Crazy Golf in Troon, Scotland

Visiting the seafront Crazy Golf course in Troon.

A view of the 18-hole Crazy Golf course on Troon seafront

The 573rd miniature golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the 18-hole Crazy Golf course on Troon seafront.

The Crazy Golf course in Troon

Unfortunately for us it was closed when we visited - it was very rainy though, so quite understandable. One of the few days when we had really bad weather on our holiday in Scotland.

The sign at the Crazy Golf course says Now Open, but the weather meant it was Closed on our visit

The concrete Crazy Golf course had some interesting and colourful looking obstacles and one day we may well get to play it. As it stands it became the 231st course we've visited but not played on our tour.

Reading one of the local papers on the Saturday evening before our visit on the Sunday I noticed that a Commonwealth Games Beach Day had been held on Troon South Beach that afternoon and one of the events was the Scottish Putting Championship! The competition was played in the Italian Sunken Gardens and was a new event that is planned to be held each year. The last time a Putting Championship had been held in the town was in 1964.

While in Troon we also visited Royal Troon Golf Club!

Outside the clubhouse at Royal Troon Golf Club. We popped inside to visit the Pro Shop and also had a look at the Claret Jug and display of historical artifacts from the club in the lobby area. A nice friendly spot

Royal Troon Golf Club is the third Open venue we've visited on our travels, the first being St Andrews, the second at Musselburgh. Shortly after we headed along the coast to Prestwick and walked past another venue of the Open Championship - the very first host course at Prestwick Golf Club. We were visiting Prestwick to have a look at the new Putting Green at Prestwick Beach.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland

New Free From range at the Co-operative

Spotting the Co-operative's new Loved by us Free From range of products.

Another day and another new gluten free cereal! Having been tipped-off about the new gluten free Corn Flakes from Nestlé a couple of days ago, yesterday I spotted that the Co-operative has rebranded its Free From product range - and now includes a Honey Coated Puffed Rice breakfast cereal.

I had a bowl of it for breakfast this morning and it tasted great. Not too bad for £2 a box. Another gluten free cereal for my fellow Crazy Golfer and blogger Phil Botto at The Cereal Quest to eat.

The new Free From Honey Coated Puffed Rice at the Co-operative

Unfortunately for me as someone with Coeliac Disease (and high sensitivity to oats) I was annoyed to see that the Co-Op's Free From Chocolate Digestive Biscuits are made from Oat Flour. I do hope Oat Flour doesn't become the norm for making 'free from' foods. I've had a few run-ins with biscuits, cakes and cereals that have been marked as 'Gluten & Wheat Free', but tucked away on the ingredients list are the evil oats.

The Chocolate Brownies sound and look nice, if a little small considering the large box they're in!

Three of the newly re-branded Free From products at the Co-operative

The new Free From sliced white loaf looks to be a good size and consistency (from what I could tell through the packaging).

The Co-operative's new Free From bread and spaghetti

There were a number of other products in the new pink and yellow (formerly brown and yellow) branded Free From range at the Co-operative that I'll no doubt be trying over the coming months and years.

Links:
- The Co-operative Food
- The Cereal Quest
- Coeliac UK

Related blog posts:
- Cereal
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac

Finger Jousting Win-Loss Record

'Squire' Richard of Surleigh's Finger Jousting Win/Loss Record from 2006-2014.

With the 2014 World Finger Jousting Championships taking place at the World Alternative Games in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales fast approaching here is an update of my Finger Jousting Win/Loss Record as 'Squire' Richard of Surleigh.

Career Win-Loss Record Stats
- Played 132
- Won 120
- Lost 9
- Tied 3
- % Won 90.91%

Matches (Pre-Official Membership of the WFJF)
- Played 14
- Won 9
- Lost 5
- Tied 0
- % Won 64.29%

Matches (Since Official Membership of the WFJF)
- Played 118
- Won 111
- Lost 4
- Tied 3
- % Won 94.07%



Finger jousting is a sport where two consenting players square off in an attempt to prod their opponent with their lancing (right) index finger before the opposing player can. The competitors must keep their right hands locked in an arm wrestling fashion and not use their legs or latent (left) arm in an offensive manner. The competitors are known as jousters, and the act of touching the other person’s body with the index finger is known as lancing.

