Wednesday, February 24, 2016

World of Bun Throwing: Abingdon Bun Throwing Championships announced

World of Bun Throwing: Abingdon Bun Throwing Championships announced: Bun Throwing Championships to find town's best thrower to be held on the 30th of May.

The crowd looks on as I throw a currant bun at the first-ever Abingdon World Bun Throwing Championship back in 2012
The crowd looks on as I throw a currant bun at the first-ever Abingdon World Bun Throwing Championship back in 2012

Ahead of the Royal Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday, Abingdon-on-Thames will be hosting the second-ever World Bun Throwing Championships to find the town's best bun thrower.

Read more over on the World of Bun Throwing blog.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Crazy Golf in Swanpool Park, Falmouth, Cornwall

Playing the Crazy Golf course in Swanpool, Falmouth.


The 631st course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was the Crazy Golf course at Swanpool Park in Swanpool, Falmouth, Cornwall.


The 18-hole Crazy Golf layout was the 32nd played on our tour of the South West of England and the 373rd played overall on our tour.


It's certainly a unique course. The colour of the concrete was very different to the norm. And the hole configurations weren't particularly normal. It was a real test and good fun too.


Its in an excellent location and we had brilliant weather on our visit.


In our match on the 18-hole course on the 7th June 2015 Emily scored 52 to take the win as I scored a 56.
















The course is open all year round. For more information, opening times and prices visit the Swanpool Beach website.

Swanpool is a really nice spot to spend some time. As well as the Crazy Golf we did a bit of rock pooling, had a walk on the beach and relaxed at a seafront bar with some cold drinks and oysters. Bliss

We couldn't visit Swanpool Park and not see some swans!

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
Swanpool Beach website

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Putting at Looe Bowling Club in Cornwall

Playing the Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club.

Another marvellous putting green visited and played on our tour

While holidaying in Cornwall last year we made a surprise discovery of two grass Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club at the very end of Marine Drive.

It was nice to spot the town centre sign for the Putting Green

Putting at the top of the lower course. The island in the background is known as Looe Island aka St George's Island aka St Michael's Island!

The pair of grass putting courses were the 29th and 30th visited on our tour of the South West of England and the 628th and 629th visited overall on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Follow the signs to the end of Marine Drive and you'll arrive at Looe Bowling Club and the two excellent putting courses

The Putting Greens at Looe Bowling Club are open from April to October

It was brilliant to find the courses and they were fun to play. They became the 371st and 372nd we've played since 2006.

What a course and what a view

A looooooong putt. Note the petanque piste behind Emily

The windy layout is great fun

They were certainly a unique couple of layouts, with plenty of twists & turns, dips & hills. And to top it off there was a magnificent view from the course.

Down on the lower course

Hole 3 on the lower layout

There's a wooden board/fence on the corner of the dog-leg third hole - something we've never seen on a grass putting course before

A view of the lower course

In our match on the upper course on the 6th June 2015 Emily scored 49, while I scored 48 to take the win. On the lower course I shot a 56, with Emily hitting a 61.

Emily with an uphill shot

For more information, opening times and prices visit Looe Bowling Club on Facebook.

Visitors to Looe Bowling Club are made very welcome

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
- Looe Bowling Club on Facebook

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

The National Railway Museum in York

Visiting the National Railway Museum on our travels.

Last year we had a wonderful weekend in York. We love spending time Yorkshire and have visited a number of minigolf courses in the county during the last nine years of our tour around the UK.

The National Railway Museum in York
The National Railway Museum is a real hands-on place to visit

On this occasion we were in the fine city to attend the International Postcard Expo at the racecourse. But a visit York isn't complete unless you also take a look around the National Railway Museum.

The National Railway Museum in York
See what I mean!

It's a tremendous facility that is a must visit.

The National Railway Museum in York
In amongst the million-plus objects and exhibits at the National Railway Museum

Driving

The National Railway Museum in York
Hanging out on a faux InterCity 125

National Railway Museum in York
The 'Midland Express'

We spent a few hours wandering around the various exhibits - there are over a million of them there! There's so much to see the museum warrants more than one visit and we can't wait to return.

