Ian Waller and his family don their skates for the annual tradition that is Bath On Ice
We love our trips to Bath On Ice. It’s the event each year that puts us into the Christmas spirit, as well as being something that our whole family enjoys together – even the teenagers take part! Located in its traditional venue at the town end of Victoria Park, next to the tennis courts, on arrival we quickly traded in our shoes for bright blue skates and were tottering towards the ice with a discussion focused on who would fall over first!
Now I’m not sure if it was just me, but the ice definitely seemed slippier this year… Still, it didn’t seem to be stopping the experts making it look so easy and the gung-ho teenagers belting around without a fear in the world.
For us less confident and the complete beginners, there’s always the wall grab, a not too trendy ice dance where you inch around the ice, one hand on the barrier around the side, slowly gaining your confidence and desperately hoping that no one will get in your way meaning that you’ll have to release your grip for a second or two as you navigate your way around them.
Still, once the confidence grows and you take a few tips from the other, more elegant skaters, the joy of the occasion really takes hold. With a suitably funky musical backtrack, you’re soon picking up speed, with the marshals picking up anyone who takes a tumble, and you might even try a few basic turns and spins. I say ‘you’ for a reason here – I was happy just to stay upright and let the young ‘uns do the clever stuff…
For smaller children, there are the skate aids in the shape of bright red plastic chairs which allow them to be pushed around and join in with the fun, without falling over. What’s more, Toddler Time takes place on weekday mornings for 11.45am to 1pm, plus you can even book on the ice birthday parties!
As the hour long session progressed, so did the standard of skating across the ice, with fewer wall grabbers and more hand in hand romantics. OK, the teenagers still zoomed and splatted spectacularly, but as they always seemed to get up again with a smile, it was all part of the fun.
By the time it was time to leave the ice, we were all ready for hot chocolate, pizza and churros in the Moguls Alpine Bar, complete with comfy seating, loads of heating and just excellent service from the super friendly staff. While the freshly made and wood fired pizzas were superb, my lot made quick work of the bacon cheese dogs, bacon cheese fries and vegan Katsu dog.
Mind you, I wasn’t at all happy that my youngest nicked the Maltesers from my luxury hot chocolate… Father Christmas will be hearing about that!
All-in-all this was a cracking Christmas family evening out, combining loads of fun with excellent food and drink, and top level service.
To book you slot on the ice and find out more information, go to bathonice.co.uk
For more reviews of family activities across the Bath and West Wiltshire region, go to https://thebathandwiltshireparent.co.uk/reviews/