Page 2 | I did not expect ice skating in London to be so expensive

Lochroy · 2024-12-21T20:46:44+00:00

AIBU? Thinking we might take the kids into London and go ice skating. £77 for a family ticket at Battersea. WTF? That's extortionate.

LogicalImpossibility · 22/12/2024 09:51

Streatham rink is indoor and a bit cheaper, though it is first come first served for the penguins. It’s a bit of a pain to get to, but it does have a big car park next door and is right next to the Thameslink station.

Maboscelar · 22/12/2024 09:47

Normal rinks are £10-15 a person, I think the outdoor ones are a decent price. It's an expensive sport.
I haven't skated at Battersea but Somerset House is lovely.

Original poster

Lochroy · 22/12/2024 09:40

Ugh. I didn't know what to do. What time of day did you go @Croissantcup ? Perhaps if we went earlier in the day it would be more frozen?

PP mentioned Hampton court which I hadn't thought of, and we could get there too. Just had a look, it's a bit cheaper but they only allow penguins up to 120cm. DS is 122cm without shoes, but he's never ice skated before.

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Croissantcup · 22/12/2024 08:55

Don’t go to Battersea! I went this week and it was shockingly wet and an extra £6 for a penguin!

last year Somerset house was much nicer and yes a bit of a faff for penguins but there was enough!

Original poster

Lochroy · 22/12/2024 08:52

BlueyandBingo · 21/12/2024 21:09

We went to Battersea last week and thought it was better than Somerset House.
also much easier to get a penguin as you pay for it when you go in rather than the scrum of SH when everyone has just got on the ice…
if you do decide to do it just arrive early for you slot and the penguin hire place is right when you walk in before you get your skates

Ah thank you, good to know how Penguin allocation works!

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Porcuine20 · 21/12/2024 22:48

Everything’s extortionate at the moment. We have relatives staying and I thought it might be nice to go and see the ‘light trail’ at a country park near us (not London)… when I looked it up, it would be over £100 for six people (and that’s before any food and drink), which I was horrified at.

InterestedDad37 · 21/12/2024 22:45

[insert joke about skating on thin ice] 😀
I'll get me coat 😀

leia24 · 21/12/2024 22:45

12 a head here in a council owned indoor rink

NeedToKnow101 · 21/12/2024 22:41

If you're north of London, Ally Pally is nice and around £50 for 4, but it's an indoor rink. www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/festive-skate/#tickets

Lovely views over London from there too, and a kids playground so for small kids it might be more fun.

Westierd · 21/12/2024 21:34

Ut was £118 for longleat for 2adult 1 kid. Witbout safari or house or train.

Livelovebehappy · 21/12/2024 21:29

Tbh, sounds not too bad for London. We went on one of those new ‘Northern Lights’ events cropping up at parks everywhere. In the North of England, and it cost the same as yours for a family of four to just walk along woodland walks looking at some flashing lights and listening to carols out of randomly placed speakers. Add to the mix the couple of fairground rides at £5 per person, and burgers at £8 and it makes for an expensive family event.

HermitCrabby · 21/12/2024 21:15

Alexandra palace has a fabulous ice rink and is accessible from Finsbury Park tube via the w3 bus. Adults are £16. Have a look www.alexandrapalace.com/the-ice-rink/book-a-skate/

BlueyandBingo · 21/12/2024 21:09

We went to Battersea last week and thought it was better than Somerset House.
also much easier to get a penguin as you pay for it when you go in rather than the scrum of SH when everyone has just got on the ice…
if you do decide to do it just arrive early for you slot and the penguin hire place is right when you walk in before you get your skates

Oceangrey · 21/12/2024 21:09

Go see the gingerbread city over the river on the King's Road instead. It's brilliant and cheaper than that.

MartinCrieffsLemon · 21/12/2024 21:07

About £45 plus fees here for a family ticket. Well outside London and in a ... less nice part of town shall we say
£77 sounds about right. And as said, less than £20 isn't bad

KilkennyCats · 21/12/2024 21:06

The kid’s penguins have been replaced by polar bears at Somerset house. So cute! 🐻‍❄️

Tinaforshort · 21/12/2024 21:06

Rocksaltrita · 21/12/2024 21:03

It’s about the same at Blenheim Palace.

Yes, I won some tickets for a free skate on 29/12 and if I’d had to pay including car parking it would have been £72 I think. That’s for a family ticket of 4.

fruitpastille · 21/12/2024 21:04

It's about £10 pp for family admission including skate hire here but it's quite a run down rink to be honest. Penguin is another £4.

Rocksaltrita · 21/12/2024 21:03

It’s about the same at Blenheim Palace.

christmastrain · 21/12/2024 21:03

we have a really rubbish winter wonderland set up in our local park, its awful, the locals hate it, its always empty.. they are charging £2 entry, £15 adult skate and £10 for kids, a further £5 for a penguin.... its a small rink in a tent in our local park. The fairground rides are £5 each,

KilkennyCats · 21/12/2024 21:02

ClementineChurchill · 21/12/2024 20:58

Somerset House is much nicer.

And cheaper…

Purpledefector · 21/12/2024 21:01

£29 for 2 kids tickets in southampton so a family ticket in London for that price doesn't seem that outrageous....

ShortyShorts · 21/12/2024 21:01

Sounds about right to be fair.

Original poster

Lochroy · 21/12/2024 21:00

It's a fair comment about the per head price. I guess that eldest DC is only recently of an age where we have to pay entry to things, so I'm probably more used to paying for two adults and then getting children free or for a token amount.

Gulp.

And the fecking penguins are first come first served everywhere I can find. Don't much fancy blowing £77 and not being able to get one.

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WimpoleHat · 21/12/2024 21:00

To be fair - there are significant costs in putting up an ice rink. It takes a lot of electricity to keep it frozen and they need a lot of staff to maintain safety standards. Plus the skate hire etc. It’s bound to be a reasonably expensive activity.