Schar gluten free goodies from Spain

Finding some different Schär gluten free products in Spain.

Emily was recently in Spain and picked up some Schär gluten free treats for me at the El Corte Inglés supermarket.

Emily bought four of the Schär products you can't buy in the UK

I was particularly interested in the Choco Butterkeks! They were one of my favourite types of biscuit before I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2008

Luckily Emily got me two boxes

The last time Emily was in Spain I got this load of 'Sin Gluten' treats.

Links:
- Schar gluten free UK
- El Corte Inglés

Related blog posts:
- Gluten free
- Coeliac
- Spain
- Sin Gluten

Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man on the Isle of Wight

Windy Man Air Dancer spotted in Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

Our friends Karl and Sophia spotted a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man during their holiday on the Isle of Wight and sent along a snap to add to my 'collection'!

A Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man on the Isle of Wight. Photo by Karl Moles

I've only seen this type of Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man at ground level once before. That one was in Flimwell, while en route to Hastings for the World Crazy Golf Championships in 2012. The only other time I've seen the blue Air Dancer was above a shop on the seafront at Bridlington in 2015.

Related blog posts:
- Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man
- Isle of Wight

World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

All the best to the 57 players from three countries playing in the 15th annual World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings this weekend.

55 UK players, along with former champion Olivia Prokopova from the Czech Republic and Portugal's Nuno Cunha, will compete on the 18-hole Crazy Golf course at the Hastings Adventure Golf Complex this Saturday and Sunday.

Playing the potential round-killer second hole at Hastings Crazy Golf course in my last tilt at the title back in 2015

I look forward to seeing who finishes in 17th place...

Related blog posts:
- Crazy Golf in Hastings
- Back at Hastings Adventure Golf

Manchester's Junkyard Crazy Golf course is on the move

New Junkyard Golf Club venue in Manchester.

Junkyard Golf Club in Manchester is on the move and heading to a new and improved permanent venue at First Street. The Junkyard Crazy Golf course has had two successful spells as a pop-up at the Great Northern Warehouse and its current location in Piccadilly.

Junkyard Golf Club's course is certainly crazy

The last rounds of Crazy Golf at the current spot in Piccadilly Place will be played on the 20th August, with play at the new course set to tee-off on the 24th August.

A loop-di-loop I actually did well on. Despite the fact it's made out of an old tyre!

There are currently two Junkyard Golf Club locations - Manchester and London - with a third site to open in Oxford later this year. The London venue has three courses at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

The Junkyard Crazy Golf Club courses in Manchester's Piccadilly Place were the 718th and 719th courses visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last November and in January this year they became the 421st and 422nd played.

Visit the Junkyard Golf Club website for more information.

A 'tickable list' I won't be attempting to complete

Finding a new tickable list activity in Stockport.

On our way back from a visit to the Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery last week we had a wander and a look at some of the interesting architecture we have in the town. Crossing the road from Stopford House - itself a stark example of Brutalism, and the setting for the police station in Life on Mars - we had a look across the town's landscape from atop a wall in a car park on Piccadilly. It was only when we were walking down the stairs that we noticed this plaque.

Wow

Now, we do like a tickable list activity. Well, we'd have to considering we've visited more than 700 miniature golf courses in the last ten and a bit years after first seeing a list of 600 back in 2006. We're also part way through visiting all the parks and green spaces in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport after the Friends of Alexandra Park suggested it as a pleasant way to pass the time. We've been to ten out of the 33 listed so far, plus five that were not on the list. But to start finding all of these structures would be utter madness.

The plaque in place on the refurbed wall

I'm sure my fellow members of the Dull Men's Club will be intrigued to know there are - at least - 669 such structures in Stockport.

Another view of the retaining wall

I'm a fan of funny signs and I've seen some comedy plaques in the past so I had a look online to see if I could find a mention of any of the 669+ such structures. I indeed found a partial list. A list which showed the cost to refurbish the wall was £65,967.

Brutalist architecture at its finest

Related blog posts:
- Stockport
- Dull Men's Club

Junkyard Crazy Golf in Oxford

New Junkyard Crazy Golf course opening in Oxford.

I've heard that the team at Junkyard Golf Club are opening a new course in Oxford later this year.

Junkyard Golf Club's brand of Crazy Golf isn't run of the mill

It's a smart move as Oxford has been crying out for a minigolf course for years. While there are three minigolf layouts in the city these are in parks on the outskirts, rather than in the city centre.

Growing up in nearby Abingdon I was sad to hear that the town's only Crazy Golf course was recently removed to make way for a new play area. At least people in the town can soon head over to Oxford for a game.

Part of the glow-in-the-dark section of the Junkyard Crazy Golf course in Manchester

Junkyard Golf Club currently has two locations - Manchester and London - with the Manchester course soon to be moving to a new permanent space at First Street after two successful spells as a pop-up at the Great Northern Warehouse and in Piccadilly. The London venue has three courses at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

The two 9-hole Junkyard Crazy Golf Club courses in Manchester's Piccadilly Place were the 718th and 719th courses visited on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour last November and in January this year they became the 421st and 422nd played.

