Skating in London?

[skaterlately]

I'll be in London from July-October and really don't want to miss too much skating... Suggestions for ice rinks?  From what I've found, Hemel-Hempstead or Alexandra Palace would probably be the most convenient, though I could probably make Slough work as well. (I won't have a car.  I will probably have a bicycle.) Also, I read in another thread that some rinks do monthly passes, but none of the rinks I've looked at seem to list those on their site.  I've also had trouble finding freestyle times - some of the rinks list only public sessions. Or patch ice, which I gather is freestyle and not devoted to figures... But then I also read that at some rinks, you have to be in a lesson and then pay your coach for the ice, so is it not usually general practice ice? Is figure skating generally allowed on public sessions?  Are there some rinks which are friendlier to adults than others?

I'm clearly quite confused, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

[FigureSpins]

I have a skating student who's also going to London at some point this summer.  Any options for her to keep up her skating, even if it's just for a few practice sessions on patch?

[taka]

You may be better posting this on the UK skating forum. ( http://www.skatingforum.co.uk/ ) I think there are quite a few from London on there who will know more...

Enjoy your time in London!

[spiralina]

Skaterlately, where will you be staying? Your most convenient rink may not be the closest, if you are relying on public transport and/or bike.

[angelgirls29]

I don't know if it helps but Hemel has five pillars down the middle of it.
I think Ally Pally's quite small (hmm. Is it that one?)
Slough's apparently nice but I haven't been there yet.

I would assume that Hemel has the same patch times as us (the same company) but I'll ask a friend.

The 'pay for ice' thing - if you have a lesson, you pay for patch and lesson (so I'd give my coach £5 + £16 = £21) but if you just practice you give the coach £5. (Most rinks seem to do this but some you have to pay at reception for patch.) But you are allowed to just go on and practice! (At our rink people only write their names in the book at the end of the session and pay whoever is there or wait until they see their coach.

Figure skating on publics - some rinks it really won't be allowed. Ours has signs saying no skates above your knee but no-one stops you jumping etc if it's a public daytime quiet session (but you'll be here in the summer holidays so you won't have sessions like that until September).

Oh and if you end up at a Planet Ice rink - ours has a patch card for something like £60/£70 per month. They also do a 6 session pass but this ends up dearer if you only skate on non-peak publics (so wouldn't be cheaper July/August).

If you end up near MK, let me know!

[fsk8r]

Alexandra Palace is NHL sized and will be closed for about 8 weeks due to the Olympics. I'm not sure of the dates. Hanca will be able to advise the exact dates.
Lee Valley is also NHL sized. It's also one field away from the Olympic Park so I would avoid like the plague (traffic will be bad around there). I'm also not sure if it's closed for the Olympics. Check the website.

Queens is in Central London and is tiny and expensive. They've got funny rules about membership for patch/freestyle.

If you're on public transport the temporary rink at Brixton is meant to be very easy to get to from the underground.
Slough requires a train from Central London and a bus up from the station. It's NHL sized.

If you're staying in south London, Guildford isn't that much further and is again a train ride away (and bus to the rink). You're meant to be a member of Training Ice to get on freestyle ice (called Training Ice - it's probably the only rink which doesn't call it patch), but there is a guest rate, that isn't adverstised anywhere.

If you hunt the rink websites hard enough you should be able to find information about patch times and costs. Although once you work out where you are going to try skating, if you can't find the information you need from the rink websites, contact us and between us we should be able to piece together the information you need.

[skaterlately]

Thanks for all the advice - I appreciate it!  And if anyone would like to meet up, let me know. I'd love to buy you a coffee to say thanks.

@spiralina:  I'll actually be on a houseboat. My friend said she often stays up near Watford, but I have some flexibility.  I can't be in Central London during the Olympics, but I could potentially be out near Slough or in the south instead of the north.

@angelgirls29: That really helps.  Pillars sound a bit odd and perhaps irritating.  Also, I just did a bit of checking and MK is actually closer on public transport than Hemel, so I might end up there!  Is the patch card unlimited?

@fsk8r: I think I'll probably be more northerly, but I have some flexibility with location.  Your info re: sizes and locations is really helpful.  I thought about the Olympics for housing, but not really for skating, although I definitely should have!  And I might take you up on that offer once I figure out where to go.  I managed to track down patch times for most rinks but Planet Ice's website seems to only list public sessions on their timetable.  I ran a google site search and nothing came up. (I might just be missing it.)

[fsk8r]

Have a wonderful trip to London and pack your thermals. (That's for outside and not for the rink, the summer's been dreadful so far).

