Friday, December 05, 2025

Junk Yard Golf Club indoor crazy golf in Leeds

There are three indoor 9-hole crazy golf courses at the Junk Yard Golf Club venue at The Light in Leeds.

You can also find Junkyard Golf courses in Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Oxford.

Find out more.

Visit the Junk Yard Golf website for more information.

Richard Gottfried

I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Guinness World Record Holder for 'Most miniature golf courses visited'. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Mediocre polymath. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer. Always feeling nostalgic about something.

Toys R Us at TGJones in Leeds

There's a Toys R Us at TGJones in Leeds city centre.

A Toys R Us concession has opened at the TGJones shop in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

The end of WHSmith, and the start of TGJones.

The start of July 2025 marked the end of WHSmith on the British high street after 233 years. Following the sale of the business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital earlier this year WHSmith shops have been undergoing a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

WHSmith on the high street, and travel stores.

There were around 500 high street WHSmith shops, and another 580 travel stores in the UK. The WHSmith shops at railway stations, service stations and airports etc. are not affected by the rebrand as they were not part of the sale.

Toys R Us at TGJones and WHSmith.

As well being inside the rebranded TGJones shops, the relaunched Toys R Us brand can be found in sections of some travel hub WHSmith stores.

Toys R Us at Hobbycraft.

You can also find Toys R Us concessions at Hobbycraft stores.

Toys R Us in 2025.

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WH Smith shops in 2023. There are currently 127 Toys R Us stores open nationwide.

Working at Toys R Us.

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

The old Toys R Us.

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 several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Find out more.

Visit the Toys R Us and TGJones websites for more information.

Thursday, December 04, 2025

Mini Golf Lanes tech-minigolf at Lane7 in Manchester

Lane7 at the Great Northern warehouse venue on Deansgate in Manchester has introduced 'Mini Golf Lanes' to the venue.

Rather than playing a round across a course consisting of several different holes/lanes, the high-tech mini golf at Lane7 sees players book a lane for a session of games and challenges.

Find out more.

Visit the Lane7 website for more information.

A Christmas window display celebrating the world's first text message.

A Mobile Phone Christmas Tree at Vodafone

The world's first text message was sent over the Vodafone network on the 3rd December 1992.

A Christmas message on a Vodafone mobile phone

This year Vodafone is celebrating this fact in its Christmas marketing activity, including window displays in retail stores, such as this one on Market Street in Manchester.

Mobile phone Christmas baubles at Vodafone

Find out more.

Check out the Vodafone website, and this article from 2017 that celebrated 25 years since the first text message, to find out more.

A mobile phone Christmas bauble at Vodafone

Link:

Vodafone

Putters Crazy Golf can be found at the Urban Playground in Manchester.

Mini Golf at the Urban Playground in the Arndale Centre, Manchester

The Urban Playground at the Manchester Arndale Centre is home to three 9-hole indoor tech-infused Crazy Golf courses.

Find out more.

Check out the Urban Playground website for more information.

A look at the Drift Park Crazy Golf course in Rhyl, North Wales on Tuesday 2nd December 2025.

We first visited the Crazy Golf course at Drift Park in Rhyl on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in the summer of 2009 and have revisited it several times on return trips to the seaside town.

Find out more.

Visit the Crazy Golf Rhyl Facebook Page to find out more about the course.

Videos:

Richard Gottfried

Wednesday, December 03, 2025

Santa's Rest Stop in Cheadle Village

Spotting Santa taking a break in Cheadle Village, Stockport.

We spotted this fun piece of seasonal window art at Marine Bathrooms on the High Street in Cheadle Village earlier this week! Very festive.

Santa shop sign at Marine Bathrooms in Cheadle Village, Stockport

Link:

Marine Bathrooms

Playing Darts at Queen's Market in Rhyl, Wales.

We called into the new Queen's Market in Rhyl on a recent daytrip to the seaside town. Queen's Market has reopened as a food & drink venue and events space following a full rebuild. While Emily was having lunch there we spotted that there were dartboards and shuffleboard up on the mezzanine. So after a nice wander around the town we popped back for a drink and a few games before we headed home.