Mini Golf at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet East Midlands

There's a pirate-themed mini golf course at Frasers Plus Designer Outlet East Midlands in Alfreton.

Find out more on the Frasers Plus Designer Outlet East Midlands website.

Adventure Golf at Beacon Park in Lichfield, Staffordshire

A look at the new adventure golf course at Beacon Park in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

We swung by the adventure golf course at Beacon Park in Lichfield during an afternoon in the city on the way back home from a trip to visit family and friends in East Anglia.

Back in September 2017 we played the Eternit-style miniature golf course at Beacon Park. That layout became the 461st played and 775th visited on our travels.

The new course replaced the crazy golf course in the park and covers the same location

This particular Eternit miniature golf obstacle has been retained in the new course layout, with some modifications as can be seen below

The new adventure golf course at Beacon Park opened in May this year.

The adventure golf course at Beacon Park is a 9-hole outdoor woodland-inspired adventure golf layout.

It became the 1,129th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since 2006.

Beacon Park in Lichfield is also home to a Pitch & Putt course.

Find out more

Check out the Lichfield Historic Parks website for more information.

Art Deco in Lichfield, Staffordshire

A look at The former Regal Cinema in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

The Regal Cinema opened on Tamworth Street in Lichfield in 1932. It closed in 1972, later becoming a Kwik Save supermarket.

The building now consists of residential apartments and retail units.

Crazy Golf in Skipton

There will be a crazy golf course in Skipton, North Yorkshire on Saturday 1st August.

Skipton will have a crazy golf course to play as part of celebrations in the town for Yorkshire Day on Saturday 1st August.

Find out more on the Skipton Improvement District (BID) website.

Lilliputt Mini Golf in Auckland, New Zealand

A look at the Lilliputt Mini Golf course in Auckland, New Zealand.

Last week I asked "Where in the world was this minigolf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?".

The answer was Lilliputt Mini Golf in Auckland, New Zealand.

 

Emily visited the 18-hole Lilliputt Mini Golf course on Tamaki Drive in Hobson Bay, Auckland, New Zealand on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour in November 2010.

Check out the Lilliputt Mini Golf website for more information.

Northgate Video & DVD in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

There's a video and DVD rental shop in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

While visiting family in Bury St Edmunds in 2024 we spotted the sign for Northgate Video & DVD - a video rental shop!

We returned last year and were back in town again last week and are happy to report that the shop is still there.

Link:

• Northgate Video & DVD

Related blog posts:

• Video rental shops in the UK (January 2026)

Toys R Us at TGJones in Lichfield

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

You can find a Toys R Us concession at TGJones in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

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 WHSmith shops underwent a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

Toys R Us in the UK

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene with an online presence in 2022 and with concessions opening inside some WHSmith shops in 2023. There are currently Toys R Us concessions open at TGJones and WHSmith at Welcome Break shops.

Toys R Us at Hobbycraft.

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

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

At its peak there were 105 Toys R Us stores in the UK. 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.

Links:

• TGJones
• Toys R Us

Related blog posts:

• Toys R Us
• TGJones
• WHSmith
• Retail

TGJones (formerly WHSmith) closed in Ipswich, Suffolk

The TGJones shop (formerly WHSmith) closed down in Ipswich, Suffolk last month.

TGJones closed in Ipswich on the 9th June 2025.

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 WHSmith shops underwent a rebrand to the new name of TGJones.

Christmas in July

Merry Christmas in July.

Today is Christmas in July!

Much like there being a summertime version of Halloween with Summerween, the 25th of July marks Christmas in July.

Adventure Golf at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster

A new adventure golf course is opening at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Planet Putt is opening at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.

The course will be an indoor mini golf layout and will have an 'around the world' theme.

Find out more on the Yorkshire Wildlife Park website.

Crazy Golf in Barnsley

There will be free crazy golf at Barnsley's Great Family Festival.

Barnsley's Great Family Festival on Saturday 22nd August will include a free to play crazy golf course.

Find out more on the Barnsley Great Family Festival website.

