Class 121 'Bubble Cars' at Aylesbury

Yesterday I noticed a post about an old type of train in the Dull Men's Club Facebook Group.

My fellow Dull Men's Club member had spotted a Class 121 'Bubble Car' at Princes Risborough railway station and it reminded me that I'd seen them before at Aylesbury station.

What a mixture of trains at Aylesbury Maintenance Depot back in July 2011

What I hadn't realised at the time was they are the longest serving DMUs in the UK, having started life in 1960. I thought they were en route to a heritage day or line, not that Chiltern Railways were still regularly using them in service!

Unfortunately the end of the line is nearing for the Class 121 'Bubble Cars' as spare parts are becoming more difficult to source and the engines are getting ever more frail.

Highway to hell?

Having been to Bolton at the end of last year I must say I really like the town. But it does make me smile that the road that takes you there is the A666!

New Adventure Golf course at Bents Garden and Home in Glazebury.

New minigolf course open at Bents Garden and Home in Glazebury near Warrington.

Bents Garden and Home centre in Glazebury, Warrington has a new Adventure Golf course.

The dinosaur-themed course opened this month and it's another course fairly local to us. We're looking forward to heading along for a game on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

For more information on the Jurassic Cove Adventure Golf course, opening times and prices visit the Bents Garden and Home website.

Start of the Pétanque season in Stockport

Boules club back in action at Alexandra Park.

Today saw the start of the 2017 Pétanque season in Stockport as 18 members of the Woodstock Pétanque Club met on the terrain at Alexandra Park in Edgeley.

Club organiser Jackie B in action on the Edgeley piste

It was marvellous to be back out and playing pétanque in some wonderful weather. In my match-up I was drawn to play in a triples game alongside Carol H and newcomer Hilary 2. In a very close match against David W, Jackie and Paul we picked up the win 13-10.

Carol H pointing a shot on the way to victory

It was my third ever win at the club, and the second teaming up with Carol H. My record at Woodstock Pétanque Club is now 3 wins and 4 defeats, with a 'winning streak of sorts' carried over from last year.

Club stalwart Andrew Smith plays a shot in our pre-match warm up

The Woodstock Pétanque Club meets-up from 1pm on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. New players are very welcome. It costs just £10 for the annual membership, with a £1 fee per week when you play - with prizes up for grabs for results over the three games played.

Check out the Woodstock Pétanque Club website, on Twitter as well as the Pétanque in Manchester Facebook Group for more info and to check on playing dates.

The Friends of Alexandra Park are also on Facebook so do give them a like and a follow too.

Report from the Great Northern Minigolf Open in Wigan

Scott Lancley wins the inaugural Great Northern Minigolf Open in Wigan.

Margate's Scott Lancley won the Great Northern Minigolf Open played in Wigan's Haigh Woodland Park on Saturday 8th April.

Scott Lancley on his way to victory on Haigh Woodland Park's Crazy Golf course

Played over two rounds on the park's two 18-hole courses, Lancley won with a 36 hole score of 87. Stockport's Richard Gottfried was runner-up on 93, with Ramsbottom's Russ Dent finishing in third place on 95. A total of nine players took part in the first staging of the event.

The finishers in the Great Northern Minigolf Open

Russ Dent was making a return to competitive minigolf after a seven-year break and rolled back the years with an impressive round of 44 on the Adventure Golf course to lead by five shots after round one. Gottfried and Lancley were in a tie for second after round one.

Russ Dent hitting only his second shot in seven years

Richard Gottfried playing the Windmill and Plateau hole on the new Adventure Golf course as John Moore looks on

However, Lancley's visit to the north wasn't for nothing as he stormed to an amazing round of 38 on the Crazy Golf course to take the title and the trophy.

The top three from l-r Richard Gottfried, Scott Lancley, Russ Dent

Results of the 2017 Great Northern Minigolf Open:
1st - Scott Lancley - 49+38=87
2nd - Richard Gottfried - 49+44=93
3rd - Russ Dent - 44+51=95
4th - Emily Gottfried - 52+49=101
5th - John Moore - 54+50=104
6th - Cat Patterson - 65+59=124
7th - Ryan Lancley - 65 DNF
8th - Ethan Rottenbury - 67 DNF
9th - Zoe Lancley - 83 DNF

Speaking after his victory Scott said "I'm humbled to have won the first Great Northern Minigolf Open and put my win down to my vast experience of the second course we played today."

Scott on his way to victory on the Crazy Golf course

Players had travelled from Kent, other parts of Greater Manchester, Bedfordshire and Tyneside to compete in the tournament.

