Happy Hot Dog Day (and National Hot Dog Month)!

July is National Hot Dog Month and today is National Hot Dog Day.

Hot Dog mascots from our travels

Find out more about hot dogs in general, National Hot Dog Month and National Hot Dog Day on the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council website.

Happy 14th birthday to the Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is 14 years old today.

Many happy returns to the Crazy Golf Museum as it marks its 14th birthday today.

I set-up the museum with Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies back on the 15th July 2010.

Since then we've continued to fill the virtual online museum to make it a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, miniature golf, Putt Putt, and putting.

It's certainly been a very interesting 14 years!

A BIG thank you to everyone who has shared their minigolfing memories, crazy golf items and adventure golf updates over the years. We're looking forward to continuing our promotion of the game for many more years to come.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum's website, like the Page and join the Group on Facebook, check it out on X, and see Instagram for information, photos, items, ephemera, stories, videos, postcards, games and more...

If you'd like to contribute any items, merchandise, course history, current developments or guest blog posts please do get in touch.

Crazy Golf at Banbury Mayor's Funday

There will be a Crazy Golf course set up as part of the entertainment on offer at the Banbury Mayor's Funday in Banbury, Oxfordshire on Sunday 14th July.

The Mayor's Funday will be held at People's Park in the town from 11.30am to 4.30pm this Sunday.

Visit the Banbury Town Council website for further information.

Destination South Ayrshire Crazy Golf

A Crazy Golf Tour has been set up around South Ayrshire.

The 9-hole Crazy Golf challenge around South Ayrshire has been created to celebrate the 152nd Open Championship taking place this year.

The crazy golf challenge is free to play and the competition is up and running from the 9th July to Tuesday 6th August.

Visit the Destination South Ayrshire Crazy Golf website for more information on the pop up crazy golf event.

Mini Golf in the Greenwich Peninsula

A pop up mini golf course will be set up in the Greenwich Peninsula from July to September.

Wild Swing Mini Golf will be in the Canteen Courtyard and have a floral design. The 9-hole outdoor course will be available to play for £2 per player from Thursday 18th July until Monday 2nd September.

Visit the Greenwich Peninsula website for more information.

The course has been created by artists Baker & Borowski. They also created the 9-hole themed Crazy Golf layout inspired by the rave culture in the King's Cross area back in the 1980's and 90's. I played that course in February 2020.

PIAG Open Championship 2024

The Paradise Island Adventure Golf Open Championship returns this month.

The PIAG Open tees-off on Thursday 18th July, with Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses around the UK offering players the chance to enter the event when they play a round at a PIAG course.

The Tiki Hut Trail course at Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

The PIAG Open Championship is taking place across Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses between Thursday 18th and Sunday 21st July.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf have eight venues in England and Scotland.

Find out more on the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website.

I won the PIAG Open Championship at the Manchester Trafford Centre venue in 2018, with Emily winning the event in 2019.

PIAG Open Champion in 2019

PIAG Open Champion in 2018

Visit the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for more information on the PIAG courses in Glasgow, Livingston, Cheshire Oaks, Manchester, Sheffield, Derby, Rushden Lakes and Plymouth.

Stourbridge Adventure Golf

Aztec Island Adventure Golf has opened in Stourbridge.

A new indoor Adventure Golf centre has opened in Stourbridge, West Midlands.

Check out the Aztec Island Adventure Golf website for more information on the 18-hole course.

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

Crazy Golf in Levenmouth

There are two Crazy Golf courses at Together Levenmouth.

Visit the Together Levenmouth website for more information on the two 9-hole courses.

It's another location for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Cheeky Monkey Crazy Golf at Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping in Doncaster

The Cheeky Monkey Crazy Golf course is returning to Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping in Doncaster this summer.

We played the pop up Crazy Golf course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in May 2016.

Check out the Lakeside Village Outlet Shopping website for more information.

Crazy Golf at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire

There will be a Crazy Golf course at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire during the estate's Summer of Play event.

The Summer of Play runs from Saturday 20th July to Sunday 1st September, with the 9-hole Crazy Golf course open from Saturday 27th July to Sunday 11th August.

Visit the Anglesey Abbey website for more information.

Mini Golf at Statfold Country Park in Tamworth

A new 9-hole mini golf course has opened at Statfold Country Park in Tamworth.

Check out the Statfold Country Park website for more information.

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

Spinners Crazy Golf in Solihull

A new indoor Crazy Golf course is opening as part of the new Spinners competitive socialising venue in Solihull.

Spinners will be opening at the Touchwood Solihull shopping centre on Friday 12th July.

Spinners Solihull will be the third venue from the brand following Reading and Plymouth.

Head to the Spinners website for more information about the venue and all of the activities available there.