Visit the Junkyard Golf Club website for more info.

The Cheshire Line Tavern

A visit to the Cheshire Line Tavern in Cheadle.

As a bit of a train nerd it was marvellous to find out that a nearby disused railway station on our doorstep is now a pub!

The Cheshire Line Tavern in Cheadle

The station opened as Cheadle North in 1866 and at one time was a double track line and saw more than 200 trains pass through a day!

The single track line and former station last November

The station closed to passengers in 1964.

The line itself is still in use for freight, and the occasional luxury charter. Unfortunately we didn't see any pass by while we were in the pub. However, I've seen a handful of trains on the Mid Cheshire Line since we moved to the area last summer.

We didn't see any trains pass by our window seat on our visit last November

Visit the Cheshire Line Tavern's website for more info.

Links:
- Cheshire Line Tavern
- Disused Railway Stations

Related blog posts:
- Train nerdery
- Disused stations
- Cheadle
- Pubs

Win a Dull Men's Club 2017 Calendar

With five months of the year gone how would you like to win a Dull Men's Club Calendar?

To celebrate the start of June we've got 12 of the Dull Men's Club 2017 Calendars to giveaway.

Win one of these

To win one, all you need to do is Like, Share and Comment on this Facebook post and Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Facebook Page. The competition closes at 6pm (UK time) on Friday 16th June, so there'll be plenty of time to put the calendar up in your office/kitchen/shed ready for the month of July where Emily and I are the 'pin-ups'.

Winners names will be drawn out of a hat and details will be posted on Facebook.

Where will you be sticking yours?

The Dull Men's Club is where dull men, and women who appreciate dull men, share thoughts and experiences about ordinary things.

The cast of characters in the 2017 calendar. Eagle eyes will spot there are 13 dull subjects on the calendar. That's because there's an extra one for January 2018

As well as our Crazy Golf adventures the Dull Men's Club 2017 Calendar also features a pencil enthusiast, cutlery sculptor, tombstone traveller, prefabricated buildings fan, lost glove spotter, a bubbleologist, giant pumpkin growers, a barbed wire enthusiast, a brown sign follower, village pump spotter, a vintage radio collector, and a couple who built a life-size railway station in their back garden.

Throughout the calendar you'll find obscure, odd and some might say 'slightly interesting' events and awareness days listed for your attention.

There was a lot going on on Saturday 13th May. Don't worry if you didn't celebrate 'National Miniature Golf Day' then though, as Saturday 21st September is 'Miniature Golf Day'

Related blog posts:
- Dull Men's Club

Link:
- Dull Men's Club

Mini Golf at the King Street Festival in Manchester

Crazy Golf course at the King Street Festival in Manchester.

Manchester's King Street Festival is taking place this weekend, 3rd and 4th June, and will include Crazy Golf from the team at UrbanCrazy.

Between 11am and 8pm you can do battle with the fashion and history-inspired obstacles on a King Street-themed mini golf course set-up on Lower King Street.

On target on a previous UrbanCrazy city layout

Check out the King Street Festival website for more info on the events and entertainment taking place.

It says there's 'free fizz' at the festival too. Nice.

Links:
- King Street Festival
- UrbanCrazy

Related blog posts:
- Manchester
- UrbanCrazy

Crazy Golf tournament at Holey Molies in Skelton-in-Cleveland

One Year Anniversary Crazy Golf competition at Holey Molies Mini Golf in Skelton-in-Cleveland.

The team at Holey Molies Crazy Golf course in Skelton-in-Cleveland are organising a minigolf tournament to celebrate a successful first year for the course. The open event is offering a top prize of £1,000 to the overall champion.

Qualifying is taking place between Monday 10th July to Saturday 15th July, with the finals held on Sunday 16th July. More info on the format and rules can be found on the Mini Golf 1k Competition Facebook event listing.

Holey Molies is also home to the World's Longest Mini Golf Hole. The hole measures 264 feet and will be verified by Guinness World Records later in the year.

Check out Holey Molies website and Facebook Page for more details on the course.

Urban Axe Throwing at Whistle Punks in Manchester

The sport of urban axe throwing has hit Manchester.

We're always looking for new and interesting sports and games to play and on Friday we popped into Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing Arena at the Great Northern Warehouse while we were in Manchester for the Great City Games.

The lanes set up for some axe throwing

Chatting to the man there it sounds great fun and good value too, with an hour and a half of axe throwing for £20 per player off-peak. Check out the booking and FAQ pages on the Whistle Punks website for more info.

The board outside has taken a battering

I do enjoy target sports. Over the years I've played darts and archery (and archery tag) and competed in bun throwing, Christmas tree throwing and egg throwing. I've played some variations of skittles and bowling too.

As well as the Manchester site you can throw some axes for fun at the London venue. There's also a brand new Birmingham location that opened this month.

It looks like a fun sport and would be brilliant for a 'do'.

Link:
- Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing

Related blog posts:
- Sports and games played to date

Another one for the Park Bench Appreciation Society

Nature is encroaching on this bench on Unthank Road in Norwich.

