The Codfather in Sudbury

The latest Godfather-inspired business name and sign we've seen was in Sudbury, Suffolk.

Yarmouth Stores in Lowestoft

We saw this nice old shop doorway tile mosaic advertising Yarmouth Stores while in Lowestoft last month.

The company was incorporated in 1898 and is still trading today. Check out the Yarmo website for more information.

Toys R Us in Ipswich, Suffolk

A look at the old Toys R Us store in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Toys R Us closed it's UK stores in April 2018. However, there are still visible remnants of the old brand around the UK.

A sign at the old Toys R Us store at the Interchange Retail Park in Ipswich

Toys R Us travels

We've visited a number of former Toys R Us sites over the last couple of years, the latest being in Norwich and Ipswich.

As close as you can get to the Ipswich store

Working at Toys R Us

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

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

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

Toys R Us in Norwich, Norfolk

A look at the closed Toys R Us store in Norwich, Norfolk.

Toys R Us in Norwich

Toys R Us closed it's UK stores in April 2018. However, there are still visible remnants of the old brand around the UK.

Closed

Toys R Us travels

We've visited a number of former Toys R Us sites over the last couple of years, the latest being in Norwich and Ipswich. 

At another former store location

Working at Toys R Us

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

Toys R Us in Norwich

Toys R Us at the Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich (August 2021)

The sign on the side of the former store in Norwich

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

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

The old Happy Shopper shop in Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk

Finding an old Happy Shopper shop in Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk.

During the pandemic we've been feeling very nostalgic. One of the brands we thought about was Happy Shopper - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's and the classic logo is a wonderful sight.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were happy to find out we were wrong when we saw one in Preston (while en route to check out an abandoned Toys R Us store) last September.

Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few others on our limited travels outside of lockdown.

This one in Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk is a definite favourite. We were lucky enough to visit it during our East Anglian minigolf road-trip last month.

A happy shopper at the, sadly now closed, Ashwellthorpe Stores in Norfolk

Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Lowestoft (2011)
• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2021)

Play glow in the dark golf at the MiniLinks this Halloween

The MiniLinks golf centre in Lytham St Annes is lighting up its three courses for night golf this Halloween.

The MiniLinks in Lytham St Annes is home to three miniature golf courses and will be lighting them up for night golf play this Halloween.

From 5pm to midnight on Halloween night, Sunday 31st October, you'll be able to have a round on the 18-hole Par-3 Championship course, the 9-hole Crazy Golf layout and the 18-hole Pennines Putting grass mini-golf course.

Check out the MiniLinks website for more information.

We've played the three courses at the MiniLinks a number of times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and they are a nice mix of layouts. The 18-hole Par-3 is a very nice 'big' golf course and the Pennines Putting is a great grass course.

Crazy Golf at the MiniLinks in Lytham St Annes

Par-3 Golf at the MiniLinks in Lytham St Annes

Pennines Putting at the MiniLinks in Lytham St Annes

It's brilliant to hear about Halloween-themed minigolf events and I look forward to seeing what the MiniLinks courses look and play like by night.

Glo Golf in Peterborough

A look at the Glo Golf Peterborough indoor UV minigolf course in Peterborough city centre.

 

It was the 969th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

 

Check out the Glo Golf Peterborough website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Canterbury Leisure

There's a crazy golf, tenpin bowling and laser tag centre in Canterbury, Kent.

The crazy golf, tenpin bowling and laser tag centre on Wincheap Industrial Estate in Canterbury, Kent has re-opened as Canterbury Leisure. The venue was formerly known as Play Islands.

It's a course we hadn't played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour before the pandemic, but one that is now on our to visit list.

Visit the Canterbury Leisure website for more information on Crazy Golf Canterbury.

One of the last buses out of dodge

Stockport bus station closes at the end of today, Sunday 29th August 2021.

Work will then begin on a new bus station as well as other developments in this area.

We saw this old orange Manchester bus on its Stockport Bus Station Special Farewell Tour in the town centre yesterday.

An old orange Manchester SELNEC bus on a Farewell to Stockport Bus Station Tour

Videos of the area before the closure

A view of Stockport bus station - as well as the Hat Museum and Viaduct. Filmed the day before the bus station closed.

