Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

A visit to the Shibden Miniature Railway at Shibden Park in Halifax.


Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

While in Halifax on Saturday we visited Shibden Park to check out the Pitch & Putt and Crazy Golf courses there.


As a nice bonus we also found the park is home to a miniature railway.

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax


We're looking forward to a return visit to ride the railway in the summer.

Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax

Visit the Shibden Park Miniature Railway Facebook Page for more information and opening times.


We also saw The Shibden Express while at the park. What a fine park bench.

The Shibden Express

The Shibden Express park bench

The Shibden Express park bench

There was a nice tree trunk bench in the park too. It'd been carved in the shape of a viaduct and tunnel, including a train.

Park bench at Shibden Park in Halifax

Park bench at Shibden Park in Halifax

Park bench at Shibden Park in Halifax

Park bench at Shibden Park in Halifax

Monday, November 25, 2019

Roxy Arcade in Leeds

A visit to the new Roxy Arcade in Leeds.


Roxy Arcade on Merrion Street in Leeds

While we were in Leeds for the Collectorabilia event at the weekend we visited the new Roxy Arcade.


Roxy Arcade on Merrion Street in Leeds

Roxy Arcade on Merrion Street in Leeds
I had a play on Defender, X-Files Pinball, Moon Cresta, Street Fighter II and Track & Field on our visit

Roxy Arcade in Leeds
The downstairs section

Roxy Arcade in Leeds
There are also consoles available to play

The new venue from the Roxy team is next door to the established Roxy Ball Room Merrion Street.

Roxy Arcade on Merrion Street in Leeds
Merrion Street in Leeds

The first Roxy Ball Room we visited was the one on Boar Lane where we played the indoor Crazy Golf course in November 2016.

Roxy Ball Room
Roxy Ball Room venues have a lot of competitive socialising activities

We've also been to Roxy Ball Room in Manchester where we had a brilliant time last New Year's Eve.

There's a Roxy Ball Room in Liverpool we're yet to visit. That venue has a new minigolf course too.

Check out the Roxy Arcade website for more information.

Roxy Arcade on Merrion Street in Leeds

Christmas Mini Golf

It's a month until Christmas Day!


Have you heard of any Christmas-themed Crazy Golf courses popping-up this year?

Christmas Crazy Golf
A Christmas-themed course we played in London back in 2009

Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds has closed

The indoor Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf courses in Leeds are now lost courses.


Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds
Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds

We were in Leeds at the weekend and while chatting to my friend Morrt at the Collectorabilia event I found out that Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf had closed down!

Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds
The Reception area as it looked yesterday

We visited Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds last June. The venue was home to two 18-hole indoor adventure golf layouts.

Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf in Leeds

Rolling to our 900th minigolf course in the British Isles

Two more courses and we're at 900 in the British Isles!


On Saturday we visited four more courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour when we were in Halifax, West Yorkshire.


Those courses brought us up to 898 miniature golf course visits in the British Isles.


I wonder where 899 and 900 will be?

We've visited 39 courses in eleven overseas countries.

Our 900th course visit overall was at the North Bay Crazy Golf course in the seaside town of Scarborough in June this year.

North Bay Mini Golf in Scarborough
At our 900th course overall

Our 800th course visit overall was at Swing by Golfbaren in Stockholm, Sweden in February 2018.

Merrie England in Halifax

We had never heard of the Merrie England coffee shop brand until a visit to Huddersfield in May this year.


Merrie England in Halifax

It's a chain with branches in Huddersfield, Halifax and Brighouse.


We were in Halifax for the first time on Saturday and we spotted the shop on our wander round the town.

Merrie England in Halifax
Merrie England in Halifax

Friday, November 22, 2019

Ready Player One

I'm always ready for a game of mini golf!

Puttshack White City Super Tech Mini Golf in London
At Puttshack White City last month

I wonder where my next game on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour will be...?

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Lost minigolf courses - Abingdon Crazy Golf

A look back at the old Crazy Golf course at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames.


Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

One of the courses we've visited and played on our travels but has since become a 'lost' course was the 10-hole Crazy Golf layout at the Abbey Meadows in my home town of Abingdon.


Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

The course was the first one I ever played way back in the early 1980's.


Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

The course had been in the park since the 1950's but was removed at the end of the 2016 season as part of renovations to the area.

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames

It's always sad to see an old miniature golf course removed. Especially so when it's not even replaced by a new one.

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames
The last hole of the first course I ever played

In August 2007 the course became the 31st played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames
Playing hole 5 in 2007

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames
Playing hole 5 in 2012

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames
Playing hole 5 for the very last time in 2016


We also revisited in June 2012 and December 2014.

Crazy Golf at the Abbey Meadows in Abingdon-on-Thames
The course was very mossy in 2014

What's wrong with this picture?

My sister-in-law Jo sent me this snap from a shopping trip to Waitrose. Can you see what's out of place?

Milk at Waitrose. Photo by Jo Tubby, April 2019
Milk at Waitrose

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A mini golf meme

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The British High Street, November 2019

Spotting a dead brand on a high street.


On my travels I always keep my eye out for interesting sights and while Emily and I were driving through Longton in Stoke-on-Trent I spotted a Woolworths!


Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent
Woolworths in Longton

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009 so we were amazed to see the sign was still up.


The Woolworths on Market Street in Longton closed its doors for the final time on the 30th December 2008.

Looking online the former shop had an 'interesting' and 'alternative' use earlier this year!

