Skate! — Christmas ice skating rink at Somerset House (Nov 2023)

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Craig’s review… I've got a great idea: let's strap some razor blades to our feet and do some jumps and double flips, yeah, trust me: it will be fun! It's not dangerous at all because it's only ice, isn't it? -- the same stuff they make lollypops out of. What can possibly go wrong?

That's what a thousand dads have told their kids. And here's what their mums reply: no. No way. Don't be daft. Don't listen to your dad because he's an idiot. If he wants to kill himself then that's up to him, but you are standing safely around the edge with me.

Let me tell you the problem with mums: they've all got their disaster alarms set to '10' -- which is the highest level possible. They've decided that if something bad can happen then it most probably will. So if the sun comes out you'll get sunburn. If you eat some chocolate you'll get spots. And if you don't wrap up warm you'll get pneumonia and die. But who cares if you bang your head on the ice a few times? I've banged my head loads of times and look at me, I'm perfectly normal (sort of).

But all joking aside... you might actually want to listen to your mum on this occasion because outdoor ice-skating is genuinely quite dangerous. You might step onto the ice with ten fingers but by the time you come off you might only have nine. If you're not comfortable with that level of risk then don't do it. Just watch your dad instead, because if he falls over it doesn't matter.

There are quite a few Christmassy rinks in London but the best by far is at Somerset House. If you visit this one at nighttime then you'll remember it forever. They always have one of the prettiest trees in the city and a bit of Mozart floating over the top, a few Vienna waltzes (Johann Strauss and the Blue Danube, that kind of thing), and all the buildings are bathed in a pale purple light. It really is very pretty indeed -- it looks like a scene from a Christmas movie.

Big smiles coming round on this lap. This guy clearly knows what he's doing because he's flipped himself around 180 degrees to grab hands with his other half, whilst other skaters are locked in a conga chain they can't get out of.

One of the kids has decided that he wants out right now, in this exact instant, and yanks his dad over to the side and down he goes like a sack of spuds. Other ones look quite happy until wham! down they go like a battleship being bombed.

Worth a visit? ★★★Value for money? ★★★Good for kids? ★★★Easy to get to? ★★★

I also recommend… If you enjoy Somerset House then you might like to visit Courtauld Gallery (you can walk there in less than 1 min). Check out our complete list of Christmas ice rinks in London. You might also like to read Craig's review of the Christmas lights and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland as well

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon

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