Minigolf mining

Last week I put out a question on social media about whether there are any Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom style runaway mine car-style rides at theme parks or fairs in the UK.

Part of the prompt for this question was watching the film, with another being the new section of holes we saw at the Pavilion Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea that includes a broken down mine.

We've seen a couple of other mining scenes on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Alpine Adventure Golf course on the Great Orme in Llandudno, Wales

Dragon's Quest Mini Golf course at Fontygary Leisure Park in Rhoose, Barry, Wales

Skull Point Adventure Golf on Clacton Pier

A look at the Skull Point Adventure Golf course in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

We visited Clacton Pier during our East Anglian Road-Trip in August and while there checked out the Skull Point Adventure Golf course at the No.1 North Sea address.

The 18-hole course is spread out over two levels, with some holes indoors and others outside

The lucky 19th hole

Check out the Clacton Pier website for more information.

A Covid-19 sign

Skull Point Adventure Golf was the 972nd course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We've played minigolf on Clacton Pier before. Back in May 2011 we played the pop-up adventure golf course half way along the pier.

Did you know...

Halloween 2021 is the first time in 666 years that Halloween falls on Friday the 13th

An oversized minigolf cheque

I won the Weymouth Open minigolf tournament on this day in 2008.

The inaugural Weymouth Open minigolf competition was held on the 18-hole Pirate Adventure Mini Golf course at the Weymouth Sea Life Centre at Lodmoor Country Park.

I had a very good record in Weymouth Open events. As well as winning the individual title in 2008 my team-mate Chris Harding and I were the Weymouth Open doubles champions in 2011.

I was also runner-up in the 2009 and 2011 events and seventh in 2010. In the 2009 tournament Kevin Moseley and I were tied after two rounds and it took 4-holes of a sudden-death play-off to separate us.

The course was the 77th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 973 courses since September 2006.

Keep following the brown signs

A blog post about brown tourist signs.

I was pleased to hear that my fellow blogger, 'dull' person and fan of the quirky Amanda from Follow The Brown Signs was back in action after a hiatus.

We've always been interested in straying off the beaten path and even before we found out about Follow The Brown Signs we would look for and find different things to see and do while out and about on our travels.

Finding out about Amanda's mission and website in 2011 gave us even more ideas as well as another outlet for us to share tips and stuff from our own quest.

Just last week I spotted a brown sign, followed it and found a Pumpkin Garden!

Check out the Follow The Brown Signs website for more information and inspiration.

Here's a selection of brown tourist signs from our adventures.

Pavilion Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea

A revisit to the Pavilion Adventure Golf course in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

We took a look at the Pavilion Adventure Golf in Clacton-on-Sea during our visit to the town on our East Anglian Road-Trip.

We first played the course in May 2009 when it was a 10-hole layout. It was the 94th course on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've now been to 973 courses since September 2006.

These holes haven't changed much since we first visited

On a return trip in June 2015 another hole had been added to make it 11-holes.

One of the original holes

On our visit in August the name of the course had changed from Augusta Adventure Golf to Pavilion Adventure Golf and it was a 14-hole course.

This is part of the new additions

Visit the Clacton Pavilion website for more information.

2 million pageviews on the Ham & Egger Files

My blog has received 2 million pageviews as of today!

Thank you to everyone for reading and contributing to the site since my first post back on the 21st December 2006.

4,813 posts published and counting...

Thatched Roof Putting at Kirkley Cliff in Lowestoft

A revisit to the Putting Green at Kirkley Cliff in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

We swung by the Putting Green at Kirkley Cliff in Lowestoft, Suffolk during our East Anglian Road-Trip in August.

We first visited the Kirkley Cliff Putting Green on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in February and June 2009. We played it when we returned in August 2011. It was the 264th course played on our travels.

The course is now known at the Thatched Roof Putting and the layout still looks to be in excellent condition.

As with many things in Lowestoft, the grass miniature golf course at Kirkley Cliff is the most easterly thing of its type in the British Isles.

Visit The Thatch Restaurant website for more information.

Blockbuster Video Express in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex

A look at the ghost signs on the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

We found some brilliant ghost signs and a QuikDrop box at the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Clacton-on-Sea during our trip to the seaside town in August.

We had a good idea that the QuikDrop video return box would still be visible on the front of what is now a Tendring Community Clothing charity shop. Partly from our research in advance, and partly because the day before the charity's spokesperson had been interviewed on BBC Look East news outside of the shop and you could clearly see the QuikDrop box there!

What we hadn't expected was that the side and front of the shop would still have ghost signs on them! It's wonderful to see these pieces of retail history on display.

The inside of the charity shop itself has had very few changes made to it since it was a Blockbuster, with the colour scheme, walls and till desk all looking very Blockbustery!

Blockbuster Video

Our interest in old Blockbuster Video stores was piqued when I found one close by in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019.

Since then we've found quite a few more signs of the brand on the high streets and retail parks of the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of the year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The remaining stores closed on the 16th December that year.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster stores around the world. There is now just one remaining store open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

Blockbuster Video stores we've visited

Check out the posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores we've been to in:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Colne, Lancashire
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Halloween in the City returning to Manchester this month

Halloween in the City is returning to Manchester city centre.

Halloween in the City is taking place in Manchester on the 30th and 31st October with a number of large-scale monsters adorning buildings around the city centre as well as other themed activities.

Halloween in the City Manchester Monsters in 2019

Check out the Halloween in the City website for more information.

Adventure Golf at the Greensward Cafe in Clacton-on-Sea

A visit to the Adventure Golf course at the Greensward Cafe in Clacton-on-Sea.

We swung by the Adventure Golf course at the Greensward Cafe in Clacton-on-Sea during our East Anglian Road-Trip.

The course opened in May 2016 and replaced the Carpeted Miniature Golf course that had been on the same spot for many many years. We played that layout in May 2009 when it became the 93rd we visited on our travels and revisited in May 2011 and June 2015.

The Adventure Golf course at the Greensward Cafe in Clacton-on-Sea became the 973rd visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

We're looking forward to a return visit to Clacton and a game there in the future.

Check out the Greensward Cafe and Adventure Golf website for more information.

Rules and regulations at the course