A view of Stockport bus station - as well as the Stockport Plaza, Wellington Road South (A6), the Hat Museum, Viaduct and Merseyway shopping centre. Filmed the day before the bus station closed.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Eaton Park in Norwich, Norfolk.

My brother Christopher took a stroll round Eaton Park in Norwich and sent me this snap of the Crazy Golf course there.

We played the layout on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in May 2017 when the 18-hole course became the 432nd played and 734th visited overall. We had a superb time playing the course and the park is a marvellous setting for a game.

Check out the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course website for more information.

Halloween Putt Putt at Victoria Park in Herston, Queensland

There will be Halloween Putt Putt at Victoria Park Golf Complex in Brisbane, Australia in September and October.

The miniature golf course at Victoria Park Herston, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia has a Halloween Putt Putt event running from the 17th September to the 31st October.

For more information visit the Victoria Park Golf Complex website.

Halloween minigolf

We're big fans of Halloween and haunted minigolf courses so it was excellent to hear about this event. We've played a few Halloween and haunted-themed courses and holes on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Hopefully we'll see some in the UK again.

It'll be interesting to see what other decorated and themed miniature golf courses we find out about in the run up to Halloween this year...

Zingers Adventure Golf in Portsmouth

A new indoor adventure golf course is opening in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Many thanks to our friend Dave Ronchetti for letting us know about Zingers Adventure Golf in Portsmouth. The new 9-hole UV glow-in-the-dark indoor minigolf course is opening at The Bridge Shopping Centre in Fratton, Portsmouth on the 28th August.

Check out the Zingers Adventure Golf website for more information.

Shopping centre minigolf

Zingers Adventure Golf is the latest miniature golf course to open in a shopping centre. Overall the game is booming and lots of former retail space is now being used as entertainment space, with minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf a popular choice.

Minigolfing in Portsmouth and Southsea

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour began down in Southsea back in 2006 when we played the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course on the seafront. Dave still lives locally and has tipped us off about a few other courses he's seen and heard about over the years.

We're looking forward to our next trip down to Portsmouth and Southsea.

An East Anglian Minigolf Road-Trip

Visiting and playing some minigolf in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.

We've just returned from a trip to East Anglia to visit family and friends in the area. It's the first time we've been there since 2019 and there were a few new minigolf courses to swing by on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We also managed to revisit some of our favourite layouts on the trip.

Before the holiday Emily and I had visited a combined total of 967 courses since September 2006. My little brother Christopher is a founding member of the tour and with the courses he has been to we were at 998 courses. With his wife Nina joining the adventures the tally stood at 999 courses before the trip!

In total we managed to visit thirteen courses, with six of them being new to our tour. Some of the courses we had played at before had undergone some changes, with new names and the addition of new holes to extend the layouts.

We also hit the 1,000th course visit milestone on the trip. Twice. The first was at Glo Golf in Peterborough, the second was at Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich.

Here's a look at the lucky thirteen courses and the stats from our trip.

Pitch & Putt at Orton Meadows Golf Course in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

• Course visit 968 by Richard & Emily Gottfried.
• Number 929 in the British Isles.
• The 998th visited on the three founding members Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.
• The 999th visited on our combined travels.

Glo Golf in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

• Course visit 969 by Richard & Emily.
• Number 930 in the British Isles.
• The 551st course we've played.
• The 999th visited on the founders tour.
• The 1000th visited on the combined tour.

Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich, Norfolk

• Course visit 970 by Richard & Emily.
• Number 931 in the British Isles.
• The 552nd played.
• The 1000th visited on the founders tour.
• The 1001st visited on the combined tour.

Pirates Island Adventure Golf at Norfolk Premier Golf in Blofield, Norfolk

• Course visit numbers 971 / 1001 / 1002.

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk

• A revisit to the 88th course played.

Stonehenge Mini Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk

• A revisit to the 174th course played.

Thatched Roof Putting / Kirkley Cliff Putting Green in Lowestoft, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 264th course played.
• The easternmost Putting course in the British Isles.

