Somerset House Ice Skating: Ticking off the London List

I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time wondering whether I’m a bad Londoner. Sometimes it’s because I’d rather stay in than hike to the newest pop-up. Other times it’s because I couldn’t remember which line some poor tourist needed to get home. Usually, however, it’s because I don’t do half the things people expect me to having lived here all my life.

One such thing is ice skating at Somerset House. It’s something I feel I should have done ages ago, repeatedly, annually and I feel guilty that I haven’t. It seems fundamental to the festive season, yet every year I forget to book or simply flake out.

When people ask what it’s like, I usually have to make something up for fear of looking like a terribly lazy Londoner. But no more. This year, I decided to give up the guilt and get out on the ice to see whether or not the hype was worth the hang-up.

The Venue

Somerset House is a spectacle in itself; they couldn’t have chosen a better building for Fortnum & Mason’s skating rink. Before you’ve even donned the boots, you feel like the surroundings have justified the expense. It is a tad pricey – booking ahead means you’re sure of a ticket, but there’s a booking fee to go alongside. In the busy evenings prices hike up to £17.50 without those added fees, with club nights costing more. If you can, aim for a cheaper off peak daytime hour.

Given the amount of excess Christmas brings, I was happy to shake off the fact I could skate all day elsewhere for cheaper. After all, there’s few places in such a central location and certainly none as beautiful.

Of course the bag drop costs (thankfully a pound for two) but once you’ve got rid of your gubbins you get suited and booted for your hour session.

The Rink

The boots are Bauer and the comfiest skates I’ve ever put on. They frankly spoil your feet for attempting the sport anywhere else. Once the surface is reshaped from the last lot, you can launch yourself in typically unsteady manner onto the ice. There’s few enough people in the hour to make sure you can avoid each other, whether you’re a budding Torvill and Dean or a slapstick stumbler. You’ll certainly need some warm garments (gloves are worth their weight in gold if you fall) but don’t overdo it. An hour is plenty of time to work up a sweat under all your layers.

Classical music plays as you glide/stagger along, which just adds to the upmarket atmosphere. It’s remarkably peaceful to slide through Somerset House to the sound of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with the smell of mulled wine wafting from the nearby tent. The extraordinary tree that overlooks the goings on is picturesque as you please, with baubles from F&M that probably cost more than the rink itself.

The Conclusion

Once you’ve worn yourself or your knees out, you can head back to your bags and find something fortifying in the lodge. There’s also the Fortnum & Mason arcade inside, filled with ornate decorations, should you wish to indulge your tree more than your family this holiday.

So having waited so long, was it worth it? I’d have to say a resounding yes. Sure it’s expensive, relatively short and a struggle to buy tickets sometimes, but the whole thing just feels wonderfully decadent. It’s a one-off experience designed to bring a little bit of joy and refinement to an otherwise unexciting day. I certainly feel fabulously festive and a little more London than before: worth every penny.

Buy your tickets for Somerset House Ice Skating until the 15th January 2017 here.

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