Explore the popularity and history of ice skating while gliding along some of the world’s most magical outdoor experiences

Donning a pair of skates to glide across frozen ice is an exhilarating experience and a pastime that’s widely enjoyed, particularly through the chilly months, at a local or pop-up rink or (when conditions are right) on a frozen body of water, such as a lake or canal. For many, it’s fun, liberating and invigorating and, as ice skating is often synonymous with the Christmas season, it provides a fantastic opportunity to embrace the festive spirit in a winter-wonderland setting.

Through the ages

Although largely a leisure activity these days, ice skating was traditionally used as a practical means of traversing frozen landscapes during harsh winters in parts of the world such as Scandinavia, Russia, China and the Netherlands. It’s thought that humans have been skating on ice for at least 5,000 years, and the earliest form of ice skates (some of the oldest examples found date to approximately 1800BCE) were made with leather soles and polished animal bones for blades. In 1250CE, the Dutch were the first to replace bones with iron blades. This had a significant impact on skate dynamics and allowed skaters to push and glide with greater ease, stability and speed.

With the little ice age in the northern hemisphere, the popularity of ice skating boomed between the 13th and 19th centuries. In Britain, the aristocracy embraced the activity in the late 17th century, but Londoners young and old and from all backgrounds would often take a leisurely spin on the frozen Thames. It was a wintertime activity that quickly caught on throughout the country as people took to skating on the thick ice of village ponds and lakes. The first official skating club was established in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1742. Its members met on the frozen waters of Duddingston Loch or Lochend, to play and show off their skating skills.