For once John Moore hadn't travelled the furthest to compete

The Aces championship for most holes-in-one was a very close contest. The first course had proven incredibly tough and no players had recorded an ace during the 18-holes. John Moore was the first to hit an ace, doing so on hole 1 of the Crazy Golf course. Richard followed this with a hole-in-one on the second. There was another drought until Russ hit a perfect shot on the 14th hole. Emily managed until the last minute to get an ace, doing so on the 18th. However, it was to be Scott taking the Aces title to go alongside the main event as he hit aces on the 16th and 18th to do the double.

Nuts! Richard playing the Adventure Golf course

Russ on his way to a clubhouse lead after round one

Scott in action during round one

Emily plays the Tank hole 16th on the Crazy Golf course

The Social Fun and Games Club at Roof East

Birdies Crazy Golf to be a part of the Social Fun and Games Club in London.

This summer the Social Fun and Games Club is launching on a rooftop in East London. From Thursday 4th of May you can visit Roof East in Stratford to have a game of minigolf on the Birdies Crazy Golf course.

Loopy for Crazy Golf

The Social Fun and Games Club looks brilliant fun. In addition to playing rooftop Crazy Golf you can also have a game of bowls or play baseball. if sport isn't your thing then you can relax at the Rooftop Film Club or have a dance and skate at Rooftop Rollers - the first rooftop roller disco in London. There will also be cocktails and street food available.

Birdies Crazy Golf was the 672nd course visited on our tour

We played Birdies Crazy Golf back in 2015! How time flies.



Visit the Social Fun and Games Club and Roof East websites for more information, opening times and prices.

Check out this list of Crazy Golf courses in London to see where you can get your fix of the game in the capital.

Links:
- Social Fun and Games Club website
- Roof East website

Related blog posts:
- Details of Crazy Golf, Minigolf and Adventure Golf courses in London
- Rooftop Minigolf Courses in London
- Playing Mini Golf in London at Birdies Crazy Golf Club
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Videos:
- Minigolf at Birdies Crazy Golf Club in Waterloo, London (1 of 2)
- Minigolf at Birdies Crazy Golf Club in Waterloo, London (2 of 2)

Give the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour a Like on Facebook, watch our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter @putting_gott and @Ems_Lems. Please do sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter too.

York Art Gallery to host Leisure Land Golf this summer

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf travels to York Art Gallery.

York Art Gallery will be hosting Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf this summer, with the Crazy Golf course open from the 3rd June to 3rd September. The miniature golf layout consists of holes and obstacles created by different artists from the contemporary art world.

Our friends and minigolf rivals Gareth and Lhurlyn Holmes were lucky enough to play Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf course at the Venice Biennale in 2015, while I got to have a game on the course in a visit to the New Art Exhange in Nottingham with another friend and rival Jam Trubridge last summer. The art-installation Crazy Golf course became the 401st played and 682nd visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Alongside more traditional collections, York Art Gallery endeavours to bring a variety of artworks to the gallery including contemporary pieces by cutting-edge artists.

Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf will be open to the public from the 3rd June to the 3rd September 2017 in the Artists Garden. Created during York Art Gallery’s recent refurbishment, the Artists Garden is a free public space used to display a changing series of art installations, offering a place of reflection and inspiration in the heart of the city centre.

York Art Gallery recently ran an Art Happens campaign to bring the course to the city. Entry to the Artists Garden is free. For a small fee, or for those donors who selected one of the higher rewards in the Art Happens campaign, visitors can play a round of crazy golf during garden open times.

We're looking forward to playing the course in its new location this summer. Emily and I love visiting York and Yorkshire. Now we live up north we're hoping to visit the area even more in the coming weeks, months and years.

Check out the York Art Gallery website for more information on Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf.

What a scrap metal van!

I spotted this Scrap Metal van in Cheadle Hulme earlier and had to get a snap of it. There's so much going on on it!

Let Stevie Scrap move your cr*p!

Humpty

Humpty Crazy Golf obstacles spotted on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour 2007-2017!

Humpty at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

Travelling around as many Miniature Golf courses as we do it's inevitable that the same obstacle will be seen over and over again. One of these characters is 'Humpty', who we have spotted at ten courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour! 

