another new venue for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Puttshack mini golf to open at The Oracle in Reading

Puttshack will be opening a new indoor minigolf venue at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, Berkshire.

The new Puttshack mini golf location will be created in the former House of Fraser department store.

Playing at Puttshack White City in October 2019

Visit the Puttshack website for more information.

Minigolf is a big part of the retailtainment boom, with courses opening as standalone entertainment activities, or as part of large shoppingtainment leisure offerings in shopping malls, high streets and retail parks.

New minigolf course in Reading

A new minigolf course is being created as part of an activity centre at Prospect Park in Reading, Berkshire.

The centre will also include a climbing wall and rope course.

It'll be another new course to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the future.

Miniature Golf in Reading

A new indoor adventure golf course is also planned to open at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading. The new venue will replace the House of Fraser department store. As well as indoor minigolf the location will also be home to a food hall and tenpin bowling.

There are also plans for a Mini Golf & Bowling Lounge at the Broad Street Mall in the town.

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New indoor adventure golf course heading to Reading

A new indoor adventure golf course is planned to open at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, Berkshire and the news was covered on BBC Radio Berkshire afternoon's show yesterday.

I was a guest on the programme to talk about the wide world of minigolf.

The episode is available for 29 days and can be listened to at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08l9kc5

The piece about Crazy Golf begins at 3h 19m 50s.

The new venue at The Oracle in Reading will replace the House of Fraser department store. As well as indoor minigolf the location will also be home to a food hall and tenpin bowling.

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BUNKER Mini Golf & Bowling Lounge heading to Reading

A new minigolf and tenpin bowling venue is opening in Reading.

Reading will be home to a new indoor minigolf venue as BUNKER Mini Golf & Bowling Lounge opens at the Broad Street Mall in the town.

There will be a 12-hole minigolf course and two tenpin bowling lanes.

Visit the BUNKER Mini Golf & Bowling Lounge website for more information.

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Traditionally the two leisure activities have been quite separate and distinct, with people choosing to do either one or other and most operators running either a minigolf course or tenpin bowling alley.

With the rise in the popularity of minigolf and the growth in new courses, a number of tenpin bowling centres have added minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses. While other new sites are including both games from the start.

World Book Day 2015

World Book Day 2015 is on 5 March.

Since I last blogged about World Book Day I've added some more great books to my collection.

In that post in 2012 I wrote about Nutters With Putters, 10 Courses for 10 Years, the Beginner's Guide to Miniature Golf, Montegue Blister's Strange Games, Wacky Nation, The Underdog, Tilting at Windmills and In Search Of The Tiger: A Golfing Odyssey.

Since then new books within my spheres of interest have included:

- 'Come Home at Once' by avid postcard collector Guy Atkins.

- 'The Year of Reading Dangerously' by Andy Miller (the author of the excellent minigolf book Tilting at Windmills).

- 'Crap Days Out' by Gareth Rubin, with contributions by Jon Parker.

- 'Bushell's Best Bits' by BBC TV's Mike Bushell.

- 'Mini Golf' by photographer Simon Martin.

- 'Seaside Polaroids' by Jon Nicholson.

- ‘The Other Olympics’ by Matt Roebuck.

World Book Day is the biggest annual celebration of books and reading. Check out the World Book Day website for information, FAQs and more.

Although World Book Day takes place on 5 March in the UK and Ireland, most other countries hold World book Day on 23 April each year!

Links:
- World Book Day website
- World Book Day (UK and Ireland) on Facebook
- World Book Day (UK and Ireland) on Twitter
- Miniature Golf in Books on The Crazy Golf Museum website

Related blog posts:
- Books
- World Book Day
- Miniature Golf Books for World Book Day