Well...IMO, seeing as Cardiff is a glorified circus tent, I think that's a fair claim to make!

im quite lucky in both places i live! when im at uni im about 30 mins from blackburn rink, and at home in colchester im about 30 mins away from chelmsford rink! im now obsessed with ice skating and have taught myself right from the begining but got to a point where i cant really teach myself nemore, i look like i stalker copying wot other people are doing lol!

Blackburn ice arena is about 10 minutes away from me but it's not a good time to go when DOI is on because the queues are enormous!!

queues? maybe u go at the wrong times? i went yestaday and there was about 15 on the rink, everytime i go its pretty dead there!

If you enquire about lessons with a Pro, I believe they are not as expensive as you might think. You certainly sound ready for for some.

i did think about that briefly but might feel like a bit of an idiot n fall over lol!
im trying to learn to skate backwards at the moment with some proper speed but i dont even no if i have the technique right as ive never been taught! maybe lessons wont b as scary as i think!

Here's another Directory for you Dave.

http://www.iceskatingrinks.net/ice-skating-rinks.html

I'm not too up on the Midlands, but is Worcester near Coventry? Or Milton Keynes, Peterborough or Oxford? Also Solihull, there's a rink. Maybe you might need to drive a bit or get the bus, hopefully you'll find one near to you soon. Good Luck!

Oh defo, go for it, if you can afford it! *says she, sitting on her fat ar*e at the computer*, but they'll be able to give you a few pointers [and don't worry about falling over] then you can practice on your own, even a half hour lesson once a week will be useful for now.

I'm VERY lucky. I live a 10 minute train ride from the rink at Streatham where I have 3 lessons a week and Guildford, Ali Pally, Lea Valley and Queensway are all within a 10-15 mile radius of where I live.

Not that I ever go anywhere else. Streatham is a total dump but it's MY dump!

Oh Caroline, definitley take some lessons if you can. If not on a private basis your local rink should run a SKATE UK course where you are taught all the basics over 10 grades ( a six week course of lessons costs £55 at my rink).

That's how I started skating and then went on to private lessons too. I've also made lots of new friends in the SKATE UK classes and I can't recommend it highly enough!

That's fabulous Mrs Troy, you're an inspiration.

La Rhumba I have totally fallen in love with skating!

I had never skated until I started last April and at 33 I thought it would be too late. But it really is never too late!

It's the most frustrating, terrifying (at times!) and exasperating thing I've ever done but also the most challenging and exciting thing I've ever done and so rewarding when you finally crack something you've been trying to master for months! I've also got the best teacher in the world! He's brilliant!

It also spurred me on to do something about my weight and I've lost 2 and a half stone in the last 5 months!
Last edited by Mrs_Troy : 02-02-2007 at 22:13

OOH! I should know this one

Solihull, about 40 mins away :]

There's one in Chelmsford, Essex and another one (outdoor) in Southend, but that's being taking away soon.

Ive always resented my parents for not letting me have lessons when I was younger. I had my own skates and I would go sometimes twice a week, my brother played Ice Hockey so I would go with him because he had to practice his skating.

I actually went last week for the first time in about ten years. At first I nearly broke my neck, but then it all came back and I remembered how much I loved it when I was younger. I can even still turn corners without stopping, which I had taught myself to do. The only thing I'd like to do now is learn how to stop properly and go backwards but I can't master it by myself. Im 24 now though, and I think Im probably too old for lessons.

WOW! That sounds really amazing! Congratulations!
I see I'm going about it totally the wrong way, I've been waiting to lose the weight first, but I guess the skating helps the weight drop off!

I used to skate at Queensway when I lived up that way. Love it - the only problem being that the Chinese restaurants in the same street were far too tempting!

ide like to learn to stop to lol! i just end up turning in circles till i slow down! ive been teaching myself to gk backwards, just watch ppl around u and try n copy!

The new Altrincham Ice Dome should be opening this month, although they do keep putting the opening date back. The Manchester Phoenix Ice Hockey team should be playing their first home game there on 17 Feb. We have been travelling to Deeside, which has been our (temporary) home rink this season up to now. Can't wait to be finally home again.

As a Canadian living here I am constantly bewildered at the lack of skating rinks in this country. The closest to me is Plymouth (1 1/2 hours speeding)
I am lucky enough to be going to a concert there on March 20th so will strap on the old hockey skates and have a go while I am down there. My daughter went there yesterday with the school and said it was packed and you have to prebook. If it is this busy you'd think there would be more call for more rinks to be built. Where I come from you can't fall over yourself and not land on a rink. And I totally agree skating is an excellent way to keep the extra pounds at bay

I used to live on the outskirts of Romford, which has an ice rink, but to my shame we very rarely used it. Now my closest one is Peterborough, about forty minutes away, and I've never been there, although my daughter has.

As a child the closest rink was probably Islington, and we went a few times, but it was way too far to ever learn to skate properly. I've always wished I could, but I'm far too old to start now

Oh My God!!!

There was a fatal shooting of a 16 yr old boy at my rink, Streatham, last night.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6329569.stm

It's closed and crawling with police and it's not known when it will open again!

What is the world coming too????????

Oh Gosh! How awful!

Yeh, terrible. I was gobsmacked at that. On the note of ice rinks. I think the govrnment or local councils should invest in them over such other investments as it promotes leisure, healthy living etc...

Apparently in the 1900's the government issued a decree stating that all the big cities in the UK had an Ice Rink!

Why can't they do that now?