REVIEW: Skate Bournemouth

To kick off the festive season, we headed over to SKATE Bournemouth for an evening of ice skating and drinks at the Moguls Alpine Bar. 

SKATE Bournemouth is located right in the centre of town, amidst the enchanting Winter Wonderland and is open now until 3rd January 2023, providing plenty of festive fun during the lead-up to Christmas and over the holidays themselves. The rink is open all week from 10.30am to 11pm, with sessions lasting an hour, with 15 minutes in between each session to clear the ice. Pre-booking is advised, especially as it gets closer to Christmas as sessions can get busy, you can do this easily online on the SKATE Bournemouth website. 

We opted for the 7pm session on a Thursday evening and were pleasantly surprised to find a buzzy atmosphere, with a mix of ages out skating. If you can’t skate very well, don’t be put off, myself, my husband and my sister are all total novices but still managed to get round the rink by the end of the session! For those who are of a higher ability, the rink is a big enough size to give space to hone your skills, my friend Sam was skating backwards, much to the delight of a group of spectators, and we witnessed a young woman doing some impressive spins on the ice too. 

If the weather outside truly is frightful, bring along a waterproof coat as the rink is an outdoor attraction and will stay open during most weathers, including rain, however you can always head inside to the Moguls Alpine Bar, which is decorated to resemble a ski lodge, complete with ice skates and other paraphernalia as well as wreaths and twinkling lights giving a fantastic festive vibe from the moment you step inside. Their Christmas tree is impressively tall and dominates the centre of the room, whilst their bar offers a variety of hot, cold and alcoholic beverages to sip on whilst you catch up or recount your time out on the ice. We had to order a mulled wine - ’tis the season, and it was steaming hot, in the cutest of takeaway cups. 

Sure to be popular as we head into December, there is plenty of seating available, with some tables and booths facing the rink so you can spectate whilst staying toasty warm. The bar is open during the same hours as the rink, however it is over 18s only from 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays where there will also be a DJ playing. 

Ice Skating is a fun activity which can be enjoyed by all ages (minimum recommended age to be on the ice is two years old), and SKATE Bournemouth have you covered. Tickets are priced from £11.50 for children (aged 12 and under) and £13.50 for adults, they also have family and concession ticket prices available. Arrive 30 minutes prior to your session start time and take along £1 for a storage box if you want to leave anything before you head onto the ice. You can also buy socks and gloves for a small fee on site. Make sure you have a card or smartphone payment set up for the bar as it is operating on a cashless basis.

To find out more about Skate Bournemouth click HERE!

Written by Emma-Louise - @evenangelsfallblog