One thing I have always loved is ice skating. I have never done it before but I love to watch it. It looks so elegant and graceful, doesn’t it! The thing is, each year, my sisters take the kids ice skating but inevitably I am always in work and have never made it to an ice rink. That is until 2019 when I got an invite to the Manchester Ice Rink at Media City for 2019. But would I actually get on the ice or would I bottle out and send everyone else on? As the title of this post suggests I did in fact, make it onto the ice. But more about that in a minute.

The Manchester Ice Rink is at Media City from 4th December 2019 until 5th January 2020. So if you want to take to the ice, you need to get your skates on (sorry) and book your session. As you can imagine, there will be a high demand for spaces so it is advisable that you book in advance.

You can skate at the following times at the Manchester Ice Rink;

• Monday to Friday – 3 pm to 8.45 pm, the end of the last skate (10 am until 2 pm is reserved for school groups0.
• Saturday and Sunday – 10 am to 9 pm end of last skate finishes at this time.
• You get at least 45 minutes on the ice and late arrivals will not get added skate time. Each hour, the ice is cleared ready for the next session.

Prices are £13 for adults and £11 for children up the age of 12. You can buy a season ticket for £150. Children must be accompanied on the ice and skating aids are available for younger users or those on the ice for the first time.

My First Ice Skating Experience at Manchester Ice Rink

Honestly, after finally finding my way to Salford, I wasn’t planning on going on the ice. I was terrified I would fall over, hurt myself and then struggle to drive home again. But my sister essentially forced me onto the ice. After donning my ice skates, I made my first tentative steps towards the slippery surface.

My sister and niece skated off with the crowd whilst I fumbled my way on and gripped the side for dear life. Next to me, refusing to venture any further was Olivia. Whilst she loves ice skating, she isn’t the most confident and preferred to stay with me around the edge. It took me about 10 minutes to make my way around and I didn’t so much skate as moved slowly and delicately around the sides.

Olivia got more confident as she made her way around and the other pair? Well, there was no stopping them at all. Thanks to my fibromyalgia the ice skates really hurt my feet whilst the rest of me hurt from tensing my body so I didn’t fall face first. So I retired from my budding ice skating career after just one lap of the rink and left the young ones to it. I think I will stick to watching it from now on.

Visiting The Manchester Ice Rink

We really enjoyed our session at the Manchester Ice Rink and whilst ice skating isn’t going to be a new hobby for me, the girls all loved it and had a great time. Be aware, the rink can get really busy so it is best to arrive early for the session. Book in advance if you can so as not to be disappointed. You may be able to join in if you turn up on the day depending on visitor numbers.

If you don’t fancy hitting the ice, you can grab yourself a hot drink and head to the seating area skate-side to watch all the action without having to join in. Or you can mill about on the edge of the rink too on the seating.

Will you be going ice skating this winter?