Family Adventure Golf at Little Joe's Ice Cream Shack in Lowestoft, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 20th course played.
• The easternmost Adventure Golf course in the British Isles.

Magical Golf at Mannings in Felixstowe, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 5th course played.

Fantasia Adventure Golf in Felixstowe, Suffolk

• A revisit to the 7th course played.

Skull Point Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

• Course visit numbers 972 / 1002 / 1003.

Greensward Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

• Course visit numbers 973 / 1003 / 1004.

Pavilion Adventure Golf at the Pavilion Fun Park in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

• A revisit to the 94th course played.
• It was an 11-hole course, now a 14-hole Adventure Golf course with a different theme.

Check out our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour page to see details of all the courses we've been to since September 2006.

Plans for a new adventure golf course in Folkestone

Folkestone in Kent could be home to a new Roman-themed minigolf course.

A new Roman-themed attraction has been proposed for the East Cliff area of Folkestone, Kent and part of the venue could include an adventure golf course.

The Folkestone Parks and Pleasure Ground Charity is the organisation behind the proposal.

Should the course get the go ahead it'll be another place to revisit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We have played minigolf in Folkestone before, way back in 2010. There's also a very good art installation on the seafront where the old Arnold Palmer Putting Course from the Rotunda theme park has been incorporated into a series of beach huts!

New haunted mini-golf course opening in October

A new haunted house mini-golf course is opening in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada this October.

The haunted indoor mini-golf course is opening at a haunted Victorian manor house in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in time for Halloween.

Check out the Haunted Manor Mini-Golf and Ping Pong Lounge website for more information.

Halloween minigolf

We're big fans of haunted and scary minigolf courses so it was brilliant to hear about this new course. We've played a few Halloween and haunted-themed courses and holes on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, but not nearly enough!

It'll be interesting to see what other scarily decorated and themed minigolf courses we hear about in the run up to Halloween this year...

Minigolf in Manchester city centre

A look at miniature golf courses in Manchester.

There are a number of options for minigolfing in Greater Manchester, with a variety of courses to play, ranging from traditional crazy golf to indoor minigolf to new adventure golf layouts. The city centre itself has seen an increase in courses over the last few years and there are more to open in the coming months too!

Here's a look at the minigolf courses in Manchester city centre.

Junkyard Golf, First Street

Home to three 9-hole indoor crazy golf courses.

Blog from our visit.

Junkyard Golf's website.

Treetop Adventure Golf, The Printworks

A venue with two 18-hole indoor adventure golf courses.

Blog from our visit.

Treetop Adventure Golf's website.

Roxy Ball Room, Deansgate

Home to an 18-hole indoor mini golf course.

Blog from our visit.

Roxy Ball Room's website.

Roxy Ball Room, Withy Grove

Home to a crazy pool layout (a cross between pool and crazy golf - played with cues, golf balls and obstacles on tables).

Roxy Ball Room's website.

Putters Mini-Golf at the Urban Playground, Arndale centre

A new indoor mini-golf course opening in 2021.

Urban Playground's website.

Crazier Golf at Boom: Battle Bar, The Printworks

A new indoor crazy golf course opening in the future.

Boom: Battle Bar's website.

Minigolfing in Manchester

We've been travelling to play minigolf in Manchester since 2009 when I won the Mini Masters and Mini Open at the Trafford Golf Centre. I also won the Chrizy Golf Masters at Piccadilly Place in 2012. We moved to Stockport in 2016 and have continued to compete in events. Emily won the Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open in 2019, while I won the tournament in 2018. I also won the DinoFalls Masters at the Trafford Golf Centre in 2018.

Potion Putt - A Wizardry Mini Golf Course in Denver, CO, USA

A new magic-themed pop-up minigolf course is opening in Denver, Colorado, USA.

Potion Putt is opening in the city at an as yet to be announced secret location in February 2022.

The 9-hole magical golf course is being created by Explore Hidden. You can find out more about Potion Putt - A Wizardry Mini Golf Course on the Explore Hidden website.

Magical minigolf

Magic-themed miniature golf courses are becoming more popular and we've seen a few on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

It'd be nice to return to Denver in the future. I had a great time in the city back in 2009. On that occasion I got to play some minigolf at the Boondocks Fun Center in Northglenn, Colorado.

