We checked 8 ice rinks near Banbury and Bicester, from Silverstone's Ice Trak to Blenheim Palace, for dates, prices and age rules. Updated November 2026.

Banbury has no ice rink in 2026, and this guide lists the 8 nearest with their dates, prices and age rules. Most people will land on The Great Skate at Blenheim Palace, from 13 November, Ice Trak at Silverstone, from 11 December, or the cheaper Whilton Locks. Every entry was checked against the rink’s own site on 5 November 2026, except where the entry says otherwise.

The quick answer

  • Nearest: Ice Trak at Silverstone, about 16 miles from Banbury, from £8.50, but it does not open until 11 December
  • Nearest from Bicester: Oxford Ice Rink, about 14 miles, and The Great Skate at Blenheim, about 15
  • Open all year: Oxford Ice Rink, adult £11.85, junior £9.20, plus £2.55 skate hire
  • Cheapest dates: Whilton Locks, 16 to 20 November, adults £7.45, children £6.95, with skates and parking included
  • Christmas Day: Planet Ice Milton Keynes, 10am to 12pm, £10 a skater

We have not skated at any of these for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Distances are rough driving miles from Banbury Town Hall and from Bicester town centre. Christmas rinks price by day and time, so the figure at checkout may differ.

Is there an ice rink in Banbury or Bicester?

We found none for Christmas 2026. Banbury Town Council’s events calendar, read on 5 November, lists no skating. The town’s big Christmas day is the lights switch-on on Sunday 29 November, with the Winter Market that weekend.

Bicester Avenue Garden Centre has run a real-ice rink before: The Oxford Magazine’s listing gives 7 November 2023 to 7 January 2024, and it is the last one we could find. The centre’s ticket portal listed six events on 5 November, including Santa’s Grotto and afternoon tea, and no ice skating. If a rink is announced at either town, we will add it here.

The nearest rinks: 16 to 22 miles

1. Ice Trak at Silverstone

About 16 miles from Banbury and 18 from Bicester. Silverstone describes a rink inside the Formula One garages, “transformed into a North Pole training rink”.

You can book it alone or with Lap of Lights or Santa’s Garage, and a Family Bundle of all three saves 10%. Sessions last 45 minutes and you should arrive 30 minutes before.

Silverstone says to dress for outdoor winter conditions, even though the rink is in the garages. Children must be at least 3.

Ages 3 to 12 need an adult aged 18 or over on the ice, and ages 13 to 15 need an adult watching nearby. Missed slots cannot be rebooked.

When we read its page on 28 October it gave Christmas Day as closed, but the current page does not say so, so check the calendar.

Open 11 to 31 December 2026; 45-minute sessions, times on the booking calendar
Price from £8.50
Booking online; on-the-day places are limited and not guaranteed
Address Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, NN12 8TN
Website silverstone.co.uk/events/christmas-at-silverstone
Good for Formula One garages, wheelchairs welcome with advance notice, skate aids, Lap of Lights trip

2. The Great Skate, Blenheim Palace

About 18 miles from Banbury and 15 from Bicester. A covered rink in the Great Court at Woodstock.

Sessions are 30 minutes from the time on your ticket, the shortest in this guide. You can skate without a light trail or palace ticket, but parking is charged.

Children must be 3 or over, and under-13s need an adult aged 16 or over on the rink with them. Blenheim’s ticket FAQ warns that rain can leave water on the ice, so bring gloves and spare socks.

Prices appear only on Blenheim’s ticket site, which our tools could not read, so we give none rather than quote an old year.

Open 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; sessions 10.40am to 8pm on peak days, to 7.20pm off peak
Price shown only at booking; £1 booking fee a ticket; child skate aid £5 on site (120cm or under)
Booking online; on the day if sessions remain
Address Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, OX20 1UL
Website blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/christmas
Good for covered rink, free carer ticket for disabled skaters, no palace ticket needed

3. Whilton Locks

About 22 miles from Banbury and 33 from Bicester, at a garden centre near Daventry. It describes the rink as real ice, open air and fully undercover, with no booking fees.

