I first heard about Maddison Heights roller skating rink in Essex just over a year ago. Word had reached the London skating community that skaters were travelling out for specific events — particularly ones connected to DJs they already knew, liked and trusted.
The appeal was pretty obvious. Good music, Londoners adding extra vibes, familiar skate faces — just in a fresh new location, only with more space and top notch rink floor. For many skaters, that combination alone will always be worth the journey.
Talk About Smooth Floor
I first heard about Maddison Heights through my artistic skating connections [whilst taking artistic skating lessons over the past year at Imperial skating club in Essex], the venue was mentioned in numerous conversations — almost always with emphasis on the quality of the floor.
Anyone who skates avidly knows that when multiple people make a definitive point about a great skate floor, you make a mental note of its wherabouts.
So, when a friend came up with the idea for a group trip to an upcoming Sk8 Texxi event, I was ready to say — I needed to try this venue for myself.
Making the Trip from London to Essex
Of course, word began to spread, and plans began to form. Small groups of skaters were making their arrangements, and a few of my friends had decided to car share — it's roughly a 1.5 hour drive to Essex from central London.
It's always refreshing to skate outside of the usual London skate circuit, just to switch things up a bit — especially during the winter months when we're skating almost exclusively indoors.
First Impressions of Maddison Heights
We arrived close to the start of the event and met with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. It wasn't too busy. I noticed more young skaters than you’d typically see at a ticketed London indoor skate event.
On first impressions, the venue was noticebly bigger than the average London indoor skate space, and once you take that first roll around the outside, you get why people travel out of London to experience it. The floor felt pretty lush and smooth in the best possible ways. Yep, the floor did not fail to impress.
Familiar & New Faces
There were a few recognisable London skaters dotted around the rink when we arrived, with more groups joining as the evening progressed. It was really nice to see that mix between the locals and our London community.
The local skaters seemed pretty focused on backwards, backward chains and speed skating, so we all jumped in. Unlike our London skate sessions, there wasn’t much happening in the middle of the floor early on — but we went ahead and made use of the middle regardless.
It was a nice set up.
Having said that, there were moments where skate etiquette went completely out of the window, mostly from their younger skaters who would happily cut straight through the middle without much awareness why that wasn't the best way of going about things. But hey, I guess that's just a part of mixed age/family public sessions.
Thankfully, as the night went on, things settled down and etiquette was restored and the order of things became more predictable!
One Skate Community
One of the nicest parts of the night was reconnecting with skaters I'd met once or twice during skate festivals, and hadn’t seen in over a year. Its always nice to enjoy those unpredictable moments of reconnection with skaters further afield. It's something that happens a lot, once you start skate travelling.
It's really nice.
Music & Speed Skate Energy
The Texxi DJ set delivered many good moments that allowed us to catch a lil vibe as we worked our flows.
Later in the evening, the energy was raised higher as they organised a series of speed skates:
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Under 18s – females
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Under 18s – males
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Over 18s – females
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Over 18s – males
Each category skated in both directions in turn, which kept things interesting.
➡️ Watch Video: First SK8 SX | Maddison Heights
It's always fun to watch a speed skate as you never know who will join the mix [or if it'll end with a mini pile up!]. They definitely require a good dose of bravery, skill and creativity. A fair few skaters jumped into the mix, and the crowd was ready to engage [which added an extra level of excitement].
The [Almost Longer] Drive Home
We stayed right until the close of the event [we hadn't travelled that far to leave early].
Unfortunately, the journey home nearly unravelled after an oil spill on the M25. Apparently, 3 cars been taken out creating some hellish tailbacks. Fortunately, we were able to avoid the additional 2 hours to the journey home as it had for another of my friends who'd left earlier that night. Somehow, our quick thinking driver was able to anticipate the issue [and use some well executed, creative manouveres] to avoid the congested route!
Final Thoughts
All in all, it was a good night out. We enjoyed exploring new terratory, skating amongst another skate community and using our skate skills on a smooth [and that much sliddier] floor.
If you haven't yet been, and it isn't too much of a trek for you, go. It is a great facility to add to your [no doubt grising] list of skate venues. If you like to skate in less busy venues, try Maddison Heights during the mornings on the weekends.
Kelly
Cranial Osteopath | Wellbeing Coach | Roller Skate Instructor
🗯️ Have you been to Maddison Heights? Let us know what you think of this venue in the comments below, or leave a quick emoji resonse.
