Toys R Us at Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke

Visiting the old Toys R Us store at the Brighton Hill Retail Park in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

We visited the old Toys R Us store in Basingstoke in May 2021.

There was still a lot of signage on display at the former store.

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.

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

Cherry Blossom at Putt Putt Noodle

There's always Sakura at Putt Putt Noodle.

Cherry Blossom at Putt Putt Noodle

Cherry Blossom at Putt Putt Noodle Mini Golf at the Castle Quarter shopping and entertainment centre in Norwich, Norfolk.

Cherry Blossom at Putt Putt Noodle

These snaps were by my brother Christopher - a charter member of our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. Together we've visited a combined 1,090 courses since September 2006.

Putt Putt Noodle Mini Golf in Norwich

Gluten free at The Oxford Place in Leeds

We had another amazing meal at The Oxford Place in Leeds last Sunday.

Pan-Fried North Sea Cod with Crushed New Potatoes, Lilliput Capers and a Prosecco and Brown Shrimp Sauce - this was one of the best things I've ever eaten

It was my first meal out since last September!

Mozzarella Carozza with a Rich Basil and Tomato Sauce - note the side order of Skinny Fries, another must have to share before the main courses

I've had some brilliant meals there before, and this was right up there with the best food I've had. Delicious.

As someone with Coeliac Disease it's always nice to be able to eat out-of-the-home with safety and peace of mind. And when that is combined with delicious and interesting food (such as the Carozza) and a variety of drink options it makes the experience absolutely marvellous.

Emily had the Tempura Battered Vegetables with Homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce for her starter

The Oxford Place is a must visit restaurant if you're a Coeliac or on a gluten free diet. I've dined there with people with Coeliac Disease as well as people on 'normal' diets and we've always been impressed by the food and service.

Emily's main course of Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Baked Apple, Celeriac Purée, Crackling and a Red Wine Jus

I'm really looking forward to my next visit already.

99.9% of the time I have the Sticky Toffee Pudding for my dessert when I'm at The Oxford Place

Check out The Oxford Place's website for more information.

Our friend had the Vanilla Cheesecake - and I nabbed a bit of the ice cream. It's so nice to be able to share meals with friend, something that is very tough for people dining gluten free, unless they're somewhere that is 100% like The Oxford Place

Mini Golf at Westminster Park in Chester

A new 18-hole outdoor mini golf course is opening in Chester, Cheshire.

The course at Chester's Westminster Park is opening on Saturday 9th March.

Check out the Green Day Café and Golf Facebook Page for more information.

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

Pop Playrooms Mini-Golf in Kingston Upon Thames

A new indoor minigolf course is opening in Kingston Upon Thames, Greater London.

Pop Playrooms Mini-Golf is opening at The Rotunda in Kingston Upon Thames on Thursday 7th March.

The indoor course is a 9-hole layout.

Check out the Pop Playrooms website for more information.

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

Adventure Golf at Camel Creek Family Adventure Park

Camel Creek Family Adventure Park in Wadebridge, Cornwall has a new Adventure Golf course.

A new pirate-themed Adventure Golf course is opening at the Camel Creek Family Adventure Park in Cornwall.

Camel Creek Family Adventure Park is re-opening in March.

Visit the Camel Creek Family Adventure Park website for more information about the theme park and the new Shipwreck Shores Adventure Golf course.

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

New Putt Putt Noodle course in Coventry

There are plans for a new Putt Putt Noodle indoor minigolf course to open in Coventry.

The katakana characters on the left of the logo translate as 'Lucky'

The venue would be home to three indoor crazy golf courses.

Putt Putt Noodle Minigolf in Norwich. Photo by Christopher Gottfried, September 2023

You can find Putt Putt Noodle courses in Bedford, Norwich, Poole and Telford.

Check out the Putt Putt Noodle website for more information.

Mini Golf at Gulliver's Land Theme Park Resort in Milton Keynes

A look at the Mini Golf course at Gulliver's Land Theme Park Resort in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

My brother Christopher and his family visited Gulliver's Land Theme Park Resort in Milton Keynes and sent these snaps of the mini golf course there.

The combined total of the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is now at 1,090 courses visited since September 2006!

Check out the Gulliver's Land Theme Park Resort website for more information.

Urban Street Golf at Gravity Max in Liverpool

A look at the Urban Street Golf course at Gravity Max in Liverpool.

Our friend and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes recently visited Gravity Max and sent these photos of the Urban Street Golf course there.

We visited Gravity Max on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour during our last trip to Liverpool last November. The course looks superb lit up in the daytime, and looks stunning in the evening.

Visit the Gravity website for more information on Gravity Max, Gravity Active and Gravity Social.

A Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire

Finding a Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston.

On our way back home from a trip south we visited the abandoned Toys R Us in Derby as well as the still open Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston.

One of the retro brands I remember clearly from growing up in the 80s and 90s was Happy Shopper. The colourful sign with the happy chappy face is a lovely throwback. Happy Shopper received a rebrand in 2000, but if you are lucky you can still find the original branding and signage on some shops.

Having a look round the Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston we spotted an extra bonus - it used to be a video shop too!

Other Happy Shopper shops

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
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent 1
• Burton-on-Trent 2

Crazy Golf Meets the Movies! at Uredale Mill in Askrigg

A pop-up crazy golf course is opening at Uredale Mill in Askrigg for Easter.

