City skating in London
Leicester Square in the West End of London has its first ice rink, encircling the statue of Shakespeare that has stood on the spot since 1874. Unusually for a London pop-up rink, there are tickets available every day for walk-up visitors, with skating sessions starting every 15 minutes from 10am to 10pm. A bar serves hot chocolate, mulled wine and mulled cider, and Christmas market stalls surround the rink. The attraction is run by Underbelly, best known for its shows at the Edinburgh festival fringe, and is raising money for the Angel Child Fund at The Brain Tumour Charity (optional £2 donation).
Adults and teens from £14.50, under 13s from £9.50, families from £40, until 4 January, skateleicestersquare.co.uk
Skating and dining in Rochdale
An ice rink has opened on the square in front of Rochdale’s town hall. At the bargain price of £4 for a child, it is ideal for school trips, with no charge for teachers and staff. The town hall itself has a choral concert on 7 December, an artisan market on the 14 Dec and boozy bingo on the 19 Dec. Its restaurant, the Martlet Kitchen, has a Christmas menu throughout December, serving dishes such as parsnip and pea soup, turkey escalope and mince pies with eggnog sauce (£26 for two courses, £30 for three). It also serves seasonal cocktails such as the cherry bakewell float (cognac-preserved cherries, amaretto and whipped cream) and the rum-based fire and ice (two for £18).
Adults and teens £13.50, students £11, under-13s £9.50, until 4 January, santasvillage.co.uk
Shop and skate in Cheshire
Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet has an ice rink this year, so visitors can combine skating with Christmas shopping. There is a covered rink and an outdoor ice path around the eponymous oak tree. The skating is an addition to the winter village, which features one of the UK’s tallest artificial Christmas trees at 27 metres (90ft). Children can meet Santa and his elves on the ferris wheel, ride the carousel or watch a festive film in the alpine lodge. Adults can eat bratwurst, drink mulled wine or book one of the six cosy Christmas huts – two with karaoke.
Adults from £12.50, under-16s from £11, families from £36, until 4 January, mcarthurglen.com
A ski chalet in Preston
Preston’s new ice rink is under its elegant Victorian market canopy, which dates back to 1875. There is live music to skate along to every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (1-3pm and 5-7pm to 14 December), and a ski chalet-style bar serving bratwurst and steins of beer. As well as skating, visitors can go to the Harris Museum, which reopened in September after a £19m refurbishment and has a cafe, a shop and a free Wallace & Gromit exhibition (to 4 January). Or they can check out Animate, an adjacent entertainment complex that opened in February, which has bowling, a cinema, a street-food market and six restaurants.
Adults and teens from £12, under-13s from £10, families from £40, until 4 January, prestononice.co.uk
Waterfront skating in Pembrokeshire
For one weekend only, visitors can go ice skating at Milford Waterfront in Pembrokeshire. The pop-up rink is in the atrium of Sybil House, right by the water. The marina has lots of other festive activities, including a Santa trail (until 31 December), a big lights switch-on (12-3pm, 6 December), a Christmas countdown at the Waterfront Gallery (Saturdays to 20 December), a grotto (7, 13, 14, 19-21 December) and a pantomime, Rapunzel, at the Torch theatre (6-28 December). Plus, there are lots of independent shops in which to buy presents, and cafes and restaurants with Christmas menus.
Adults £7.50, under-16s £7, under-9s £6, 12-8pm 12-14 December, milfordwaterfront.co.uk
A riverside rink in Glasgow
There is a Christmas village on the banks of the Clyde in the West End of Glasgow this winter. As well as a covered ice rink, Clydeside Christmas Village has a funfair and one of Scotland’s biggest Christmas trees. The heated Alpine-style bar is family-friendly by day, and a more grownup hangout by night, and there are stalls selling street food and sweet treats, from yorkshire pudding wraps to churros. Children can meet Santa from 1pm to 4pm on the weekends of 6, 7, 13, 14 and 20-23 December. Entry and parking are free, and it is close to Partick station.
Adults and teens £11.25, under-12s £9.05, until 4 January, clydesidechristmasvillage.com
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On the farm in Norfolk
White House Farm, a diversified family farm on the edge of Norwich, has an ice rink this year. The Great Barn houses the covered rink and festive food and market stalls, and is decorated with twinkling Christmas trees. The owners, Ollie and Charlotte, have spent a decade turning the farm into a community hub. The smaller barns and former pig sheds now contain a farm shop, cafe and butchery; local businesses sell everything from cider to homewares; there are pottery-painting, dance and photography studios; and beauty treatment rooms.
Adults and teens £15, under 13s £12, families 10% discount, until 4 January, icenorwich.com
Seafront skating in Devon
The seaside town of Torquay has an ice rink under a beautifully lit canopy in Abbey Park on the seafront. It is the latest addition to the Bay of Lights, which stretches across Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. Torquay has a 1.5-mile illumination trail with 18 large light installations, including an LED light fountain, 1,000 colour-changing flowers and a giant walk-through Christmas present. There is a light projection show at Torre Abbey (until 2 January); an illuminated steam train running from Paignton to Kingswear; and illuminations at Kents Cavern, near Torquay, and Babbacombe Model Village. Other twinkly events around the bay include lantern parades and carols by candlelight.
Adults £12.58, under-16s £9.43, families £37.73, 6 December to 2 January, englishriviera.co.uk
A seaside rink in Cornwall
Watergate Bay hotel, about three miles north of Newquay, has opened Cornwall’s first beachside ice rink. The covered rink is in a marquee with glass sides, so skaters have views over the 2-mile Atlantic surfing beach. Hot chocolate, mulled wine and wood-fired pizzas are served rinkside, or there is a choice of three hotel restaurants for apres-skate dining. Visitors can make a day of it with a Swim Club pass (£120), which includes access to the indoor swimming pool, outdoor hot tub and Finnish sauna, a 60-minute treatment and a two-course lunch. There are also skate and stay options, and Christmas and new year breaks that include skating and (optional) sea swims.
Adults from £17, under-18s from £12, until 11 January, watergatebay.co.uk
Sky-high skating in London
Bussey Rooftop Bar in Peckham, south London, usually screens festive films in December, but this season it has opened “London’s highest ice rink” instead. Skaters can enjoy 360-degree views of the city skyline, and skate along to DJs spinning Christmas songs and disco classics on Friday and Saturday nights. The heated, covered bar has been turned into a winter lodge, serving boozy hot chocolate, mulled wine and winter spritzes, “mistle-toast” pizzas (prosciutto, caramelised onions, rosemary and mozzarella) and pigs in blankets. There is a bauble-painting workshop on 9 December and a Before Midnight party on New Year’s Eve (5-10pm).
Adults and teens from £14, under-13s from £9, families from £40, until 1 January, busseyrooftopbar.com