Crazy Golf in St Annes on the Sea

There will be a pop-up crazy golf course in St Annes this month.

A pop-up crazy golf course will be set-up in St Annes on the Sea on the 29th, 30th and 31st July.

You can find out more on the Discover Fylde website.

Guess the Minigolf course location...

Where in the world was this minigolf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?

Mini Golf at Urban Fun in Kingston upon Thames, London

There's a 9-hole arcade-themed indoor mini golf course at Urban Fun in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Many thanks to our friend Sarah Ward for sending over these photos of the mini golf course from her visit to Urban Fun in Kingston upon Thames, London.

Find out more on the Urban Fun website.

Putt It! Par-Tee at Mega City in Slough

You can play the Putt It! Par-Tee game at Mega City in Slough, Berkshire.

The Putt It! Par-Tee arcade redemption game is a mix of skee-ball and minigolf.

Find out more on the SEGA Arcade and Mega City websites.

Crazy Golf at Bowland Social in Clitheroe, Lancashire

There's a crazy golf course at Bowland Social in Clitheroe, Lancashire.

Bowland Social at Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, Lancashire is home to a 9-hole indoor crazy golf course.

The Bowland Social venue is also home to digital darts, duckpin bowling, laser clay shooting, shuffleboard, and pool. 

Find out more on the Bowland Social website.

Safari Falls Adventure Golf at Regent Park Golf Centre in Bolton

There's a new adventure golf course at Regent Park Golf Centre in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Safari Falls Adventure Golf is a new 18-hole outdoor adventure golf course at Regent Park Golf Centre in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Safari Falls Adventure Golf at Regent Park Golf Centre in Bolton opens on Friday 24th July.

Find out more on the Safari Falls Adventure Golf and Regent Park Golf Centre websites.

Adventure Golf at Little Hay Golf Complex in Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead

There are plans for a new adventure golf course at Little Hay Golf Complex in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The new 18-hole adventure golf course would be one of the new additions as part of improvements at Little Hay Golf Complex.

Find out more on the Little Hay Golf Complex website.

Crazy Golf on Sea Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk

A look back at the crazy golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

Last week I asked the question "Where in the world was this crazy golf course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour?".

The answer was the crazy golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

We first visited the 12-hole crazy golf course on Sea Road in Felixstowe on the 19th of November 2006.

We played it several times before parts of it (some of the holes and obstacles) were moved to the Ocean Boulevard minigolf course along the Seafront to make up an 8-hole crazy golf course in 2010. That course is now long gone too.

Minigolf guest blog posts from around the world

We've now received minigolf guest blog posts from 31 countries - and international waters!

It's brilliant receiving photos, information and updates from - and about - crazy golf, minigolf, miniature golf putting, pitch & putt, adventure golf, and Putt-Putt courses around the world. There's such a wide-range and variety of courses out there.

This week we've received photos from courses in the USA, Belgium and Poland.

We've been playing minigolf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

During the last 20 years Emily and I have met so many people and made some great friends, many of whom have contributed to our travels by telling us about new courses, letting us know about course refurbs, or by sending over photos of courses they've been too. We've also received excellent photos of miniature golf courses from our family, friends, our networks, and course owners, managers, designers and builders themselves.

Over the last 20 years of blogging we've published guest blog posts about courses in England, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Croatia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Indonesia, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain (including Lanzarote, Tenerife and Majorca), Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, the USA, on the high seas onboard the MSC Opera cruise ship (sailing from Italy - to Montenegro - to Greece), and even North Korea!

What makes it extra special is that these guest blog posts have captured a course in a moment of time, and in some cases such as pop-ups and courses that are now closed - courses that we'll never be able to visit or play.

It's wonderful seeing the variety of courses around the world, and also how many places you can find a course to have a round.

Some of the courses our friends and family have been to are far flung, and even some of those in the British Isles are in places off the beaten path or in island locations we haven't had the chance to reach yet.

We're looking forward to receiving more guest posts in the future.

Do get in touch if you see or play a course and would like it added as a guest blog post.