If you want to see London from a different perspective, consider putting on your skates and meeting a group of skaters to tour the city in an organized event or stop by one of the dedicated skating venues.
If you are visiting London or don’t own your own pair, you can rent skates cheaply from various outlets, including the London Skate Center.
Friday Night Skates
London Friday Night Skate meets every Friday at 8pm at the Duke of Wellington Arch in Hyde Park and is a 10-15 mile skate through the streets of London.
Routes change weekly so check website for details. This is a very popular and well organized weekly event with volunteer marshals (on skates) ensuring traffic is aware of all skaters. They even have a mobile sound system on a bike to keep you going. Please note that your skating level must be intermediate or higher.
Saturday morning skates
Easy Peasy Skate meets every Saturday at 10:30 am at the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park. This event is suitable for children and adults. Note: You will need skates with heel brake and protective gear to participate. They do a 30 minute introductory workshop before each ‘meet’ which costs around £ 5 per novice skater.
Sunday walk
The Sunday Stroll meets every Sunday at 2pm on Serpentine Road (east site) in Hyde Park. It’s an easy 2 hour skate for all skills, although they require you to know how to stop on the skates.
Other skating venues
They are not located outside of the city, there are several places dedicated to providing an open and safe space for fun on wheels of all kinds.
In Skaterham, the park is open to fans of BMX, skateboarding, scooter and inline skating, with times set by age range, meaning young children won’t have to worry about being crushed by more experienced skaters. . Every week on Thursdays, Rollercity plays disco music and opens the bar for skaters over 18, while an all-age version is open at various times throughout the year, minus drinking, of course.
While the Pioneer Club is more geared towards the skateboard ensemble, England’s oldest indoor skate park based in St. Albans Hertfordshire is pleased to welcome inline skaters to take turns on the rink.
At Wembley, the folks at Fix8 RollerDisco have been making tunes and running weekly roller skating events for skaters of all skill levels to listen to great music and make new friends since 2012.
Park Skating
The Royal Parks of London also has excellent parks for skating. See below for a list of where you can skate in the city’s Royal Parks.
- Hyde Park – On highways, including Serpentine Road and on permitted bike routes
- Kensington Gardens: on Albert Approach Road and on The Broad Walk
- The Regent’s Park – On the roads, including the inner and outer circles
- St James’s Park – On The North Horseride Cycle Track
- Green Park – Along the Constitution Hill Cycle Path
- Greenwich Park: at Great Cross Avenue and Bower Avenue
- Richmond Park: Between Sheen Gate and Ham Gate via Pen Ponds
