WITH the seasonal chill in the air, it seemed fitting to wrap up in our warm woollies and head to the newly-launched Yorkshire Winter Wonderland.

Home to the North of England’s largest outdoor ice rink, the Ice Factor, along with vintage rides from the golden era of fairgrounds, the festive attraction is at York’s Designer Outlet until Monday, January 2.

We were invited to visit on its first day of opening, when shoppers were treated to the eye-catching spectacle of Santa parading through the centre with his entourage of elves, Narnia’s silver-coated Ice Queen and other larger-than-life characters. They turned more than a few heads, spreading cheer and sharing chocolate coins before the man in red settled in to his grotto in the Narnia-themed Christmas Village, where he will stay until Christmas Eve.

York Press:

Picture: David Harrison

Located near the south entrance of the outlet, the Ice Factor is set against a backdrop of trees on one side, with icicle lights, and a ringside cafe for spectators.

The rink is based next to a vintage fairground where carefully-restored rides from bygone days came to life as the day wore on and bag-laden shoppers spilled out from the outlet and treated long-suffering children to a reward for their patience.

We tried out several of the rides, including the surprisingly pacey 1936 Speedway, comprising 18 undulating platforms with a choice of chariots, horses and motorbikes to ride.

The other highlight was the Brooklands Dodgems, dating back to 1937, which had enough of a thrill factor for children and adults alike, with sparks flying above us as we whizzed around.

The Hook a Duck proved popular, with a guaranteed prize each time, and my children also particularly enjoyed soaring above onlookers on the 1930’s Chair o Plane (main picture), which was fun – though not to be recommended on a full stomach.

Other rides include a Ghost Train dating from the 1950s, a 1947 Muffin the Mule Aerodrome and Hush Hush the Monorail, made in 1933.

However, the Ice Factor was undoubtedly our favourite experience at the Winter Wonderland, which is produced by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Simon Cooke.

Skaters book a time slot, and the cost for an hour on ice includes skate hire. For an extra £2 you can also have your own penguin or snowman, a support aid for children to lean on as they find their feet. These were well worth getting as it was an absolute joy not to have to endure the muscle strain and backache of attempting to hold my sons upright as they struggled to get their balance. By the end of our hour, they were considerably more confident and even attempted to skate unaided; there were a few falls and near misses but we all escaped unscathed, thanks also to the support of the ever watchful assistants.

We chose the early afternoon for our skating session, and daylight was just fading as we finished, showing off the glow of fairy lights on the central 30ft-high Christmas tree and those entwined around the branches of surrounding trees.

If you want to beat the crowds, it’s probably best to go early but if you can hold off, the setting was definitely more atmospheric and festive as it got darker.

We warmed ourselves afterwards in the rink-side Alpine-themed PapaKitchen cafe, where we bagged one of the rustic wooden tables, complete with cosy furs, and supped marshmallow-topped hot chocolate with a mince pie each.

The Ice Factor is open daily until Monday, January 2, 2017. Tickets are £10.45 for adults, £9.45 for children with family packages and group discounts available.

Booking is recommended for skating and visits to Santa’s Grotto. For details visit www.yorkshireswinterwonderland.com or call 01653 619169.