Another snap for the Park Bench Appreciation Society's members to enjoy

The park is fairly near to the wonderful Eaton Park. Well worth a visit and also home to a number of benches. As well as a Crazy Golf course, Grass Putting, a Miniature Railway and a marvellous pavilion and bandstand.

Eaton Park Miniature Railway in Norwich

Last Friday we visited the wonderful Eaton Park in Norwich. After we'd played the superb Crazy Golf course we went for a look at the Miniature Railway. It looked like a brilliant layout.

Another miniature railway visited on our travels

Eaton Park's Miniature Railway comprises two tracks - an elevated track and a longer ground level track.

The elevated track on the Larch End loop above the line out of Parkside station

Subject to weather conditions the miniature trains operate every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday between 1 and 5pm (April to October).

 

The ground level track cutting through a park pathway

A view of Parkside station, a signal box and a tunnel

The turntable at Parkside station

 

Larch End station on the elevated track line

Hopefully next time we visit Eaton Park we'll be there on a day the miniature railway is open.

Links:
- Norwich & District Society of Model Engineers
- Friends of Eaton Park

Related blog posts:
- Miniature Railways
- Norwich
- Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

Crazy Golf in Viz comic issue 266

Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery.

I've been a fan of Viz for many many years and eagerly await each issue and this month I was incredibly surprised to see a minigolf story! Get to the shops now and pick up issue 266 to read Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery. The tale features Kim Jong-un on his visit to the seaside resort of Twilight-on-Sea!!!

Jack Black & his Dog Silver in the Crazy Golf Mystery in Viz issue 266, July 2017

The adventure is not all that far from the truth as the North Korean dictator does indeed have his own Miniature Golf course. Check out the blog post 'Mini Golf in Pyongyang, North Korea' to see snaps of the course my friend Dylan Harris took on a trip there in 2015.

Kim Jong-un's Miniature Golf course in Pyongyang

Disused railway stations - Felixstowe Beach in Suffolk

As a bit of a train nerd I recently joined the Disused Stations group on Facebook and last weekend found the perfect station location to take a photo of for the group while revisiting Felixstowe in Suffolk.

As we were driving over the level crossing on our way to the seafront we remembered there was an old platform to the left of us.

The disused Felixstowe Beach railway station on a sunny Sunday in May

Felixstowe Beach railway station taken closed to goods in 1966 and passengers in 1967. The station buildings were demolished in 2004.

Links:
- Disused Stations website
- Disused Stations Facebook Group

Eaton Park Crazy Golf in Norwich

A visit to the minigolf courses at Eaton Park in Norwich.

On Friday 19th May we visited the superb Crazy Golf course and Putting Green at Eaton Park in Norwich.

The weather hadn't been great in the morning so we weren't sure if the courses would be open. As we parked up we noticed a sign on the side of the kiosk, thankfully it said 'Open'!

After collecting our putters, balls, scorecard and pencil from the man in the hut we hit the 18-hole course for a great, fun round of minigolf.



It was a close contest, but a disastrous five on the 17th did me in to gift Emily the victory with a 43 to 44 scoreline.

After our first round the man (Rob) was eager to hear our scores and was impressed we'd shot fairly low scores. Rob told us the course record stood at 36. If we'd played a few more rounds we could've got close and maybe even beaten it. The first three holes are great ace opportunities, although there are some holes you really need to concentrate on or else you could pick up a four or five.

As the course was so good we had a second round and this time tied on 40 shots apiece. Although that did mean Emily won by one-shot overall.

While we didn't have time to play the Putting course this time, we will head back for a round in the future.

The Crazy Golf course was the 432nd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. The layout was the 734th visited overall and the 707th we've been to in the UK.

Eaton Park Crazy Golf has the right mix of hole-in-one opportunities and tricky second putts. The skill-based layout was unique and well maintained, with each of the holes presenting a different challenge. It's one of those courses I could happily play all day long.

Check out the photos below to view the 18-hole Crazy Golf course and visit the Eaton Park Crazy Golf website for more info, opening times and prices.

Hole 1

Hole 2

Hole 3 

Hole 4

Hole 5

Hole 6

Hole 6

Hole 7

Hole 7

Hole 8

Hole 9

Hole 9

Hole 10

Hole 11

Hole 12

Hole 12

Hole 13

Hole 14 

Hole 14

Hole 15

Hole 16

Hole 17 

Hole 18

Eaton Park itself is a large heritage park and is also home to a pitch & putt course, a miniature railway, cafe, bandstand, gardens and a very impressive pavilion.

The pavilion and bandstand

Parkside station on the Miniature Railway line

Links:
- Eaton Park Crazy Golf
- Friends of Eaton Park

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Videos:
- View of the Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich
- Playing hole 9 at Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich
- View of the Eaton Park Crazy Golf and Putting courses in Norwich
- View of the Eaton Park Putting and Crazy Golf courses in Norwich
- Hole-in-one on hole 13 at Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich
- Hole-in-one on hole 15 at Eaton Park Crazy Golf course in Norwich

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.