Thompson Park Miniature Railway in Burnley

A visit to the Miniature Railway at Thompson Park in Burnley.

Last month we visited Burnley for the first time. While there we found a Putting course at Queens Park and a superb miniature railway at Thompson Park.

It's always a bonus to find a miniature railway on our travels and we really weren't expecting to find or ride one on our day out in Burnley.

Thompson Park is a lovely spot and well worth a visit.

We've always enjoyed miniature railways and since we moved up to Greater Manchester we've found quite a few more while out and about exploring our new local area. There are three miniature railways in Stockport borough! Interestingly some of the engines at Thompson Park were formerly in operation at the Brookside Miniature Railway in Stockport.

Related blog posts:
- Miniature Railways
- Burnley

Link:
- Thompson Park Railway

Shark at St David's shopping centre in Cardiff

We saw this nice bit of shopping mall marketing at St David's in Cardiff last week.

Sh...sh...SHARK!

The 25ft long Great White Shark has been installed at the shopping centre to hook people in to visit and help them find out more about sustainability, with a particular focus on single-use plastic and the harm it poses to marine life.

In a shopping mall shark cage!

It's one of the best malls I've visited on my travels.

Link:
- St David's shopping centre

Related blog posts:
- Sharks
- Cardiff
- St David's shopping centre

Farewell Pacer Railbus 142005

The first of Northern's Pacer Railbuses retired from service today.

Pacer Railbus 142005 at St Annes-on-the-Sea station last August. It's the first Northern Pacer to be retired from service

They've been a 'popular' train up north for a fair few years and we quite often see - and hear - them squealing along the many lines in Greater Manchester.

Today the first of Northern's Pacer Railbuses retired from service, as 142005 made its final journey from Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge.

At the end of its run Northern stated that it had travelled 3 million miles in its 32 years of service!

The first Pacer Railbuses were introduced in 1984 and were designed as a short-term measure with a lifespan of twenty years. They've certainly been pushed beyond what they were originally intended for.

While I wouldn't necessarily want to travel on a Pacer Railbus on a long journey, nor would I much fancy using one for a daily rush-hour commute, there is something about them that makes them fun to travel on.

We saw Pacer Railbus 142005 a couple of times while on the Fylde coast last August

While modern trains may be sleeker and have more comfortable seating and air-con, there's a lot to be said for old diesel trains. Last week's large-scale power cuts showed that while new trains may be great when conditions are perfect, they were completely useless when the power went down.

Pacer Railbus 142005 connected to another old train - a Class 150 Sprinter

When we arrived in Stockport in 2016 we noticed that, although there are a lot of train lines and connections aren't too bad, the rolling stock itself is very old. In fact as we moved north so did a load of ex-Thameslink Class 319s that we'd been commuting into London on since 2003!

Having lived most of my life down south I didn't realise quite how poor the train services can be up north in comparison. And that's saying something as a long-suffering commuter on the 'Bedpan line' from Luton to London.

Pacer Railbus 142005 arriving at St Annes-on-the-Sea station en route to Preston

Prior to a one-stop journey in April 2017 I had only ridden on one Pacer Railbus. That first Pacer train trip was only one-stop too, going from Paignton to Torquay on our South West Minigolfing Roadtrip in 2015.

Transport for Wales are also withdrawing their Pacer Railbuses and have added public service announcements to the sides of the trains declaring it's "The start of a new journey"

On a recent trip to Carnforth we were lucky enough to see the first of the Pacer's replacements out on a test-run. While it was merely a brief encounter it was nice to see Class 195001 breeze through the station.

Related blog posts:
- Pacer Railbus
- Train Nerd
- Trains

Owen Johnson's skydive for Caudwell Children

Good luck to our friend and minigolf rival Owen Johnson who is doing a sponsored skydive for Caudwell Children!

You can find out more and donate on Owen's JustGiving page.

Happy World Elephant Day

Today is World Elephant Day.

Nellie the elephant at Jungle Safari Adventure Golf in Worcester

World Elephant Day was launched in 2012 to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants.

A pair of elephants on the Crazy Golf course at Playland Stourport

For more information visit the World Elephant Day website.

An elephant on the Crazy Golf course at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach

Considering how many safari and jungle-themed adventure golf courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour you'd think we'd have played more elephant obstacles and seen more trunks on our travels.

