Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland

A look at Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland.

A big thank you to my friend, minigolf rival and team-mate Kevin Moseley for sending over photos of the Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki indoor minigolf course from his recent trip to Helsinki, Finland.

Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland

A quick look shows "Hohtogolf" translates as "Glitter Golf". There doesn't look to be much glitter in that sh...portable toilet hole!

Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland

Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland

The rest of the layout looks shiny though.

Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland

A scorecard from Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki in Finland

Check out the Hohtogolf West Coast Helsinki website for more information.

Inca Island Adventure Golf in Sutton Valence, Kent

There's a new Adventure Golf course at The Ridge Golf Club in Sutton Valence, Kent.

Inca Island Adventure Golf is an 18-hole, outdoor course at The Ridge Golf Club in Sutton Valence.

Visit the Inca Island Adventure Golf website for more information.

It's another course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent

A look at an old Happy Shopper shop in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

We drove via Burton upon Trent on our journey home from the south coast last week to take a look at a Happy Shopper shop in the town. We're lucky we did as the shop was in the process of being gutted as it's now closed. The business has moved to a new unit over the road, where some of the old branded shelving is now in use.

I've since found out there's ANOTHER Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent! We'll have to swing by S & A Singh on Sydney Street next time we're passing...

Happy Shopper nostalgia

We've felt very nostalgic during the pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

Since then we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more. Take a look at my posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Ashwellthorpe
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent

Crazy World of Minigolf Tour update

We have now been to 1,002 courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

957 of the courses have been in the British Isles (UK home nations, Jersey & the Isle of Man) plus 45 in eleven overseas countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Spain (& Lanzarote, Canary Islands), Sweden and the USA.

In 2006 we set out to visit every miniature golf course in the UK. When we began there were around 600 courses in the UK. There are now more than 1,000, with new courses opening all the time.

Toys R Us in Reading, Berkshire

Spotting an abandoned Toys R Us store in Reading, Berkshire.

We were surprised to see an old Toys R Us store while driving through Reading last Friday!

It still looks new

The shop unit at Gateway retail park looked in great condition and most of the signage and branding was still on display.

This particular branch of Toys R Us was only open for five months before the brand ceased trading in the UK.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited a number of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

With Geoffrey in Reading

Former Toys R Us locations we've visited on our travels:

• Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke
• Central Retail Park in Manchester
• Cathedral Retail Park in Norwich
• Deepdale shopping centre in Preston
• Festival retail park in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
• Gateway retail park in Reading
• Gemini Retail Park in Warrington
• Interchange Retail Park at Copdock Mill, Ipswich
• St James Retail Park in Northampton
• Teesside Retail Park in Stockton-on-Tees
• The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes
• Western Esplanade in Southampton
• Wolverhampton Road in Oldbury
• Wyvern Retail Park in Derby

Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central

A visit to Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central Shopping Centre in Islington, London.

Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central

Emily swung by Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central Shopping Centre in Islington, London, making it course number 1,002 on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central

Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central

Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central

Birdies Crazy Golf at Angel Central

Check out the Birdies Crazy Golf website for more information.

Advertising on the tube for the venue

You can also find Birdies Crazy Golf venues at Battersea and Roof East.

We played the first Birdies Crazy Golf course back in November 2015 at The Vaults underneath Waterloo station.

Crazy Golf at Millets Farm in Frilford near Abingdon

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Millets Farm in Frilford near Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

My mum sent me some photos of the Crazy Golf course at Millets Farm in Frilford.

A new 18-hole Adventure Golf course has opened at Millets Farm Centre and there are signs up for the farm-themed layout in the local area.

I grew up in Abingdon and visited Millets Farm a lot in the 80s and 90s. It's good to know the Crazy Golf course is still there. They'll be two more courses to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Millets Farm website for more information.

Minigolf courses 999, 1,000 and 1,001

Hitting our 1,000th minigolf course visit.

We reached our minigolf milestone of 1,000 course visits on a trip south last week when we swung by three new locations on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Course 999 - Mini-Golf at Prospect Park in Reading, Berkshire

Course 1,000 - Spinners Mini Golf in Reading town centre

Course 1,001 - Wildforest Falls Adventure Golf in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. This course was created on the same spot that had been a Putting Green

The first place we played on what would become a mammoth mission to visit all the courses in the UK was Treasure Island Adventure Golf on Southsea seafront back on the 30th September 2006 when Emily, me and my brother Christopher had a game on the 9-hole course and I won a Free Game by firing the cannon on the lucky last hole.