Since the 5th October 2006 I have faced over 30 different opponents in 24 different locations and I am undefeated for over seven years (21.12.06 - present) - an 89 bout undefeated streak.

Links:
- World Finger Jousting Federation
- World Alternative Games 2014

Related blog posts:
- Finger Jousting video - Squire Richard of Surleigh vs. Sir Myles of Hampshire
- News Release - World Finger Jousting Championships at World Alternative Games 2014
- Finger Jousting in Llanyrafon, Cwmbran, Wales
- Finger Jousting

Crazy Croquet at Hemsby Mega Maze

Finding out about the new game of Crazy Croquet.

My cousins have recently been on holiday in Norfolk and one of the places they visited was Hemsby Mega Maze where they discovered the game of Crazy Croquet!

Photos of the course by Sarah Roberts.

Crazy Croquet at Hemsby Mega Maze

One of the Crazy Croquet obstacles - a long pipe and dustbin!

Two of the other obstacles at Hemsby Mega Maze's Crazy Croquet course

Two of my cousins preparing to tee-off on the Tractor hole of the Crazy Croquet course

Crazy Croquet is played using a tennis ball and a wellington boot on a stick as the 'club'!

It looks like a bizarre hybrid sport and we'll hopefully give it a go next time we're in the area. Crazy Croquet could also be a potential new sport for my fellow Minigolfer, and champion Croquet player, John Moore too.

For further information about Crazy Croquet visit the Hemsby Mega Maize Maze website.

The seaside town of Hemsby is also home to two great miniature golf courses - the Lost World Adventure Golf Course and Stonehenge BIG Minigolf.

On the trip to East Anglia my family let me know they visited Wroxham Barns too, a great venue and home to an 18-hole Minigolf course.

Link:
- Hemsby Mega Maze

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Types and Variants of Miniature Golf visited and played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

New Nestlé Gluten Free Corn Flakes and Honey Corn Flakes

New gluten free cereals from Nestlé.

My cousin Claire recently sent me a photo of some new gluten free cereals she spotted on sale in Asda!

Nestlé has launched new gluten free Corn Flakes and Honey Corn Flakes.

The new gluten free Corn Flakes and Honey Corn Flakes from Nestlé

One for my fellow blogger and Crazy Golfer Phil Botto over at The Cereal Quest to try out...

Looking on the Asda website they are £2 for a 100g box.

Links:
- Nestlé Cereals website
- The Cereal Quest blog

Related blog posts:
- Gluten Free
- Coeliac

The Largsest Store in the World!

Spotting the Largsest Store in the World while in, where else, but Largs!

On our holiday in Scotland we spent the afternoon in Largs and while wandering around we spotted an interesting sign outside one of the shops.

Hasties is the LARGSest store in the world

Hastie of Largs - the Largsest Department Store in the World

Earlier in the day we'd been to the World's Narrowest House in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae!

Links:
- Hastie Department Store website
- Largs-related blog posts

Mackerston Putting Green in Largs, Scotland

Playing miniature golf at Mackerston Putting Green in Largs.

At the Mackerston Putting Green in Largs

On our day trip to Largs and the Isle of Cumbrae I played one of the two 18-hole courses at Mackerston Putting Green.

Playing a second shot in the match against myself at the Mackerston Putting Green in Largs

I had a two-ball match against myself - scoring 50 and 52 in the sweltering heat. Emily was the more sensible of us and had a nice sit down in the shade and photographed some of the well tended flowers at the course.

The course was really well maintained and some of the holes furthest from the kiosk played really fast. There was a good mix of lumps, bumps and grass on the course which made it extra tricky.

