The Best Ice Skating Rinks in London

Scarves and hats, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, pink cheeks and (if your skating skills are anything like ours) pink bottoms! Whether you're Torvill and Dean wannabes or complete novices, London's outdoor ice rinks make a truly great date. It's romantic and it's fun, it'll make you giggle and fill you to the brim with festive cheer… in fact, it's basically our favourite winter date! 

Click here to read our guide, which features seven of London's best ice skating rinks:

1. Canary Wharf
2. The London Eye
3. Hampton Court
4. Hyde Park
5. Somerset House
6. The Natural History Museum
7. The Tower of London 


Have you got a favourite that we've missed off our list?
Let us know...

Halloween in London

Wednesday night is Halloween and we reckon it's the perfect occasion for a spookily inspired date! Take a look at some of our scary suggestions below... 

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1) After Hours at The Natural History Museum - The Terror Tour 

We just love these brilliant after hours sessions, and wouldn't you know it, the next one is on 31st October. Keep close to your date for this eerie night time tour of the Iconic Central Hall, with scary creatures around every corner and a drink at the bar at the end - we think you might need it!

2) Climb of The Cursed - Up at the O2

These day and night time tours will be held for a week over the Halloween period (27th October - 4th November). Climb to the very top of the O2 and explore London's gruesome past with a birds eye view of the city. Make sure you go at night for full effect.

3) Wandsworth Common Halloween Beer Festival 

Not sure there's much more to say on this one. It runs from 25th - 27th October and in addition to all the beer, there'll be cider, wine and live music!

4) London Dungeons

You probably aren't instantly convinced by this as a date venue, but you really shouldn't judge it until you try it. It is a proper giggle and sometimes that's exactly what you need for those 'early days' dates. Halloween gives you the perfect excuse to give it a go.

5) The Crypts

Recently rescued from administration (we'll gloss over that...), a visit to The Crypts takes you deep underneath London Bridge for the truly terrifying 'Ultimate Evening Scare' from 26th - 31st October. Tickets available via Ticketmaster.

Got any "Fright Night" date suggestions of your own? We'd love to hear them....

Not your ordinary book club!

We sent the lovely Alana off to review The Book Club for us. Here's what she had to say…. 

A cup of tea, cake and a copy of Jayne Eyre this is not!  Expect a warehouse conversion filled with vintage furniture, crazy art and great music.  If you don’t book, then be prepared to scramble for a seat because this place gets busy pretty quickly.  If you’re lucky, you’ll get one of the G-Plan sofas to snuggle down in, and if you and your date are at ‘that stage’ then maybe you can snuggle together!

With a choice of Mexican slash bar food at very reasonable prices, and a personality that doesn’t take itself too seriously, The Book Club is perfect for a first date. Order your food and drinks at the bar - they’ll happily put on a tab for you to settle once you’ve had your fill.  Or, if you’re not going Dutch just pay for what you’re having there and then to avoid any awkward sideward glances when the bill comes!

Downstairs they host events most nights, which usually kick off around 10.30pm.  They also have a pool table AND I think I saw a table tennis table too!  The perfect opportunity to play the ‘I can’t play this, can you teach me’ card, or whoop your date’s behind!

The night we were there it was the "Through the Floor/Tweetbox event" downstairs (just one of the many they put on)  which was the perfect way to continue our evening.  The music upstairs should get you in the mood for some dancing so when you feel it's time to move on, pick up your drinks and head to the basement.  Not the usual mainstream sounds but something which you can shake your tail feathers to... and a great way of seeing how seriously your date takes themselves! 

The Book Club ticks many boxes; if you and your date don’t want to cook then the food is quick and will agree with most budgets.  If you just fancy drinks in a place with a great atmosphere then it's the perfect venue.  Or if you’re after an all in one; food, drinks and dancing later on, The Book Club can offer that too.

My only tip; a sharing platter really is big enough to share.  It took me a dish too many to get out of my starter-main-pud comfort zone!

Primrose Hill & Yumchaa

Here's a guest post from an inspired 'Great Dater' who wrote in with such a gem of a date that we asked her to tell you all about it...

My boyfriend surprised me with a trip to London Zoo for our second date, but it wasn't the monkeys and armadillos that made it so unforgettable. We took a detour through Regent's Park and came across Primrose Hill. It may not look very steep from the bottom but I can guarantee it is worth the embarrassing breathlessness for the views at the top. We sat snuggled up on a bench looking out over a gorgeous view of london and it couldn't have been any more romantic. 

It was mid March and still quite cold so we decided to stop off for a spot of tea on the way home and stumbled across a place called Yumchaa near to Camden tube station. It has hundreds of flavoured teas to choose from, delicious home-made cake and the furniture is completely mismatched and kooky which gives the place a lovely charm and atmosphere. I felt so cozy with my wooly hat on, clasping the cup to warm up my hands, but it's not just a pick me up for the cold weather. I returned recently on a very hot day this summer and they were serving iced tea. It was just as lovely as I'd remembered and we sat on the sofas by the window, people watching for hours. I'm so glad that I didn't bother searching my voucher apps for a 2-4-1 deal in Cafe Rouge! Yumchaa is one of my most favourite places in London (second to Primrose Hill) and made the best date imaginable even better.

Thanks Danielle!