Rooftop skating rink near London Eye - any idea what this is?
 

Hello -

I will be visiting London over the New Year period with my two children, aged 7 and 5. We're staying in the Travel Inn at County Hall. Someone has told me that there is an outdoor ice-skating rink that you can see from the London Eye, on the top of a nearby building.

Does anyone have any idea what (or where) this is? Is it on top of the County Hall building? Any info on whether you can rent skates there?

Thanks in advance for all your help. This kind of activity might be a welcome break from sightseeing for my kids.

Tania

I don't know about a rooftop rink, but there is a nice rink at Sommerset House at the holiday time. There was also one last year at Hampton Court Palace.

First of all, it's not an ice rink. They use some sort of hard plastic material that I found very difficult to 'skate' on. It might be OK for the kids. The surface isn't as slippery as ice and I was told it's actually easier for people who have never ice skated before.

The rink is fairly small and located right above the aquarium. You can rent skates on site.

If you want a real ice rink, there's one at Sommerset House. It's much larger but does get crowded. I believe you can make reservations for this one. We didn't and found that the next few afternoon sessions were full so didn't get to skate there.

Temporary open-air ice rinks spring up during the winter at the most unlikely places - this coming winter at the Tower, Kew, the Natural History Museum, Greenwich, Somerset House and Hampton Court. They aren't cheap. The semi-permanent open air rink at Liverpool Stret station (www.broadgateice.co.uk) is better value.

Thank you - this is helpful. Hard plastic material? Sounds intriguing...