MORE than 1,200 skaters took to the ice in the first day at the biggest outdoor ice rink in the north in York.

The 975-square metre rink opened to the public yesterday in the car park at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet at Fulford.

"We had a great first day," said a spokeswoman. "The weather couldn’t have been better for us and the ice was superb.

"We had over 1,200 people skate in our first day which was fabulous to see. 

"We've had a lot of positive comments about how beautiful the event looks this year too, as we’ve made a lot of improvements and updates." 

York Press:

The rink is surrounded by an Alpine skate hire chalet; rink-side café; illuminated log cabins; reindeer; Christmas trees and a viewing platform.

The Alpine-themed, après-skate, rink-side café, PapaKitchen, has windows that run the length of the ice rink and a licensed bar with mulled wine, ales and hot chocolate.

Yorkshire's Winter Wonderland also features a vintage funfair with rides dating from the golden era of fairgrounds, including a Brooklands Dodgems from 1937; a 1930s' Chair-o-Plane and a renovated Ghost Train from the 1950s.

York Press:

Event manager Haydn Hunter said: "This is our 14th season of The Ice Factor and we're delighted to see so many families coming back year after year to enjoy the exhilaration of outdoor skating, plus all the fun of the fair.

"We're the largest outdoor ice rink in the north of England and the wooded backdrop and giant Christmas tree in the centre of the rink make for a wonderful space to skate. Our ice marshals are already excited to be returning for another season."

York Press:

The rink was launched on Friday night with a performance of spectacular skating by Olga Sharutenko, from The Imperial Ice Stars.

Tickets for a one-hour skating session cost £10.95 for adults and £9.95 for children; family packages are available for families of three, four or five and special packages for parties, schools, clubs and youth groups, with discounts applying to groups of 20 or more. The early-bird saving of £2 for adult, child and concession tickets will apply if booked by September 30.

York Press:

Booking is recommended for skating at yorkshireswinterwonderland.com or on 01653 619169, although tickets for skating and the funfair can be bought on site too.