From city rooftops to seafront winter wonderlands, these are some of the best places to slide into Christmas
Leicester Square in the West End of London has its first ice rink, encircling the statue of Shakespeare that has stood on the spot since 1874. Unusually for a London pop-up rink, there are tickets available every day for walk-up visitors, with skating sessions starting every 15 minutes from 10am to 10pm. A bar serves hot chocolate, mulled wine and mulled cider, and Christmas market stalls surround the rink. The attraction is run by Underbelly, best known for its shows at the Edinburgh festival fringe, and is raising money for the Angel Child Fund at The Brain Tumour Charity (optional £2 donation).
Adults and teens from £14.50, under 13s from £9.50, families from £40, until 4 January, skateleicestersquare.co.uk
An ice rink has opened on the square in front of Rochdale’s town hall. At the bargain price of £4 for a child, it is ideal for school trips, with no charge for teachers and staff. The town hall itself has a choral concert on 7 December, an artisan market on the 14 Dec and boozy bingo on the 19 Dec. Its restaurant, the Martlet Kitchen, has a Christmas menu throughout December, serving dishes such as parsnip and pea soup, turkey escalope and mince pies with eggnog sauce (£26 for two courses, £30 for three). It also serves seasonal cocktails such as the cherry bakewell float (cognac-preserved cherries, amaretto and whipped cream) and the rum-based fire and ice (two for £18).