I was tuckered out as there was so much to see I had to have a nap on a bullet train
I was tuckered out as there was so much to see I had to have a nap on a bullet train

While on our travels we always enjoy popping into museums for a look around. Some other great museums we've been to are in Abingdon, Ipswich, Stevenage, Newbury, High Wycombe, Buckingham and Canvey Island.

Abingdon County Hall
Abingdon's County Hall museum is the venue for the curious tradition of bun throwing

As a keen collector of ephemera, researcher of social history and a miniature golf historian I'm a curator of the Crazy Golf Museum. A marvellous place full of memories, memorabilia and merchandise from the world of minigolf.

Links:
- The National Railway Museum
- The Crazy Golf Museum

Related blog posts:
- Museum
- York
- Yorkshire
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Funicular Railway
- Miniature Railway
- Train

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Friday, February 19, 2016

60 ways to get more out of your golf - play more minigolf

#48 is all about Crazy Golf.

In November last year I was named Officially Britain’s Craziest Golfer by Today's Golfer magazine and in a follow-up I was recently asked to contribute to a feature that appears in the April 2016 edition (on sale from 18th February to 16 March).

The magazine has collected together 60 ways to get more out of your golf in 2016. At number 48 is an interview where I've selected some of the top hot spots to putt on mini, crazy and adventure golf courses in the UK.

Crazy Golf windmill at Oddballs Crazy Golf course in Cleethorpes
The HUGE windmill on the Oddballs Crazy Golf course in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire gets a mention in the Today's Golf article. Check out the magazine to see where else I selected

The issue of Today's Golfer also contains a look at the new miniature golf course at The Belfry.

Lovely to see some big coverage of the mini game.

Check out the Today's Golfer website to read my interview from last year at "This bloke has played 640 crazy golf courses. Just one question... why???"

Link:
Today's Golfer magazine

Related blog posts:
Officially Britain’s Craziest Golfer
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Richard Gottfried's Minigolf Player Profile

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Anglo-American Summit of the World Finger Jousting Federation

News from the Anglo-American Summit of the World Finger Jousting Federation.

Visit the World Finger Jousting Federation website for details of the recent Anglo-American Summit of the WFJF. An historic and landmark event in the fine sport of finger jousting.

President of the WFJF, and Lord of the Joust, Julian Gluck meets Richard Gottfried, British Consul to the Federation and head of operations in Europe

Back in 2006 I became the first international member of the WFJF. Check out the news item heralding my arrival.

Check out this video of a finger jousting contest between Squire Richard of Surleigh and Sir Myles of Hampshire.



Related blog posts:
- Finger Jousting
The second ever blog post on the Ham & Egger Files

Links:
- World Finger Jousting Federation website
- World Finger Jousting Federation on Facebook

Expanded free from range at Morrisons

Great to see more gluten free products in the Morrisons free from range.

As someone with Coeliac Disease I'm always on the hunt for new and interesting gluten and wheat free food and drink. So I was very pleased to see that Morrisons have really gone to town on their expanded range of Free From products.

Look at that, just look at that. What a sight. What a delight

Yowzers! There are plenty of pie options in the fridge at Morrisons in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire. This time I bought a very nice No-G Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie for my dinner, and a Lemon Pie for Emily to try. I had a nibble to and it was marvellous. I've also got a Morello Cherry and Chocolate Tart in the fridge. We've also tried some of the products in the Great Food range before and they are very good too. We'll have to try the Pure products in the future

There is also some new gluten and wheat free bread from Newburn Bakehouse now in stock at Morrisons, including a sourdough loaf

Related blog posts:
Gluten Free
Coeliac
Funny things about being a Coeliac

Links:
- Morrisons
- No-G
- Great Food
- Newburn Bakehouse

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Crazy Golf in St Martins, near Looe in Cornwall

En route to Looe, Cornwall on the 6th June 2015 we visited the Parkdean Looe Bay Holiday Park in St Martins for a quick stop-off. There was a Crazy Golf course there. It looked like fun.

Unfortunately we couldn't find anywhere to hire putters from

The course became the 627th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 28th during our tour of the South West of England.

Related blog posts:
Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
Mini Golf in the South West of England

Link:
- Parkdean Looe Bay Holiday Park website

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.

You can also now sign-up to receive our miniature golf newsletter.