Great Skate #26 - Newmarket Riverwalk Commons

I launched my Great Skate Project in 2012, aiming to skate on a different outdoor rink each weekend throughout the winter. Now, as the project enters its fourth winter, I have to travel farther afield to find new rinks to add to my list. (Here's the list so far.)
On January 3, I visited some friends north of the city to check out the Riverwalk Commons rink in Newmarket. Although the weather was approaching blizzard status, Susan and Ian were surprisingly enthusiastic. (Their kids, perhaps wiser than us, stayed home.)

 Located in downtown next to the community centre, the Newmarket skating rink (officially named the Tim Hortons Skating and Water Feature) is pretty spiffy. There aren't indoor changerooms, but there is an "ice lounge" at one end, with fancy seating and a big-screen TV showing a video of a roaring fireplace. It's sort of the polar (ha ha) opposite of the log benches and campfires you find at the Harbourfront skating rink.

We skated until the Zamboni came out to clean the inch or so of fallen snow off the ice, and then skated some more. And then we went back to the house to drink hot chocolate and eat leftover Christmas cookies. It was a perfect start to Year 4 of the Great Skate Project.
Susan and Ian, smiling despite the icy snow blowing into their faces.

At least your hair doesn't end up smelling like woodsmoke.

Skaters at the Newmarket Riverwalk Commons rink


Some Other Skating Rinks I've Visited With Friends


Mel Lastman Square in Toronto (Great Skate #4)

High Park Rink in Toronto (Great Skate #12)

Brickworks Skating Trail in Toronto (Great Skate #3)

Gage Park Skating Trail in Brampton (Great Skate #33)


Location: Newmarket's Riverwalk Commons, Doug Duncan Dr, Newmarket, ON L3Y, Canada

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