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

New Adventure Golf in Milton Keynes

A new Adventure Golf course has been created at Willen Lake in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

The new 12-hole wildlife-themed outdoor layout is opening at Willen Lake on Saturday 13th July.

Find out more on the Willen Lake website.

We played the previous 9-hole Adventure Golf course at Willen Lake on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour way back in July 2007!

Crazy Golf at the Summer of Sport in the City of London

Pop-up Crazy Golf will be one of the sports on offer at the Summer of Sport in the City.

You can play Crazy Golf in Aldgate Square daily between 11am and 9pm from Monday 1st July to Sunday 11th August.

Swingers Crazy Golf will also be holding a Summer Party at their venue at Brown's Buildings on Friday 9th August.

Check out the Sport in the City website for more information of the events taking place across the five Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the city of London.

Funfair Crazy Golf in Addlestone

A new Funfair-themed Crazy Golf course is opening in Addlestone, Surrey.

Check out the Funfair Crazy Golf course Facebook Page for more information on the 18-hole course.

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

Octoputts Indoor Crazy Golf in King's Lynn, Norfolk

There's an indoor crazy golf course in King's Lynn, Norfolk.

We swung by Octoputts Indoor Crazy Golf in King's Lynn, Norfolk en route to a family gathering last month.

Check out the Octoputts website for more information.

Toys R Us at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

A look at the site of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich, Norfolk in June 2024.

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

While the last of the original Toys R Us stores in the UK closed on the 24th April 2018 the brand returned to the UK in 2022 with an online presence, and further expanded in 2023 with the opening of nine concessions inside WH Smith.

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.

We first visited the old Norwich Toys R Us store in August 2021, and returned in April 2022. On our visit last month the site was part way through being turned into a new Home Bargains store.

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

The location of the former Toys R Us store at Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich

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

Lost Toys R Us Stores

My book about Lost Toys R Us Stores is available to buy from Amazon.

There were once 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. The business ceased trading in 2018 and all of the shops closed.

It is still possible to find traces of the brand on some retail parks and shopping centres around the UK.

The book takes a look at some of those old stores between 2019 and 2021.

Buy Lost Toys R Us Stores on Amazon.

Flight Club Darts in Leeds

A visit to Flight Club to play some darts in Leeds.

Flight Club Darts in Leeds

We really like playing darts and have found that Flight Club is a top place to play the game. Although if you're looking to have a play of standard 501 rules you won't find that.

Instead there are a range of interactive games more suited to groups. My favourite is Demolition - as close to a 'normal' game of darts as you'll find at Flight Club - where the aim is to reach zero from a starting point of 180. I managed to finish in seven darts in one of our games.

We booked in for a 90-minute session at the Leeds city centre location for some competitive fun on our recent wedding anniversary.

In case you were wondering who won - it was me

Flight Club has a really good atmosphere, a nice range of drinks, and is a pleasant spot to spend a few hours. The service from the staff is helpful and friendly too. Our 90-minute session was £14 each and we got to play a LOT of games in that time. You also get sent your game results, stats & facts, as well as the photos and videos taken by the oche-cameras at the venue while you play. It's a really neat touch and allows you to get on and enjoy the games without snapping away or tallying up the scores yourself.

We've played at Flight Club Leeds with a friend before and having a third player, or more, can add to the challenge of the games.

Emily recently played at Flight Club in Las Vegas, and I've been to the Manchester Flight Club for some socials in the last couple of years.

The Flight Club venues have some cool darts memorabilia and ephemera dotted around the venue, and I like the onscreen counter in the bar that shows you how many darts have been thrown at Flight Club venues around the world in real-time! It was over 500 million at the time we were there!

We'd highly recommend you give it a go if you've not been before.

Check out the Flight Club website for more information.

Gluten free at The Oxford Place in Leeds

Another superb meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds.

We're BIG fans of The Oxford Place restaurant in Leeds. It serves excellent food and the team there do so much to make the dining experience as normal as possible for people with Coeliac Disease. It's brilliant to be able to dine at a 100% gluten free place.

We had a fantastic three course meal there for our recent wedding anniversary.

I had the Duck & Yorkies for my main - the confit duck leg is hidden behind the Yorkshire puddings and under the fried duck egg!

Check out The Oxford Place's website for more information.

Ready to tuck in!

Carozza

My dessert was the Trillionaire's Slice

A Trillionaire's Slice!

Emily had the cod dish - it was similar to the dish I had there on our last visit. It looked delicious, and Emily said it was

We can't wait for our next meal there already!

Princess Parade Crazy Golf in Blackpool

A look the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course in Blackpool.

Just before we headed home we had a walk along the promenade to Princess Parade in Blackpool and a look at the Crazy Golf course there earlier this week.

Who's that in the orange jacket on the sign eh...

Check out the Princess Parade Crazy Golf course Facebook Group for more information.