The Crazy Golf Meets the Movies! 18-hole indoor minigolf course will be open at Uredale Mill in Askrigg, North Yorkshire from the 23rd March to the 7th April.

Visit the Uredale Mill website and Incredible Artists Facebook Page for more information.

World Crazy Golf Championships 2024

The 2024 World Crazy Golf Championships will be held in Hastings, East Sussex from the 7th to the 9th June.

Entries are open for the 2024 World Crazy Golf Championships at Hastings Adventure Golf.

The major miniature golf tournament will see the main event take place on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June. A juniors event will be held on Saturday 8th June. And a team event will be held on Friday 7th June.

You can find out all the details on the Hastings Adventure Golf website, and the new Facebook Page for the World Crazy Golf Championships.

Richard Gottfried playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships

We both made our debuts in the 2007 edition of the event back when it was known as the Virgin Money World Crazy Golf Championships. It was Emily's first ever miniature golf tournament.

Emily Gottfried playing in the World Crazy Golf Championships

The competition is played on the 18-hole Crazy Golf course at Hastings Seafront. The layout is of the Arnold Palmer Putting Course variety. The course was the 39th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour back in October 2007.

The World Crazy Golf Championships began in 2003 and has been held at Hastings Adventure Golf every year, except 2020 when the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic). The current champion is Adam Kelly who is enjoying his second reign as world champion having also won the 2022 event.

Crazy Golf at The Friars Head at Akebar

The Friars Head pub at Akebar in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire has a free-to-play Crazy Golf course.

The Friars Head pub at Akebar is reopening on the 1st March and there's a free-to-play Crazy Golf course at the venue.

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

Check out The Friars Head website for more information.

Remains of a Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk

A ghost sign at the old Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk.

We were surprised and amazed to see an old Happy Shopper sign while en route to Hemsby during an East Anglian Road-Trip.

We had taken a couple of detours because of traffic and ended up on a different road towards the seaside that took us through the village of Ormesby St Margaret. We're always looking for points of interest and new things to spot when on our travels and as we drove past the village shop we both said to each other jokingly "I wonder if that used to be a Happy Shopper?"

Imagine our shock when we saw a really old, classic Happy Shopper sign in one of the shop windows!

Other Happy Shopper shops

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
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent 1
• Burton-on-Trent 2

Globetrotters Easter Mini Golf in Horsham

A Globetrotters Easter Mini Golf pop-up event is taking place at Camping World in Horsham, West Sussex.

The around-the-world themed minigolf event will run from the 16th March until the 14th April.

Visit the Globetrotters Mini Golf website for more information.

Roxy Ball Room in York

A new Roxy Ball Room has opened in York.

The indoor entertainment venue is home to Crazy Pool, as well as lots of other games and activities.

Crazy Pool is a cross-between crazy golf and pool, with the game played on tables with a cue rather than a club.

Visit the Roxy Ball Room website for more information.

Mulligans Adventure Golf in Hemel Hempstead

A new Mulligans Adventure Golf venue is opening in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

A new 18-hole indoor Adventure Golf course is opening at Jarman Park in Hemel Hempstead.

Mr Mulligan's in Milton Keynes

We've played several of Mr Mulligan's courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Mr Mulligan's in Worcester

Visit the Mulligans website for more information.

Putt Club Crazy Golf - London Docklands

A look at the Putt Club Crazy Golf course at London Docklands.

Many thanks to my friend and minigolf rival Gareth Holmes for sending over these photos from his visit to Putt Club Crazy Golf London Docklands.

Putt Club has locations in Southampton, Hull, Leicester, London Edmonton, London Docklands, and Watford.

Visit the Putt Club Crazy Golf website for more information.

They are all new venues for us to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Trowbridge Park Mini Golf

A look at the Trowbridge Park Mini Golf course.

My friend and minigolf rival (and sometimes team-mate) Seth Thomas recently swung by the Trowbridge Park Mini Golf in Trowbridge, Wiltshire and sent me these snaps.

It looks to be a type of Eternit-style miniature golf layout.

Check out the Trowbridge Park Mini Golf Facebook Page for more information.

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

Par 59 Mini Golf in Bristol

A look at Par 59 Mini Golf in Bristol.

A big thanks to my friend - and minigolf team-mate and rival - Kevin Moseley for sending over some snaps photos from his visit to Par 59 Mini Golf in Bristol.

The course opened after our last visit to the city so it'll be a new course to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

You can also find a Par 59 venue in Cardiff.

Visit the Par 59 Mini Golf website for more information.

Birdie Time Pub and Mini Golf in Portland, Oregon

A look at Birdie Time Pub and Mini Golf in Portland, Oregon, USA.

A big thank you to my friend - and minigolf team-mate and rival - Kevin Moseley for sending over these photos from his visit to the Birdie Time Pub and Mini Golf in Portland, Oregon, USA.

It looks like a fun place to play.

I like the look of the Birdie Shuffle Putt game too. I've not played that before.

It's brilliant seeing different courses around the world. Oregon is still on my to visit list and hopefully I'll get a game on the mini golf at shuffle putt at Birdie Time Pub and Mini Golf in the future.

Check out the Birdie Time Pub and Mini Golf website for more information.