When combined with my brother's branch of the tour, the total number of courses we've visited in the last 16 years is 1,041!

Back in 2006 there were around 600 courses in the UK. Many many more have opened since and we've noted hundreds of new locations in the last couple of years.

We've been able to play 561 of the 1,001 courses Emily and I have been to as some have not been open, others were abandoned, derelict or completely removed from the spot they were supposed to be on!

The 18-hole Arnold Palmer Putting Course at Waterloo Gardens on the esplanade in Bognor Regis was the 275th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in October 2011. It's a superb layout and was a real pleasure to play it again. When I played Emily in 2011 I lost with a round of 42 to her 39. This time I shot another 42!

The remains of the old Crazy Golf course at Hotham Park in Bognor Regis can still be seen. We played it in 2011

Of the 1,001 courses, 956 have been in the British Isles, with others visited on our overseas travels.

Take a look at the full list of our epic Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The A-Team van in Worthing

It was absolutely amazing to see The A-Team van while out on a stroll on Worthing seafront at the weekend.

The A-Team van in Worthing

I spotted it cruising down the seafront (see the last pic) and actually managed to track it down better than Colonel Decker ever could.

Check out The A-Team Sussex on Instagram for more info.

He-Van, Movers of the Universe

He-Van, Movers of the Universe in Worthing.

What a sight this was to behold - a bootleg He-Man and the Masters of the Universe van parked in Worthing, West Sussex over the weekend!

He-Van!

The 'He-Van' belongs to He-Van, Movers of the Universe.

Mini-Golf at Clippesby Hall

A look at the Mini-Golf course at Clippesby Hall in Norfolk.

Mini-Golf at Clippesby Hall

Check out my blog post about all of the minigolf courses in the Greater Yarmouth area.

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby

A view of the Lost World Adventure Golf course in Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Lost World Adventure Golf in Hemsby, Norfolk

Check out my blog post about all of the minigolf courses in the Greater Yarmouth area.

Forssan Minigolf Puttaamo in Finland

A look at Forssan Minigolf Puttaamo in Forssa, Finland.

A big thank you to our friend and minigolf rival Chris 'Stretch' Jones for sending us some photos of Forssan Minigolf Puttaamo in Forssa, Finland.

Forssan Minigolf Puttaamo in Forssa, Finland

He was lucky enough to stumble upon the course on his recent trip to Finland.

Forssan Minigolf Puttaamo in Forssa, Finland

Check out Forssan Minigolf Puttaamo on Facebook and Instagram.

Adventure Golf in Corby

There are plans for a new 18-hole Adventure Golf course and High Ropes facility to be created in Corby, Northamptonshire.

There are plans for a new 18-hole Adventure Golf course in Corby, Northamptonshire

Crazy Golf at the Dorset Burger Company in Weymouth

There's a Crazy Golf course at the Dorset Burger Company in Weymouth.

There's a Crazy Golf course at the Dorset Burger Company

We've found out there's an indoor Crazy Golf course at the Dorset Burger Company in Weymouth.

Another course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Take a look at the Dorset Burger Company website for more information on the 9-hole 'Snitches Crazy Golf' course.

Freighter Golf at the National Museum of the Great Lakes

There's a unique pop-up minigolf course at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, USA.

There's a minigolf course at the National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo

The course is onboard the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship from the 25th August to the 11th September.

Check out the National Museum of the Great Lakes website for more information.

As Curator's of the Crazy Golf Museum it's brilliant to see minigolf in action in a museum setting and getting people involved in history, education and fun!

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Playing the Crazy Golf course at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead.

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

We had a holiday in Minehead, Somerset in June and visited three more miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

The Crazy Golf course at the Jubilee Gardens Café on Minehead seafront was the 995th course visited, and 560th played, on our travels since September 2006.

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Crazy Golf at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead

Visit the Jubilee Cafe website for more information.

Scorecard from the Crazy Golf course at the Jubilee Gardens Café in Minehead