An elephant obstacle on the Brean Sands indoor Crazy Golf course

Minigolf consultancy

As marketing and sales professionals Emily and I use our extensive knowledge and skills in supporting and promoting the game we enjoy as a hobby.

Since 2006 we have visited more than 900 minigolf courses in the UK and overseas. This has given us an insight into many aspects of minigolf, from course operators, pop-ups, competitions, clubs, national associations, international federations, suppliers, designers, builders and technology providers.

At our 900th course visit - the North Bay Mini Golf course in Scarborough

Our involvement in the world of minigolf includes blogging, media relations, sponsorship, course design, advice and consultancy, event organisation and promotion, and participation in tournaments around the world.

The Ham & Egger Files blog contains over 3,000 posts that have attracted 1.5 million page views.

Emily playing at Joe Joe Jim's Crazy Crazy Golf at Fletcher's Arcade in Cofton Hackett, Birmingham

As a volunteer I served three terms on the Executive Committee of the British Minigolf Association and was a member of the World Minigolf Sport Federation’s Marketing and Media Committee for six years.

Putting at Lane7 in Newcastle

Please do get in touch to find out how we can help with your minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf activities.

You can also buy my ebook 'The Minigolfer’s Guide to Marketing' on Amazon and Kobo.

Link:
- Marketing consultancy

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf
- Marketing

Player profiles:
- Richard Gottfried
- Emily Gottfried

Tee-Rex Adventure Golf at Cardiff Golf Centre

A visit to the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course at Cardiff Golf Centre.

On our trip to South Wales we made a visit to the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course at Cardiff Golf Centre in Old St Mellons.

The 18-hole dinosaur-themed Adventure Golf course became the 916th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Emily playing hole 1

We enjoyed a round with our old friends and minigolf rivals Cindy and Jas Kukielka and our new friend and minigolf rival Martyn Williams.

On the green of the volcano hole

The Tee Rex Golf course was built by the team at HM Adventure Golf in 2017 and we've been wanting to get along for a game for a while.

What's wrong with this picture?

We had a fun competition on the course and there were some very close scores on the tricky layout.

At the end of the round I came out the winner by one-shot on 40(+4). Martyn, captain of the Welsh Minigolf Club, and Emily both hit 41(+5) and required a play-off.

Receiving the trophy from Jas

The sudden-death play-off began on hole 1. After nether player could be separated after three plays of the hole the play-off moved to hole 2 where Emily shot a three and Martyn hit a two for the win.

Martyn playing a shot

Emily in action

Jas finished the game in fourth place with a round of 45(+9), with Cindy in fifth spot on 48(+12).

Jas on the green

Cindy in action

The Rules

Playing hole 1

The view from the first tee

Visit the Tee-Rex Adventure Golf course website for opening times and prices. Cardiff Golf Centre is also home to a Pitch & Putt course, Foot Golf, Rugby Golf, a riving range and a soft-play centre.

The practice Putting area

A view of the Pitch & Putt and Foot Golf course

Tee-Rex Adventure Golf at Cardiff Golf Centre will be the host venue for the Cardiff Open minigolf tournament on Saturday 5th October. For more information visit the Welsh Minigolf Club website.

Julia Galvin and The Chinese Wife Carrying Race!

Help novelty sports star Julia Galvin get to The Chinese Wife Carrying Race.

Our friend and fellow obscure sports enthusiast Julia Galvin has been invited to China for their National Wife Carrying Championships!

Wife carrying is a sport where male competitors race while carrying a female team-mate (they don't technically need to be married). The objective is to pass through a special obstacle course in the fastest time possible.

Julia has a fine pedigree in the sport of wife carrying, competing in events around the world since her debut in the world championships in Sonkajärvi, Finland - the home of wife carrying.

The main prize for the winners in wife carrying contests is the wife's weight in beer.

The 2019 China National Wife Carrying Championships are taking place in Yulin, Guangxi this month.

We met Julia at the inaugural World Alternative Games in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales back in 2012 where we were running the Finger Jousting World Championships and Julia was a competitor.

As well as a star of wife carrying Julia is one of the world's best Bog Snorkelers and a regular visitor to Llanwrtyd Wells for the town's many odd sports events.

Check out Julia's GoFundMe page and help her get to The Chinese Wife Carrying Race!

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook

My ebook to help minigolf players better market themselves, their clubs, tournaments and courses is now available to purchase from Kobo.