If you can pin down your location we might be able to recommend the best rink for you. It might end up being somewhere like Brixton just because of the way the transport works even if it's in south London. Skaters end up going to peculiar rinks because of the way the transportation works. I know people who live close to Brixton who drive to Guildford because it's faster driving the longer distance than the short one through the traffic.

[skaterlately]

Thank you!  And yes, I'm getting that sense... seems like I'm going to have to go into the city center to go out in any other direction.  I think I will probably be in the Wembley/Watford area, though I might end up heading in a more westerly direction at the end of August.

[angelgirls29]

Thanks for all the advice - I appreciate it!  And if anyone would like to meet up, let me know. I'd love to buy you a coffee to say thanks.

There's a Costa a two minute walk away from MK (at the station which is really close - the rails run down the side of the rink)

@angelgirls29: That really helps.  Pillars sound a bit odd and perhaps irritating.  Also, I just did a bit of checking and MK is actually closer on public transport than Hemel, so I might end up there!  Is the patch card unlimited?

As far as I know, the patch card is unlimited - I can check if you like?

@fsk8r: I think I'll probably be more northerly, but I have some flexibility with location.  Your info re: sizes and locations is really helpful.  I thought about the Olympics for housing, but not really for skating, although I definitely should have!  And I might take you up on that offer once I figure out where to go.  I managed to track down patch times for most rinks but Planet Ice's website seems to only list public sessions on their timetable.  I ran a google site search and nothing came up. (I might just be missing it.)

PI don't have the patch times on the website but I can check tomorrow if you'd like? (They should be more or less the same at most PIs)

Have you looked at Oxford?

[skaterlately]

Oops, just saw your reply here - I pm'd you back.  Thanks. 

[Hanca]

Skaterlately, I skate at Alexandra Palace, if you need any info re: patch times etc.

[AndyWarhol]

I skated at Queens Ice and Bowl when in London. I was staying in Shoreditch, so, not that close, but, not terrible either (I only took the tube)

I skated on public sessions, and there were always other figure skaters there, some even having lessons. It wasn't school holidays though.

[skaterlately]

Thanks for all the help - I pinned down that I'll be in the Harlesden area, so Queens would be the most convenient.  They list their public sessions and costs on the site, but not how much patch costs/when it is... Does anyone have any idea?  (I think it'll be about half an hour longer to get to Brixton, but if their patch times/cost is consistent with the other Planet Ice rinks, that might be a better bargain...  Thoughts?)

Seriously, thank you for all the input - you all have made planning for this summer a lot less stressful! 

[spiralina]

Thanks for all the help - I pinned down that I'll be in the Harlesden area, so Queens would be the most convenient.  They list their public sessions and costs on the site, but not how much patch costs/when it is... Does anyone have any idea?  (I think it'll be about half an hour longer to get to Brixton, but if their patch times/cost is consistent with the other Planet Ice rinks, that might be a better bargain...  Thoughts?)

Seriously, thank you for all the input - you all have made planning for this summer a lot less stressful! 

Queens is a half size rink. There is no patch unless you are having a lesson (£7 I think), or you are a signed up yearly member. I really, really hated skating patch at Queens because it is overrun with ice dancing kids, and because it is half size, it is even more difficult to avoid them. The weekday public sessions are usually very quiet in the mornings, though, and they have good ice. Not sure whether that will change in the holidays... Patch runs from when coaches arrive (say 6:30am to be safe) until 9-10am, Tuesday to Sunday. Stay as long as you want. There is also afternoon patch some days of the week, but kids take it over.

Brixton is £6 patch, the same timings as Queens, pay either head coach, and stay for as long as you want. The rink is NHL rather than Olympic (I think? whichever it is that is 10' shorter) but the ice is very good. Also lots of kiddie ice dancers, but several adults too, and they are all polite.

[itsallok]

Hi, I'm a Londoner, and we are pretty spoiled for options compared to other places in the UK.  If you are in NW London (Harlesden) without a car, the following are possible by bus and tube:

• Central: Queens (small but central, close to tube)
• North: Alexandra Palace -but closed until August 18th
• North: Sobell Centre in Holloway (small rink again)
• East: Lee Valley
• South: Brixton - close to tube

A little further out (requiring a train) are:

• west: Slough - walkable from station - and cheaper than the central rinks
• north: Hemel Hempstead (but apparently there are, oddly, 5 pillars in the middle of the rink; also I'm not sure how easy it is to get there from the station)
• east: Romford
• south: Guildford

I know Lee Valley has monthly patch passes, but depends on how much you would go

I agree, good to check out/post on http://www.skatingforum.co.uk/ - I'm sure people would be happy to advise or meet up.

Let me know if you need any details.  Most of these do have public and patch times on their website, though sometimes a little hidden...