Humpty and me at Verulamium Park's Crazy Golf course in St Albans in 2007

Me and Humpty at the Lytham St Anne's Crazy Golf course in 2008

Me and Humpty at the Riverside Gardens Minigolf course in Maidenhead in 2009

Humpty and me at Tywyn Leisure Park on Marine Parade in Tywyn, Wales in 2009

Humpty and me at the Merrivale Model Village Crazy Golf course in Great Yarmouth in 2011

Humpty and me on the Crazy Golf course at Carlisle's Bitts Park in 2012

Humpty and me at Bainland Country Park's Crazy Golf course in Woodhall Spa in  2011

Playing the Humpty obstacle on the Crazy Golf course at the Vegas Amusement Arcade in Hunstanton in  2011

Me and the latest Humpty we've spotted at The Grove Park Crazy Golf course in Carshalton in 2013

If you know of any Miniature Golf courses with a Humpty on it do let us know!

On our travels around the UK we've found a number of courses with a Humpty on it. The obstacles and some of the courses themselves come from Minigolf course supplier DK Fibreglass. Check out the DK Fibreglass website for details of the range of Mini and Crazy Golf courses they offer and the novelty hazards they can supply. DK Fibreglass supplied the Crazy Golf course that is in Luton's Wardown Park, sadly it hasn't got a Humpty on it.

There are also some Octopus 'characters' on the DK Fibreglass Crazy Golf courses and we've spotted these in Eglwyswrw, Llanrhystud, Knaresborough, Smeeth and Wigan!

Me and an Octopus with a hat on at the Conyngham Hall Crazy Golf course in Knaresborough in 2010

Related Blog Posts:

- Crazy Golf at Verulamium Park in St Albans, Hertfordshire

- Crazy Golf at Lytham St Anne's

- Minigolf at Riverside Gardens in Maidenhead
- Minigolf at Tywyn Leisure Park

- Crazy Golf at Bitts Park in Carlisle

- 5 Star Crazy Golf at Bainland Country Park in Woodhall Spa

- Crazy Golf at the Vegas Amusement Arcade in Hunstanton

- Crazy Golf at Merrivale Model Village in Great Yarmouth

- Crazy Golf at The Grove Park in Carshalton
- Crazy Golf at Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan

- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - List and links for all Miniature Golf courses visited to date

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Derby

New Adventure Golf course opening at intu Derby this month.

The latest Paradise Island Adventure Golf venue is opening at intu Derby on Tuesday 11th April. The new Paradise Island Adventure Golf Derby layout will consist of two 18-hole courses.

The last Paradise Island Adventure Golf course we played was the Sheffield venue

It's great to see more courses opening. Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels have taken us to Paradise Island Adventure Golf courses in Manchester, Glasgow and Sheffield.

Playing at a Paradise Island Adventure Golf course last year

We're yet to play the Livingston or Cheshire Oaks layouts - but they are on our 'To Play' list. Now we live up north the Manchester and Cheshire Oaks courses are our two local venues. Which reminds me, I need to organise a minigolf match up against the Paradise Island mascot, Maggie McCaw!

Lining up a shot on the Lucky Last Hole

Check out the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website and Paradise Island Adventure Golf Derby course Facebook page for more information.

Dogs take over Crazy Golf course in Oxford

Well, over the years we've heard a lot of crazy things in the world of minigolf, but this story in the Oxford Times certainly takes the (dog) biscuit!

Check out the online petition for more details of the plan to turn the old miniature golf course into a dog play area.

The course is of the Swedish Felt B-run variety

The Florence Park Crazy Golf course in Oxford was the 119th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we swung into my home city back in August 2009.

On our travels we've seen dogs, cats and chickens on minigolf courses. But never a course purpose built for animals. It's a fascinating idea for an underused course.

Thinking about it, it'd be interesting to see a painting of dogs playing minigolf similar to those poker ones...

Related blog posts:
- Doggone Minigolf!
- Minigolf in Oxford, in December
- Minigolf Course Visits 118, 119 & 120 - Oxford Parks
- Oxford
- Dog

Post-Apocalyptic Minigolf at Somerset House

Play a Post-Apocalyptic Minigolf course at the Now Play This festival in London.

My mate and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes spotted a piece in Time Out about the Now Play This event taking place at Somerset House in London from the 7th to the 9th April. The festival of experimental games design will feature a post-apocalyptic minigolf course!

The Now Play This miniature golf course has been created by Gary Campbell and Jeannine Inglis Hall and is called 'Anthropo-Scenic Golf'. It will be available to play on Saturday 8th April.

Back in 2012 our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour took us to East London where we played at the Golf Apocalypse. That was indeed a crazy game of minigolf.

Playing the 'Golf Apocalypse' Mini Golf course at London's Pleasure Gardens, near Pontoon Dock

Now Play This coincides with the city-wide games initiative, the London Games Festival. Check out the Now Play This, London Games Festival and Somerset House websites for more information.

