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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

58 replies

Lochroy · 21/12/2024 20:46

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

OP posts:
FKAT · 21/12/2024 20:51

TBH that sounds like the cheapest thing a family can do in London at Christmas. What else can you do for less than £20 a head? Certainly not theatre, gigs, escape room, game activities, destination Xmas lights, exhibitions etc.

Applesandcream · 21/12/2024 20:52

Try having 4 teenagers!!

Oblomov24 · 21/12/2024 20:55

I booked Ice Skating at Hampton Court for the first time, for end of next week, £62.50.

JC03745 · 21/12/2024 20:55

What would ice skating cost closer to where you live or what did you expect it to cost? I have no idea as haven't been in years.

Latenightreader · 21/12/2024 20:56

Ice skating is very expensive. I took my 5YO to a special free session at our local rink a few months back. We had to pay for skate hire and I also hired one of those push around things for her to balance - it came to about £12 which would have almost tripled if we had to pay entry as well. That wasn't anything festive, but is definitely a rare treat.

Amplepie · 21/12/2024 20:56

Ally Pally or Queensway might be cheaper.

LittleBobbyDazzler · 21/12/2024 20:57

It was about £55/£60 when I looked to book me DH and 3 year old plus one of those push along penguins so not an awful lot more expensive. Some price to walk through the main park here because it's been festooned in some lights. Absolute madness.

ClementineChurchill · 21/12/2024 20:58

Somerset House is much nicer.

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.

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.

OP posts:
ShortyShorts · 21/12/2024 21:01

Sounds about right to be fair.

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....

KilkennyCats · 21/12/2024 21:02

ClementineChurchill · 21/12/2024 20:58

Somerset House is much nicer.

And cheaper…

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,

Rocksaltrita · 21/12/2024 21:03

It’s about the same at Blenheim Palace.

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.

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.

KilkennyCats · 21/12/2024 21:06

The kid’s penguins have been replaced by polar bears at Somerset house.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

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

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.

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

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/

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.

Westierd · 21/12/2024 21:34

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

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.