New Boom: Battle Bars opening soon

There are plans for lots of new Boom: Battle Bar indoor entertainment venues to open in the coming months.

As well as the existing locations in Norwich, Cardiff, Lakeside, Eastbourne and Liverpool there are plans for new Boom: Battle Bars to open in:

• Aldgate East, London
• Bath
• Blackpool
• Bournemouth
• Chelmsford
• Coventry
• Ealing, London
• Edinburgh
• Exeter
• Glasgow
• Hull
• Ipswich
• Leeds
• Manchester
• Oxford
• Oxford Street, London
• Reading
• Sheffield
• Southampton
• Swindon
• The O2, London
• Wandsworth, London
• Watford

Boom: Battle Bars are home to crazy golf courses, shuffleboard, darts, axe throwing and more.

Visit the Boom: Battle Bar website for more information.

We played the 'Crazier Golf' course at the original Boom: Battle Bar in Norwich while on our recent Crazy World of Minigolf Tour trip to East Anglia.

Playing hole 1 of the Crazier Golf course at Boom: Battle Bar at the Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Norwich

Galaxy Golf at Apex Kart in Chester

There's a new indoor mini golf course at Apex Kart in Chester.

The Apex Kart centre in Chester, Cheshire is now home to a new indoor, space-themed mini golf course.

Check out the Galaxy Golf information on the Apex Kart website.

Galaxy Golf at Apex Kart is another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. It's not a million miles away for us to get to either.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf in Coventry

There's a new Galaxy Quest Mini Golf course in Coventry.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf is now open at Laser Quest in Coventry.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf in Coventry is the sister venue of the Galaxy Quest Mini Golf courses at Laser Quest Sunderland and Laser Quest Derby. Visit the Galaxy Quest Mini Golf website for more information.

It's another new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on a return trip to Coventry.

Adventure Golf at Southwold Boating Lake and Cafe

There's a new Adventure Golf course at Southwold Boating Lake and Cafe.

A new 12-hole heritage-themed Adventure Golf course has opened at Southwold Boating Lake and Cafe in Suffolk.

Visit the Southwold Boating Lake and Cafe Facebook Page for more information.

We've visited Southwold on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and on our last visit swung by the Crazy Golf course at the Boating Lake & Cafe on North Parade.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf in Sunderland

There's a new Galaxy Quest Mini Golf course in Sunderland.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf is now open at Laser Quest in Sunderland.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf in Sunderland is the sister venue of the Galaxy Quest Mini Golf courses at Laser Quest Coventry and Laser Quest Derby.

Visit the Galaxy Quest Mini Golf website for more information.

It's another new course for us to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on a return visit to Sunderland.

Mini-golf at the Urban Playground in Manchester

A mini-golf course is opening as part of the new Urban Playground in Manchester.

A new competitive socialising venue is opening at the Arndale Centre in Manchester and one of the activities on offer will be mini-golf.

The Urban Playground in Manchester will be home to the indoor minigolf course, The Cube Live and food & drinks.

Looking on the website Putters Mini-Golf at the Urban Playground will be a tech-based course.

The Urban Playground will be another new local venue for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Urban Playground entertainment centre is being created by the Mellors Group who own Skegness Pier and Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells. We've played minigolf at Fantasy Island before. The course there was underneath a rollercoaster! There's a new Lava Creek Adventure Golf course we haven't yet had a go on at Fantasy Island too.

Many thanks to our friend Jam Trubridge for letting us know about Putters Mini-Golf and the Urban Playground.

Minigolf at Laser Quest Derby

There's a minigolf course at Laser Quest Derby.

Many thanks to my friend and minigolf rival Jam Trubridge for letting me know there's a minigolf course at the Laser Quest centre in Derby. The indoor layout is a 9-hole glow-in-the-dark course. It's a new local course for him and one we're looking forward to playing on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Galaxy Quest Mini Golf in Derby is the sister venue of the Galaxy Quest Mini Golf at Laser Quest Sunderland and another new course at Laser Quest Coventry.

Visit the Galaxy Quest Mini Golf website for more information.