Mini Golf in Maryport, Cumbria, June 2023

Playing a round at the Lake District Coast Aquarium Crazy Golf course in Maryport.

The Lake District Coast Aquarium Crazy Golf course in Maryport

Back in April 2012 we swung by the Lake District Coast Aquarium in Maryport, Cumbria while en route to Scotland as we'd heard about the minigolf course there. Unfortunately we arrived just after 5pm so couldn't have a game. The Maryport Crazy Golf course was the 469th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Luckily in June 2023 we were able to return and this time managed a round on the Swedish Felt B-Run type of minigolf course.

Check out this blog post to see more of the course.

May is Coeliac Awareness Month

The month of May is Coeliac Awareness Month.

What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac Disease ('Celiac' in the USA and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.

In the UK it is estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.

Coeliac Awareness Month 2024

This year Coeliac UK - the charity for people with Coeliac Disease - is on a mission to find the 1 in 100 people in the UK with coeliac disease and help guide them on the road to recovery.

Visit the Coeliac UK website and Coeliac Awareness Month page for more information.

Living a gluten free life

Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008! It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.

My life as a Coeliac in LEGO form

You can read more about my gluten free journey in this case study on the This Is MedTech website - "When eating gluten-free isn’t a choice".

My Coeliacversary

This year marks my 16th year as a Coeliac! Time flies eh.

How should I celebrate my Coeliacversary this year...?

The old Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton

A look at the former Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

Back in 2021 the old sign at the former Blockbuster Video store on Regent Street in Nuneaton was uncovered when the tenant of the building moved out.

It was brilliant to see such a well maintained piece of signage - it looked like the store could've re-opened that day!

A ghost sign of the torn ticket logo at the back of the store

Finding other old Blockbuster Video shops.

It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

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

Australian Adventure Golf at Adlington Golf Centre in Macclesfield

A new Australian-themed Adventure Golf course is opening at Adlington Golf Centre in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Check out the Adlington Golf Centre website and Australian Adventure Golf Facebook Page for more information.

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

Minigolf at Retrodome in Barnsley

The Retrodome arcade in Barnsley, South Yorkshire is adding a minigolf course.

Retrodome - a retro arcade in Barnsley - will soon be home to a new indoor minigolf course.

Check out the Retrodome website for more information.

As fans of minigolf AND retrogaming this sounds like a superb mix!

It'll be nice to visit Barnsley on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

The last Woolworths shop in the UK closed in January 2009 so it was brilliant to see this frontage looking fairly unchanged!

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

We first spotted the store in Longton while driving through the town in 2019 and returned in 2020 for a closer look. We were very surprised to see the branding still in place.

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Woolworths in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent

Puttcast minigolf podcast - "Global Mini Golf Trends"

Check out the new episode of the Puttcast minigolf podcast - "Global Mini Golf Trends - An Interview With Richard Gottfried".

It was brilliant being a guest on the show with my friends, fellow minigolf enthusiasts (and sometimes competition rivals!) Tom Loftus and Pat Sheridan and diving into the world of minigolf as it is now - and what the future may hold...

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham

A look at the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre, Teesside.

We visited the former Blockbuster Video Express store in Billingham town centre back in April 2021.

The shopfront was very well maintained and it was nice to see the original signage.

Finding other old Blockbuster Video shops.

It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

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

American Football Minigolf in Sweden

A look at the minigolf course at O'Leary's bar and entertainment centre at the Mall of Scandinavia in Solna.

We visited our 801st minigolf course and 32nd overseas at O'Leary's bar and entertainment centre at the Mall of Scandinavia in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden in February 2018.

Hole 12 was Gridiron themed

The Sports World Minigolf course was a 14-hole indoor layout with sports themed holes.

  

Take a look at the full blog post from our visit to Sports World Mini Golf at O'Leary's in the Mall of Scandinavia.

Check out the O'Leary's website for more information.

New miniature golf courses in the UK

Information about new adventure golf, crazy golf and miniature golf courses opening in the UK.

If you're looking for information about new adventure golf, crazy golf and miniature golf courses in the UK, please do check out this blog post and the New course tag.

If you know of a new course opening, do let me know too.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

We've been to 1,044 miniature golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

997 of them have been in the British Isles.

Crazy Golf on Southend Pier - 1.3 miles out to sea!

It's been brilliant to see such a wide-range and variety of places to play the game.

See the list of courses we've visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour page.

Indoor Mini Golf at Ballerz Clubhouse in Farnham

There's an indoor minigolf course at Ballerz Clubhouse in Farnham, Surrey.

Ballerz Clubhouse opened in August 2023. The venue is home to a 9-hole indoor mini golf course.

Check out the Ballerz Clubhouse website for more information.