Sessions start on the hour and last 45 minutes, and you should arrive 15 minutes early. Under-8s need a paying adult on the ice, up to four children to one adult, and older children need an adult in the spectator area.

The price depends on the date. It is £7.45 for adults and £6.95 for children from 16 to 20 November.

It is £11.20 and £10.45 on 14 and 15 November, 21 to 27 November, 30 November to 4 December, 7 to 10 December and 14 to 17 December. Other dates are £14.95 and £13.95.

Wheelchairs and pushchairs are not allowed in normal sessions; there are separate SEND and toddler sessions. The 3 January end date and the gap on 25 and 26 December come from a read of its booking calendar earlier on 5 November, and a later read could not confirm them, so check when you book.

Open from 14 November 2026, to 3 January 2027 on the booking calendar; not bookable on 25 and 26 December; sessions on the hour
Price adults (15 and over) £7.45 to £14.95; children £6.95 to £13.95; push-along skate aids £5; sit-on banana £10
Booking online recommended
Parking free
Address Whilton Locks, Whilton, Daventry, NN11 2NH
Website whiltonlocksgardenvillage.com/product/ice-skating-at-whilton-locks
Good for skate hire included, free parking, undercover rink, SEND sessions, toddler sessions

4. Warwick Castle

About 22 miles from Banbury and 36 from Bicester. The castle’s East Front becomes an open-air rink beneath Guy’s Tower, with a handrail around the outside.

A skate-only ticket covers the rink and the food stalls beside it, and a castle ticket adds daytime entry from 10am to 4pm. Arrive at least 15 minutes before your slot.

Under-3s are not allowed on the ice. Ages 3 to 9 need an adult aged 18 or over on the ice, and ages 10 to 12 need an adult watching.

Skate aids for children are first come, first served.

Open 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; 45-minute slots
Price skating only from £8; castle entry and skate from £18
Booking online in advance; on the day through the castle's app if slots remain
Parking charged day and evening for skate-only tickets
Address Warwick Castle, Warwick, CV34 6AH
Website warwick-castle.com/explore/events/christmas-at-the-castle/ice-skating
Good for castle setting, food stalls, handrail, skate aids

Open all year: 29 to 31 miles

5. Oxford Ice Rink

About 29 miles from Banbury and 14 from Bicester, which makes it the closest rink for Bicester and the south of the district. It has a Friday Skate Disco, Skate Tots for younger children in term time, and Quieter Hours every Monday from 1.30pm to 2.45pm, with the music off and fewer skaters.

Skate hire is not included and has to be bought with your ticket, in sizes from child 5 to adult 14. Under-8s need an adult aged 18 or over on the ice.

Wheelchair users can get on to the ice by ramp. Its sessions page gave no Christmas or New Year times when we read it.

Open all year; Christmas times not on its sessions page on 5 November
Price adult £11.85; junior (16 and under) or student £9.20; skate hire £2.55; skate aid £5.85; spectator £2.75; Friday Skate Disco £12.90 adult, £10.35 junior
Booking online
Call 01865 305010
Address Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1RQ
Website moreleisure.com/oxford-ice-rink/ice-skating/ice-skating-sessions
Good for all year round, Quieter Hours, wheelchair access to the ice, skate disco

6. Planet Ice Milton Keynes

About 31 miles from Banbury and 24 from Bicester, at Leisure Plaza. A permanent rink, and the only one here with a Christmas Day session we could read.

Planet Ice shows times and prices only through its booking calendar, so the sessions below are the dates we looked up: pick Milton Keynes and a date on its ice skating page for any other day. Check the skate hire charge when you book, because the calendar did not print one.

