Have an ice day: outdoor skating rinks

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

Each winter the courtyard of Brighton’s iconic Royal Pavilion palace comes to life with ambient lighting, winter music and festive food served from the Rinkside Bar and Kitchen. Keep the kids entertained at the weekends at a number of drop-in activities such as decoration making, or make the most of the grand surrounds by staying on for a three-course Christmas dinner featuring warming dishes such as spiced pumpkin and sweet potato soup, slow-roasted pork belly and mulled wine pear tatin.

Adult skate tickets £10 to £13.50; royalpavilionicerink.co.uk

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Somerset House, London

This year Somerset House has once again teamed up with fine food purveyors Fortnum & Mason for its popular skating experience. By day relax in the cosy Fortnum’s Lodge with mulled wine and an indulgent sharing mince pie or discover the shopping arcade, while the destination truly comes into its own at night. For the first time Somerset House has introduced Skate Lates, a curated programme of music enlisting the likes of Field Day founders Eat Your Own Ears and Peckham-based radio station Balamii to soundtrack the evening.

Opens 15 November, adult tickets from £8.90; somersethouse.org.uk. Image © James Bryant

The Eden Project, Cornwall

Each winter, educational charity The Eden Project is home to Cornwall’s most spectacular ice rink. The visitor centre is nestled in a huge crater, in which two huge biomes house the largest rainforest in captivity. This sets the stunning backdrop to the yearly ice rink, open now until February 2018. It’s part of the Christmas in Cornwall winter festival, which includes a vibrant light and sound show and other family-friendly activities, as well as the ice rink and seasonal food stalls.

Adult tickets from £3.50 (valid Eden Project admission also needed); edenproject.com

Hampton Court Palace, Richmond

Hampton Court hosts one of the most scenic rinks in the country, allowing you to skate against the regal backdrop of Henry VIII’s magnificent historic home. Make sure to leave plenty of time to explore the impressive 65 acres of grounds, which include its famous gardens and the world’s oldest puzzle maze, as well as the palace itself where you can step back in time with a tour of William III’s ornate State Apartments.

Opens 24 November, adult tickets £14; hamptoncourtpalaceicerink.co.uk. Image © leftfieldimages.com

St Andrews Square, Edinburgh

Set in central Edinburgh’s St Andrew Square, this vast oval ice rink takes you on a journey around the towering Melville Monument. For those less confident on the ice, there are plenty of other activities to get you in the festive spirit; browse for gifts at the nearby traditional Christmas markets, have a go at scaling the Ice Wall or delve into Scotland’s past with an immersive historical journey told through ice sculptures.

Opens 17 November, adult tickets from £9; edinburghschristmas.com. Image © Eoin Carey