You can also buy The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon.

I've been so pleased to see the book bought and used by a number of competition players, course owners and managers, bloggers, course reviewers, minigolf associations and federations around the world.

As a minigolfer with over a decade of experience as a tournament competitor and years of experience in marketing and communications I designed the guide so that anyone interested or involved in minigolf could help promote the game. It's a niche title, but an audience and subject I know a lot about.

Playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

Writing the book was brilliant and enabled me to bring two areas of my life together. I've worked in marketing since 2003 and have played minigolf since I was a child. Stepping up to compete on the national minigolf tour circuit and in international tournaments opened my eyes to the potential of the game. I’ve also had the honour of serving on the committees of the British Minigolf Association (BMGA) and the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF).

Minigolf is a sport for all. People of all ages, sexes, backgrounds and abilities can pick up a putter and play the game.

When Emily and I began travelling around the country on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour there were around 600 courses in the UK. We've now visited 918 courses, including 39 overseas, and there are still many more for us to play. The game is really booming and not a week goes by without the announcement of a new course opening.

At our 900th course - the North Bay Mini Golf course in Scarborough

There are a huge amount of interesting and fun stories to tell and positive aspects to highlight to potential players, the media, sponsors and the wider sporting community. The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing should give federations, associations, clubs and our fellow players ideas, inspiration and support in their marketing efforts.

Much of the guidance could also be applied to a number of other sports clubs and organisations to help raise their profile and boost memberships.

The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing is available on Amazon and Kobo

A very BIG thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of the book to date. It's very much appreciated.

Links:
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Amazon
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing ebook on Kobo

Related blog posts:
- The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing
- Marketing
- Minigolf

Minigolf and tenpin bowling

Where to find minigolf and tenpin bowling entertainment centres.

Traditionally the two leisure activities have been quite separate and distinct, with people choosing to do either one or other and most operators running either a minigolf course or tenpin bowling alley.

The Mini Golf course and tenpin bowling alleys sit side-by-side at Lane7 in Newcastle

With the boom in the popularity of minigolf and the growth in new courses, a number of tenpin bowling centres have added minigolf, crazy golf and adventure golf courses.

A cricket-themed hole on a crazy golf course on the floor below a bowling alley at the Level Preston entertainment centre

We're fans of both games and we've been to quite a few places on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour that have both entertainment options.

Minigolf and tenpin bowling centres:

Lane7 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Mini Golf and tenpin bowling.

Mini Golf at Lane7 in Newcastle

Level Preston - Trailer Trash Jim's Crazy Golf and tenpin bowling.

Jabba the Putt at Level Preston

MFA Bowl in Hereford - Crazy Golf and tenpin bowling.

Putting from an indoorr bit of the outdoor Crazy Golf course at the MFA Bowl in Hereford

Namco Funscape in Tamworth - Medieval-themed Castle Adventure Golf and and tenpin bowling.

The outdoor section of the medieval-themed Adventure Golf course in Tamworth

Riverside Bowl in Andover - Glo-Golf indoor Crazy Golf and tenpin bowling.

Crazy Golfing at the Riverside Bowl in Andover. Andover of course is known as 'the Paris of Hampshire'

Caddyshackers in Leicester - Crazy Golf and a new tenpin bowling centre called East Street Lanes opening in 2019.

Caddyshackers Crazy Golf in Leicester has a tenpin bowling-themed hole

Superbowl UK in Warrington - Putters Adventure Golf and tenpin bowling.

The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre in Preston - Crazy Golf and and tenpin bowling.

New bowling and minigolf centres in development / opening soon:

- York Stadium Leisure Complex
- Market Walk Shopping Centre, Chorley
- Rochdale Riverside

A bowling hole at Ghetto Golf in Liverpool

Do get in touch if you know of any other tenpin bowling alleys with minigolf courses, or crazy golf courses with bowling elements.

Roxy Ball Room on Boar Lane in Leeds has a tenpin bowling-themed hole. But you'll need to visit Roxy Lanes for a bowl

Related blog posts:
- Minigolf
- Crazy Golf
- Tenpin bowling

If you are interested in installing or building a minigolf course and would like to receive specialist help, Richard Gottfried is able to provide experience, knowledge and support for all aspects of minigolf business, at any stage of the process. Get in touch to find out more.