One of the great joys of winter in Norway for me is being able to go ice-skating. Not on a tiny, packed ice-rink of the kind they put up for the Christmas season in London and many other cities, but in the open air, either on the frozen moat around Gamlebyen here, or, if the ice is thick enough, on one of the many lakes in the area. It hasn’t been cold enough yet this year for this, but another alternative is to go for a spin at Stjernehallen, Fredrikstad’s indoor ice-rink. It’s used by the local team in the afternoon for practice, and in the evening on match days (more on this later…), but in the morning and on Sundays you can go ice-skating there, and it’s free! So pack your skates (or borrow some – they don’t rent any) and have some fun!

Stjernehallen, Utfarten 16, Fredrikstad. Tel: 69 36 83 00, www.stjernen.no. Open to the public Wed-Fri 10am-2pm, and Sun 10.30am-12.30pm.