On a related old retailer note I recently had a look at the old Blockbusters store in Fallowfield, Manchester.

World Toilet Day 2019

Today is World Toilet Day.


Today is a day to highlight the global sanitation crisis and ensure no one is left behind without sanitation.



Established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001, World Toilet Day was made an official UN day in 2013. UN-Water leads a taskforce of international agencies to campaign around a common theme.


World Toilet Day, celebrated on 19th November every year, is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and help achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which promises sanitation for all by 2030.

For more information visit the World Toilet Day website.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers

A look back at our visit to the Extraordinary Golf course at Alton Towers.


Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers

We're long overdue a return visit to Alton Towers. We couldn't have had a rainier day when we were there back in June 2007.


One of the things we'd been really looking forward to was playing the Extraordinary Golf course.


Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers
That's a BIG minigolf windmill

In 2007 we were still less than a year into our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the excitement at playing a new course was tremendous. That's not to say I don't get super excited when I hear about or see a new minigolf course now!

Imagine our disappointment when we arrived to find the course had been closed for the day as the weather was so bad as to render the course unplayable.

Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers
Not your typical water ride

Looking on the Alton Towers website there are two 9-hole courses with miniature versions of the most famous rides and attractions at the theme park. It'll be brilliant to play them.

Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers
Even the free monorail ride couldn't cheer me up

We've now visited 933 courses since September 2006. Of those we've been able to play 535. Many of them multiple times.

We haven't been able to play 398 courses we've visited for a number of reasons. Some have been waterlogged like the Extraordinary Golf at Alton Towers, while others have been derelict, abandoned, out-of-season, under construction or completely removed!

Woman Yelling at Cat Meme - Minigolf

Woman Yelling at Cat Meme - made at imgflip.com

Monday, November 11, 2019

Savage Golf crazy golf pop-up in Norwich

A pop-up Crazy Golf course is opening in Norwich.


A new 9-hole Crazy Golf course and cocktail bar is popping-up in Norwich.


Savage Golf is opening in Norwich

Savage Golf will be open from Thursday 28th November to Saturday 21st December and can be found on St Stephens Street in Norwich city centre.


Check out the Savage Golf website for more information.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Bun Throwing in Abingdon-on-Thames

It's been a year since Abingdon's last Bun Throwing event.


Last November my home town of Abingdon marked 100 years since the end of the First World War with a special Bun Throwing event in the market place.


Bun Throwing in Abingdon-on-Thames
Abingdon has a curious tradition of bun throwing

The Bun Throwing was the 35th event since 1761.


The first marked the Coronation of King George III. The last Bun Throwing held before the 2018 event was to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday in 2016.


I have attended each Bun Throwing in Abingdon in my lifetime, a total of 15 since 1981.

Related blog posts:
- A year since Abingdon's last Bun Throwing event
- Abingdon-on-Thames Bun Throwing timeline - 1761 to 2018

Saturday, November 09, 2019

Golf Pong at Project B in Manchester

What rainy Saturdays in Manchester are all about.


Golf Pong at Project B in Manchester

Last Saturday afternoon we headed over to Manchester as Emily had seen there was Golf Pong at a brand new bar in a railway viaduct arch that used to be a car dealership.


Golf Pong at Project B in Manchester
It was the first time we'd played this variation of golf

As well as the bar, golf pong and beer pong Project B has a number of street food vendors and hosts live music. We enjoyed listening to Mike Dignam while we were there.


Check out Project B on Facebook for more info.

Thursday, November 07, 2019

HM Adventure Golf at the NEC

While at the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show at the NEC I swung by the HM Adventure Golf stand.

HM Adventure Golf at the Family Attraction Expo in Birmingham

I've played one of HM Adventure Golf's modular minigolf courses at the Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl. There's also an indoor Adventure Golf version of it at the Blackpool Tower that we've yet to play on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mini Golf course at the Palace Fun Centre in Rhyl, Wales
The first hole of the indoor minigolf course in Rhyl

Having a minigolf layout on an exhibition stand is a brilliant way to engage delegates and entertain visitors.

Art Attack FX and GlowGolf

It was great to chat to the Art Attack FX team at the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show in Birmingham.

GlowGolf by Art Attack FX

I'm a big fan of UV / glow-in-the-dark minigolf and enjoy playing them on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

My brother and Charter Member of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Christopher has played one of Art Attack FX's GlowGolf creations in Amsterdam.

Time Machine GlowGolf in Amsterdam
Time Machine GlowGolf in Amsterdam

As well as miniature golf courses Art Attack FX also create laser tag arenas, mini bowling alleys, play systems and more.

Wednesday, November 06, 2019

Exhibition minigolf at the NEC

Playing the Marsh Industries hole-in-one challenge minigolf course.


I've been down in Birmingham attending the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show at the NEC today. On my way out of the exhibition I was surprised and pleased to find a very nice 3-hole minigolf layout on the Marsh Industries stand.


Marsh Industries hole-in-one challenge minigolf course
I had so much fun playing the course and chatting to the Marsh Industries team on the stand I almost missed my train home!

I didn't manage to get an ace with my first three goes to enter the prize draw. But I did get a hole-in-one on my fourth go.


Having a miniature golf layout on a trade or exhibition stand is a brilliant way to engage delegates and entertain visitors.

Check out the Marsh Industries website for more info on what they do.

The second and final day of the shows is tomorrow, Thursday 7th November. Find out more on the Family Attraction Expo and Holiday Park & Resort Innovation Show websites.