If you're visiting the event you may want to check out some of the other miniature golf courses in London while you're in the city.

Buccaneer Bay Adventure Golf in Littlehampton

Buccaneer Bay Adventure Golf reopening in Littlehampton.

The team at ISS Lifestyle have got in touch to tell me the refurbished Adventure Golf course at Norfolk Gardens in Littlehampton is reopening at 11am on Tuesday 11th April. The course is now pirate-themed and called Buccaneer Bay Adventure Golf.

The course became the 381st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we visited Littlehampton in July 2015. I'd first visited the course out of season in 2012.

Norfolk Gardens had one of the longest minigolf holes we've played on our travels!

The green of the very looooooooooooooong hole at Norfolk Gardens

Over the last few months the team at HM Adventure Golf have given the course a substantial and piratey makeover.

Playing the Norfolk Gardens Adventure Golf course in Littlehampton

Littlehampton has some brilliant places to play minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, grass putting and Pit-Pat. So it's great to see investment in leisure facilities.

Check out the ISS Lifestyle and HM Adventure Golf websites for more information.

Is Skegness as bad as Pyongyang?

Skegness rated as one of the world's worst holiday destinations.

As a fan of the British seaside experience I was shocked to read that Skegness had been rated amongst the world's worst holiday destinations.

Skegness in May 2015

The list of 11 Worst Travel Destinations in the World You Should Skip was published by the Destination Tips website in November 2014 and recently picked up by news outlets and social media.

Playing the classic Arnold Palmer Crazy Golf course in Skegness on Miniature Golf Day in May 2015

We've been to Skegness - aka Skeg-Vegas - on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels and we love it there. There's no other town in the UK with as many miniature golf courses as Skeggy. On our last visit in 2015 we counted nine Crazy Golf, Putting, Adventure Golf and Pitch & Putt courses on the seafront alone, not to mention those in holiday camps and caravan parks in the area and the neighbouring resort at Ingoldmells.

Skegness was also the site of England's first-ever Crazy Golf course. There's still a playable course on the same spot on South Parade.

The site of England's first-ever Crazy Golf course. The game has been played on this spot since 1926

In addition to Skegness and Pyongyang, Destination Tips also suggests you give a wide berth to:
- Bogota, Colombia
- Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
- Damascus, Syria
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Kiev, Ukraine
- Mogadishu, Somalia
- Moscow, Russia
- Port au Prince, Haiti
- Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

My friend Dylan Harris runs Lupine Travel, a company which takes adventurous tourists to far-flung and often troubled destinations. On one of Lupine's excursions to North Korea the holidaymakers played in the first Pyongyang Minigolf Open Tournament.

Pyongyang's Miniature Golf course

Maybe there are comparisons to be drawn after all...

Related blog posts:
- Skegness
- Skeg-Vegas!
- Mini Golf in Skegness
- Mini Golf in Pyongyang, North Korea

Link:
- Destination Tips website

Top trainspotting

Well done to Emily who wins this week's prize for trainspotting having seen this Pacer Railbus at Manchester Piccadilly yesterday.

A Class 142 Pacer Railbus at Manchester Piccadilly. Yesterday

What's so special you may ask? Well, take a look at the number. It's the James Bond of Pacers!

Last year we traveled on the old London Underground tube trains in use on the Isle of Wight's Island Line and were carried to Shanklin in number 007.

Yes Pieminister

Emily spotted some new gluten free pies from Pieminister on sale at Sainsbury's and bought the Ranger and Heidi varieties for me. There was also one called Moo, however the gluten-free craft ale in it contained oats and barley so that was a no-go.

I had the Ranger - Chicken, Ham, Leek & Thyme - pie for tea last night. It was delicious.

The pie has had some recommendations on Twitter. It gets this blog's endorsement too

The Pieminister Ranger pie was one of the best I've tasted - gluten free or otherwise - and I'll definitely buy more in the future.

Check out the Pieminister website for more information.

Bell's Scotch Whisky token from a Scottish Open Golf tournament

Many thanks to my sister-in-law Annette who gave me this brilliant Bell's Scotch Whisky token from a Scottish Open Golf tournament. It's a great addition to my collection of tokens.

One side contains a message to the bearer, the other to the licensee.

To the bearer: On surrender of this medal you may purchase a single measure of Bell's Extra Special for 1 penny. Valid until 30th September.

To the licensee: This medal entitles the bearer to purchase a single measure of Bell's Extra Special for 1 penny. Valid until 30th September.

What a bargain.

There's also no year on the token. I wonder if it's still valid?