At the Mackerston Putting Green in Largs

The man in the hut told me that the course had been underwater earlier in the year when the whole area flooded! It made a good recovery since.

The Mackerston Putting Green in Largs

The course I played at the Mackerston Putting Green was the 340th played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 567th visited overall. The other 18-hole layout was the 568th visited and the 228th visited but not played on the tour.

The Mackerston Putting Green in Largs

Links:
- Mackerston Putting Green on Facebook
- Largs Online - Putting page

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Putting at the Ritz in Largs

Golf Putting in Largs - Putting on the Ritz

Visiting the Ritz Putting Green in Largs.

After our visit to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae in the morning, we spent the afternoon in Largs. While there we spotted a sign for three locations with some sort of miniature golf.

Putting and Crazy Golf that way, Putting the other way

The first spot we visited in Largs was the 'Putting on the Ritz' along the seafront.

Putting on the Ritz in Largs - home to two 18-hole grass Putting courses

At the Barrfields Putting in Largs

The two 18-hole Putting Greens in Largs looked in excellent condition

Putting on the Ritz in Largs

After lunch we visited the Mackerston Putting Green in the other direction to the Barrfields/Ritz Putting couse and unfortunately didn't make it back there, or to the Aubery Park Crazy Golf course, before closing time.

We were also melting in the heat, wandered in the wrong direction for a while and then spotted one of the hourly trains back to Ardrossan had just arrived! Hopefully we'll revisit Largs and the Isle of Cumbrae one day and play the courses we missed next time.

The Putting on the Ritz 18-hole courses were the 565th and 566th visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Links:
- Putting on the Ritz on Facebook
- Largs Online - Putting page

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Mackerston Putting Green in Largs

The Wedge - The World's Narrowest House

While on holiday in Scotland we visited the Isle of Cumbrae and the seaside town of Millport where we stumbled upon The Wedge - the world's narrowest house!

The Wedge in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae - the World's Narrowest House!

The Wedge - Recorded as Britain's Narrowest House - note that the 'e' in House doesn't fit, brilliant

The plaque and QR code outside The Wedge that proclaims its status as the World's Narrowest House

My arm-span is bigger than the width of The Wedge!

Crazy Golf in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae

Visiting Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae and playing the island's Crazy Golf course.

The Isle of Cumbrae - home to one town and one Crazy Golf course

During our holiday in Scotland we took the ferry across the Firth of Clyde to visit the Isle of Cumbrae and the island's only town - Millport.

After a short ferry crossing from Largs and quick bus ride from the ferry terminal we arrived in Millport.

On the ferry from Largs to the Isle of Cumbrae

The town is home to a Crazy Golf course which we played almost straight away.

The Crazy Golf course in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae

Emily lining up a shot on hole 2

One of the toughest holes on the course

Emily putting her way to a Crazy Golf win on the Isle of Cumbrae 

A view of the Millport Crazy Golf course

Millport's Crazy Golf course

An uphill shot - a potential nightmare of a hole

Emily on one of the many tricky holes on Millport's Crazy Golf course

Playing a shot on Millport's Crazy Golf course

A fun round (if a little frustrating) round of Crazy Golf, with some great views

In our match - the first round of play on our holiday - Emily won with a great score of 41 to my 43, hitting a brilliant shot on the last hole to take the win.

We really enjoyed our time on the island and would love to go back in the future. The weather on the day we visited the 'Costa Del Clyde' was magnificent and the views from the isle were wonderful.

One of the brilliant views from Millport

Millport Crazy Golf was the 339th course we've played and 564th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The Isle of Cumbrae was also the 10th island we've visited on our travels around the UK since 2006.

The ferry arriving at the Isle of Cumbrae ready to take us back to Largs - where we would find some more Miniature Golf courses...

Links:
- Millport Crazy Golf on Facebook
- The official tourist information site for Millport and the Isle of Cumbrae

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date
- Scotland
- Spotting an Abandoned Shoe in an odd spot in Millport, Isle of Cumbrae