Review: The ice rink at Westfields London

In the spotlight, in the glow of the Apple

Just as blockbuster screenwriters all get the same idea at the same time (annihilating animal virus almost wipes out humanity, obscure comic-book hero gets reimagined as self-consciously cocky metrosexual), several years back a lot of the premier tourist attractions in London all had the same brainstorm: let’s open an ice skating rink!

In truth, you wonder why they waited so long. As winter fun goes, ice skating hits the holiday top-notes – sparkly lights, cheerful music, a pleasant hustle-hustle, entertaining for children and adults – without amplifying the anxiety about what to buy Granny Annie.

In the past years we’ve skated at Somerset House (the grand dame of holiday rinks), the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Canada Square Park in Canary Wharf (which also offers lessons), Hampton Court Palace, Kew Gardens. Kew and Greenwich have packed up their blades. But this year Westfields London and Westfields Stratford City have launched rinks, indoor and outdoor, respectively.

My 7-year-old and I visited Westfields London to try out the new rink, opened late November. Set in the middle of the atrium, it’s undeniably a performative experience – you can expect to be watched by shoppers standing at the railings, by diners at the tapas bar on the mezzanine above, by people riding down the escalator – while you whizz round the 450-square-metre oval.

Lights outside the mall on the promenade

Overhead Christmas lights are wound round the branch-like ceiling struts (“Those aren’t real trees,” my daughter told me solemnly. “They’re attached to the building.”) and shoppers rush to and fro. Disco lights swirl across the ice; on Wednesday and Thursday evenings live DJs from either KISS FM or provided by rink sponsor HP spin tracks. The ice is of reasonably good quality, getting a brush down between each session. The staff were friendly and efficient on our visit – very important when you have to change everyone’s skates at least once to get the right size.

There are a few drawbacks. Unlike the rink at, say, Canary Wharf, where there are lockers just beside the skate counter, cloakrooms at Westfields London are in another part of the mall. You’ll want to ditch your bags before going to the rink if you don’t want to leave them in the seating area for changing. The walker-type Penguins to help the little ones learn cost £5 to rent – almost as much as a child’s skating session itself.

The big question for the Westfields rinks is whether you find the prospect of ice skating amid the shops appealing. For some, it’s only fun if they can do it in the fresh air, perhaps in front of a grand palace or historic building. Yet I can imagine teens loving this indoor rink, coming for a day of giggling and squealing in Accessorize before hitting the ice.

I grew up in Lubbock, Texas, where I would have sold my kin for an indoor rink at the good ol’ South Plains Mall (except my mother – I’d need her around to drive me and my friends). The only nearby ice skating was a dimly lit indoor hockey rink more than two hours away in Amarillo, which I pestered my parents to take me to a handful of times and at which I nearly took a nosedive while performing a skating arabesque for my mother’s camera.

These days, for our family a rink like Westfields’s provides a bit of midday exercise while giving our credit card a rest. Just up the escalators lie the clean and efficient food counters of the food court or on the promenade outside the main mall entrance you can choose from a row of casual dining restaurants. Which means you can avoid hungry kids getting jazzed up on hot chocolate and candy cars afterward. Shopping and skating, without the extra train journey.

While you won’t feel the Christmas chill in the air here, as you circle the ice outside Juicy Couture, and the setting is undeniably commerical, at the very least you don’t have to worry about that other English Christmas tradition: drizzle.

Penguins for rent

For young children:

The minimum skating age is 4. Penguin-stabilizers are available to rent for £5. There are 10 available and they can be prebooked.

For school-age children:

Children aged 4 to 7 must have an adult with them on the ice. Children aged 8 and over can go on the ice without an adult skating

For teens:

Ages 16 and up pay full price

My tips:

• Book ahead. Just spare yourself queuing to buy on the day. Think of it as an early Christmas gift
• Pre-book a Penguin if you child wants or needs one of these
• Bring two pairs of socks. The skates are high-quality enough but are made of hard plastic
• Ditch your bags at the Westfields coat check, located elsewhere in the building, or nominate one adult to stay with the bags
• Arrive well ahead of time for your session to sort out skate sizes and get on the ice promptly. They strictly enforce the 45-minute time slots

Prices:

Mon-Thurs

Family ticket £27.60 (must include at least one adult)

Single child £6.65

Single adult £9.65

Fri, Sat, Sun and Bank Holidays

Family ticket £31.60 (must include at least one adult)

Single child £7.65

Single adult £10.65

More rinks

Time Out London’s list of holiday ice rinks

2 Responses to “Review: The ice rink at Westfields London”

1. Not a Notting Hill Mum says:

   December 1, 2011 at 3:33 pm

   Interesting point about the 2 pairs of socks – I’m taking 16 kids to skate at Winter Wonderland – have you been there- I’m assuming the skates may be simliarly hard plastic- wonder whether to suggest the same – and I’m assuming gloves are useful (waterproof?) to protect the hands when you fall over??

   Reply
   • Jennifer Howze says:

     December 1, 2011 at 3:45 pm

     Hey lady – the skates will most likely be the same. I think the same outfitter does all these rinks (I recall Somerset House having slightly different skates, but I could be imagining that).

     In any case, that aren’t those beautiful white leather ones I remember from “Ice Castles”. They’re much more durable and can be uncomfortable if you’re wearing thin socks. It’s a good idea to make sure they’re knee socks too – so they don’t rub on the shin.

     As for gloves, my daughter meant to take hers but unless somebody is falling a lot or it’s quite bitter outside, then I don’t think you’ll need them. You end up being on the ice less than hour.

     Reply