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

Spinners Crazy Golf & Bowling in Solihull

A new indoor minigolf course is opening in Solihull.

The Spinners Crazy Golf & Bowling venue will be located in Touchwood shopping centre.

Spinners Crazy Golf & Bowling in Solihull will be the third Spinners location. There are also venues in Reading and Plymouth.

Visit the Spinners Crazy Golf & Bowling website for more information.

Spinners Crazy Golf & Bowling in Reading, September 2022

It'll be a new course for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

One Under Mini Golf opens in Liverpool

A new One Under crazy golf venue is now open at the Lyceum Building in Liverpool.

The location is home to two indoor 9-hole minigolf courses.

There are also One Under minigolf venues in Glasgow and Brighton.

Visit the One Under website for more information.

The One Under courses will be new additions to our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The old Blockbuster Video Express store in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex (April 2023)

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

We visited the old Blockbuster Video Express store in Westcliff-on-Sea in April. It was nice to see some of the signage was still in place, even though there was a lot of scaffolding up around it.

I've since heard that all of the Blockbuster signage has now been removed.

My friend and fellow blogger Mark Routh sent me photos of this particular Blockbuster Video Express store back in July 2020.

It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

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

Obstacle Golf at Hope Park in Keswick, Cumbria, June 2023

We revisited the Obstacle Golf course at Hope Park in Keswick, Cumbria during our short break in the Lake District last summer.

Obstacle Golf at Hope Park in Keswick, Cumbria

There's also a grass Putting layout and a Pitch & Putt at Hope Park (and Boules) and there are some wonderful views of the Skiddaw mountain from the courses.

We first visited the park back in April 2012 and played the Putting course on that occasion.

Check out this blog post to see more of the course.

Crazy Golf at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere, June 2023

A look at the Crazy Golf course at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere.

Crazy Golf at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere

We managed to have a game on the Crazy Golf course at Glebe Park in Bowness-on-Windermere during our short break in the Lake District last summer.

The course became the 567th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, having previously been visited in 2012.

Check out this blog post to see more of the course

Mini Golf at Game On! in Carlisle

There's a new minigolf venue in Carlisle, Cumbria.

A new minigolf course has opened at Game On! in Carlisle.

The venue is also home to tenpin bowling.

Check out the Game On! website for more information.

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

The old Blockbuster Video store in Southampton

A look at the former Blockbuster Video store in Southampton.

We visited the old Blockbuster Video store on Portswood Road in Southampton, Hampshire back in May 2021.

Work was underway to open the location as a new business. Luckily there were still some traces of the Blockbuster brand.

Finding other old Blockbuster Video shops.

It's always fun to see ghost signs, remnants of old & dead brands and interesting signage while out and about on our travels. Since I found the remains of the Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in October 2019 I've been intrigued to see the brand still has a lingering presence on the high street. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013!

Our travels have taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

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

New mini golf at Russell Park in Bedford

Bedford's Russell Park will be home to a new mini golf course.

The new mini golf course at Russell Park in Bedford, Bedfordshire will be a 12-hole layout and will replace the existing grass miniature golf course.

The Putting Green at Russell Park in Bedford, July 2010

The Russell Park outdoor mini golf course will be themed with holes and obstacles containing local history.

The Putting Green at Russell Park in Bedford, July 2010

The Putting Green at Russell Park in Bedford was the 184th course played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in July 2010 and we played it several times when we lived nearby.

New Crazy Golf at Richardson's Hemsby Beach Holiday Park in Norfolk

Richardson's Hemsby Beach Holiday Park in Norfolk will be home to a new Crazy Golf course.

The Crazy Golf course is part of a programme of renovations and upgrades at Richardson's Hemsby Beach Holiday Park.

Visit the Richardson's Hemsby Beach Holiday Park website for more information.

Art Mini Golf at The Minories in Colchester

An art-based Mini Golf course has been created at The Minories in Colchester, Essex.

The artist created minigolf course will be open from the 11th February to the 25th February.

Visit The Minories website and the Cuckoo Farm Artist in Residence: Tom Armstrong - Mini-ories Golf page for more information.

Toys R Us shopping trolleys in Stockport

We're always interested in spotting remains of retailers of yesteryear and saw this pair of Toys R Us shopping trolleys at the Renewal North West charity shop in Stockport.

A couple of years ago we saw these ex-Woolworths trolleys at Bolton Market.

I worked in the Gipsy Lane Toys R Us store in Luton, Bedfordshire back in the year 2000.

Toys R Us closed in the UK in April 2018. It's interesting to see that there are still remnants of the original brand in the UK. 

Toys R Us returned to the UK in 2023, as the brand can now be found in some branches of WH Smith. We haven't been near to any of the new version stores yet. It'll be interesting to see what they're like.

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

• 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