Ice Rinks Near Kendal: Seven Places to Skate, From Ullswater to Blackpool

1. Lancaster on Ice, Dalton Square

This is the closest rink to Kendal: an open-air, real-ice rink of 800 square metres, with Christmas market stalls and a giant tipi bar around it. The organisers, who run The Borough pub on the square, started it in 2018.

Sessions last an hour, with 45 minutes on the ice, and it skates “come rain or shine”. Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged, though the rink manager may offer a swap in severe weather.

Children 12 and under need someone over 16 with them on the ice. The price below comes from North West for Kids, updated 2 November.

Arrive at least 20 minutes before your session to swap your shoes for skates. Boots run from a child’s 7J to an adult’s 15, and there is very little space for bags.

There is no rink parking in the square, so use the city’s own car parks, or take the train from Oxenholme.

Open 20 November to 3 January; closed Christmas Day
Price adult £16, child £14 at peak, cheaper sessions also sold (North West for Kids); £1.50 booking fee per person; skate aid £5
Booking online, recommended for weekends and holidays
Address Dalton Square, Lancaster
Website lancasteronice.co.uk/tickets
Good for real ice, Christmas market stalls, tipi bar, skate aids for under-110cm

2. Another Place, The Lake, Ullswater

The hotel calls this Skate by the Lake: “a 200-square-metre ice rink overlooking the lake”, in its grounds at Watermillock with a 16ft Christmas tree. It is the only rink in the Lake District that we could find, and it has rules that catch families out.

Skaters must be at least 4, under-13s need an adult on the ice, and one adult can supervise no more than two children. Sessions last 45 minutes, and the rink takes cards only.

Tickets are non-refundable, but you can swap them up to 48 hours before by emailing the house manager.

The hotel’s rink page and its FAQ give different weekday hours for Tuesday and Thursday, so check the booking page for your day. It does not list which sessions are peak beyond saying they are “the busier times”.

The skating FAQ has the full rules.

From Kendal, there are two routes. You can take the M6 north to junction 40, then the A66 and A592 past Pooley Bridge, or the A591 to Windermere and over the Kirkstone Pass, a high, narrow road worth checking in December weather.

Penrith is the nearest mainline station.

Open 3 December to 3 January; Friday to Sunday 10am to 8pm; Monday 3pm to 8pm; Wednesday 12pm to 8pm; closed to non-residents 23 to 26, 30 and 31 December and 1 January
Price adult £18 off peak, £22 peak; child £13 off peak, £17 peak; pizza £12 extra; watching is free
Booking online recommended; on the day if space remains
Call 01768 486442
Address Rampsbeck Grange, Watermillock, Penrith, CA11 0LP
Parking hotel car park, limited, with overflow at the Brackenrigg Inn
Website another.place/the-lake/ice-skating-lake-district
Good for lakeside setting, free skate aids for under-120cm, food and drink marquee, skate and pizza

3. Preston’s Christmas On Ice, Flag Market

This real-ice rink has moved for 2026. Blog Preston reports it will sit in front of the Cenotaph, with food and drink stalls along Harris Street and Christmas games and attractions on the Flag Market.

It opens later than Lancaster, on Friday 4 December. Skiddle sells the tickets and has not yet shown a 2026 price.

Last winter’s price is below, and it may have changed.

Open 4 December to 3 January; 11.30am to 9.30pm, last skate 8.30pm
Price 2026 not read; £10 including skate hire in 2025 (North West for Kids)
Booking online through Skiddle
Address Preston Flag Market, Market Square, Preston, PR1 2PP
Website skiddle.com/whats-on/Preston/Preston-Flag-Market/Preston39s-Christmas-On-Ice---Ice-Rink/42817199
Good for real ice, Christmas village, food stalls

4. Lytham on Ice, Clifton Square

A real-ice rink returns to Clifton Square for the first time in a decade, according to its Ents24 listing. The organisers promise an “ice rink, food stalls and rides”, and they say wheelchair users are welcome on the ice, asking anyone with access requirements to contact them before booking.

Tickets are sold through Quay Tickets. The price below comes from North West for Kids, and it is the cheapest adult ticket we found for a paid rink in this guide.

Open 28 November to 3 January; Monday to Friday 12pm to 9pm, last skate 8.15pm; weekends 11am to 9pm
Price adult £11.25, child £9 (North West for Kids)
Booking online through Quay Tickets
Address Clifton Square, Lytham
Website lythamonice.com
Good for real ice, wheelchair users, food stalls, rides

5. Planet Ice Blackburn

This permanent indoor rink is open all year, so the weather does not matter, and it is the only one here we found listing a session on Christmas Day. Planet Ice prices vary by session, and hire costs extra.

It also sells an Ice Card membership at £19.99 a year for regular skaters, and has lessons and birthday parties. Prices are from its booking system on 5 November.

Open all year, by session; Christmas Day 10am to 12pm
Price adult or child 4 to 15 £11.75 to £15.40; student £10; under-4s £3.20; family of 3 to 5 £10.70 to £14.70 each; Christmas Day £10; skate hire extra
Booking online recommended
Address Lower Audley Street, Blackburn, BB2 3DY
Website planet-ice.co.uk/ice-skating
Good for indoor skating, Christmas Day, lessons, birthday parties

6. Christmas By The Sea, Tower Festival Headland

This is the only free rink in the guide. VisitBlackpool describes a 20-metre synthetic rink, not real ice, in the shadow of Blackpool Tower, holding up to 60 skaters at a time.

Skate hire is free and you cannot book, so you turn up and wait. It is outdoors and weather may affect opening, which matters on a 56-mile drive.

Under-8s need an adult on the ice, under-14s need an adult at the rink, and the recommended minimum age is 4.

Open 20 November to 3 January, closed Christmas Day; 12pm to 9pm, last admission 8pm
Price free, skate hire included
Booking none, turn up
Address Tower Festival Headland, Blackpool
Website visitblackpool.com/things-to-do/christmas-in-blackpool/ice-skating-rink
Good for free skating, wheelchair users, skate aids, first-time skaters

7. Pleasure Beach Arena

The Arena calls itself “the world’s oldest purpose built ice rink”, and it runs public sessions all year. It closed for maintenance until 4 November.

Its schedule for 5 November shows public sessions in four blocks between 9.30am and 9.30pm, and for Saturday 7 November from 11am to 4.15pm, but some days are closed entirely, so check it first. North West for Kids gives a family of four at £60, plus £16 for four sets of skates.

The Arena says it gives no refunds on skating sessions.

Open all year; public sessions on the Arena's schedule, with some closed days
Price family of four £60, skate hire £16 for four (North West for Kids); spectators £3.50; parking £10
Booking online or box office
Call 01253 341707
Address Pleasure Beach Arena, Blackpool, FY4 1EZ
Website pleasurebeacharena.co.uk/times
Good for indoor skating, skating after Christmas, lessons, cafe