Skating at Somerset House, London was one of the many things I'd passed by on my way to and from Uni as an undergraduate.
For one, it is outdoors/open air, and involves ICE. I don't do cold. It didn't matter how much fun my friends reported after playing on the ice, I couldn't find a reason to volunteer myself for the cold or the fear of falling.
However....having recently spent a beautiful winter's afternoon shuffling, and after 45 minutes, gliding clockwise with a hundred other grinning beginners, I am pleased as punch with my decision to kick off my Ten City Tour in my hometown!
The skating session lasts for an hour, which, if you skate as rarely as I do is more than enough time to get over the overwhelming fear of toppling over. Staff and fellow visitors, made up (3pm session) of mainly families are friendly, accommodating and part of what makes the trip so delightful.
Disclaimer: groups of screaming teens may find it necessary to make a human Daisy Chain of themselves, making it tricky for novice skaters to avoid clumsy collisions :-)
Skating is one of the many reasons to visit the picturesque site in just about any season of the year...
M xx