Open all year; Saturday 14 November 11am to 1.30pm and 1.45pm to 4pm; Wednesday 18 November 10am to 1.45pm and 3.15pm to 5.30pm; Christmas Day 10am to 12pm; Boxing Day 9.15am to 5pm in three sessions; New Year's Day 10.15am to 10pm in three sessions
Price adult or child £15.40 on 14 November, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, £11.75 on 18 November; families of three to five £14.70 each, £10.70 on 18 November; under-4s £3.20; Christmas Day £10
Booking online through the Planet Ice calendar
Address Leisure Plaza, 1 South Row, Milton Keynes, MK9 1DL
Website planet-ice.co.uk/ice-skating
Good for all year round, Christmas Day skating, New Year's Day skating, family tickets

Further out: 33 to 40 miles

7. Willen On Ice

About 33 miles from Banbury and 27 from Bicester, on the lawn opposite the Willen Observation Wheel in Milton Keynes. The lake calls it a real 800sqm rink, with funfair rides and a bar alongside.

It runs Ice Beats sessions for teenagers and Wilbur’s Little Skaters for the youngest. Under-3s and anyone who cannot walk without support are not allowed on the ice.

Children aged 8 and under need a ticket-holding adult on the ice, and under-16s need an adult in the viewing area. The smallest hire skate is a child’s size 9.

Open 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Price under-16s from £15.90 off peak, from £17.90 peak; adults from £18.90 off peak, from £20.90 peak; 10% off three or more tickets with at least one adult and one child
Booking online recommended; on the day is card only and subject to space
Parking Car Park B is closest
Address Willen Lake, V10 Brickhill Street, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DS
Website willenlake.org.uk/activities/ice-skating
Good for skate hire included, booking fee included, funfair rides, teen sessions, little skaters sessions

8. Chiltern View Ice Rink

About 40 miles from Banbury but 20 from Bicester, at a garden centre near Aylesbury. It opens with a ticketed opening night on 20 November.

Each ticket is a 40-minute session, and you should arrive 30 minutes before to have your boots fitted. Under-13s must have an adult skater with them, and the rink recommends some form of head protection for children.

Skate aids are limited and booked separately. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged.

Open 20 November 2026 to 5 January 2027, closed Christmas Day
Price from £10; skate aid £5; spectators free, except at ticketed events and the opening night
Booking online
Parking free
Address Chiltern View Garden Centre, Wendover Road, Stoke Mandeville, Aylesbury, HP22 5GX
Website chilternviewicerink.co.uk
Good for free parking, winter bar, free spectators

How we chose

These are the rinks closest to Banbury and Bicester that have published 2026 dates or all-year prices, chosen by distance and not by taste. Dates, prices and rules come from each rink’s own website, booking calendar or ticketing FAQ, read on 5 November 2026, except where an entry says otherwise. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@banburyonline.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@banburyonline.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.

More for the Christmas holidays

Frequently asked questions

Is there an ice rink in Banbury in 2026?

We found none. Banbury has no permanent rink, and the town council’s events calendar lists no skating this Christmas. The nearest Christmas rink is Ice Trak at Silverstone, about 16 miles by road, from 11 December. The Great Skate at Blenheim Palace, about 18 miles away, opens sooner, on 13 November.

Is the Bicester Avenue ice rink back in 2026?

We found no sign of it. On 5 November the garden centre’s ticket portal listed six events, including Santa’s Grotto and afternoon tea, and no ice skating. The last listing we could find for its rink was for 7 November 2023 to 7 January 2024.

What is the nearest all-year ice rink to Banbury?

Oxford Ice Rink on Oxpens Road, about 29 miles from Banbury and 14 from Bicester. An adult ticket is £11.85, a junior or student ticket £9.20, and skate hire is £2.55 extra.

Which ice rink near Banbury is open on Christmas Day?

Planet Ice Milton Keynes is the only rink here with a Christmas Day session we could read: 10am to 12pm at £10 a skater, or £3.20 for under-4s. Blenheim and Chiltern View are closed that day. Warwick Castle, Willen Lake and Oxford publish no Christmas Day times on the pages we read.