Searching for curling in Liverpool? There’s no dedicated facility in the city, but the nearest real-ice hall is under an hour away. The Flower Bowl is the closest dedicated curling hall to Liverpool.
It has four competition-standard sheets; it’s the only venue of its kind in the North of England, and it’s open every day of the year, whether you’ve never curled before or you’ve been doing it for years.
Search for curling in Liverpool and what comes up is mostly ice-free curling: a synthetic surface played alongside beer pong and other bar games. It’s a fine way to spend an hour on a night out, but it isn’t the same sport. The physics are different, nobody’s coaching you, and the sheets aren’t full length.
The Flower Bowl gives you real ice, real stones and someone to teach you, under an hour from the city centre. For a full-day group outing, that hour is easy to justify.
CURLING SESSIONS AT THE FLOWERBOWL
Curling Experience
2 hours | 2 - 8 people | £33pp
Curling Short Taster
1 hour | 1 - 8 people | £22pp
Mini Curling
1 hour | 2 - 5 people | £11 - £13pp
Mini Curling
1 hour | 2 - 5 people | £11 - £13pp
Shuffleboard On Ice
1 hour | 2 - 5 people | £11 - £13pp
Try Sliding
1 hour | 1 - 4 people | £22pp
Beginners Curling Course
4 x 2 hours | 1 - 4 people | £110pp
School Group Curling
1 - 2 hours | Up to 32 people | £7 - £12pp
Junior Group Curling
2 hours | 8 - 32 people | £12pp
CURLED BEFORE
2 On 2 Curling
1 or 2 hours | 4 people | £12 per person, per hour
Intermediate Curling Course
4 x 2 hours | 1 - 4 people | £130pp
One-to-One Curling Coaching
1 hour | 1 person | £45pp
Intermediate Curling Course
4 x 2 hours | 1 - 4 people | £130pp
One-to-One Curling Coaching
1 hour | 1 person | £45pp
Practice Ice
1 hour | 1 - 3 people | £12pp or membership available
Curling Sheet Hire
2 hours | 8 people | £180 per sheet
A PERMANENT FACILITY, OPEN EVERY DAY
This is a purpose-built hall, not a pop-up rink that disappears after Christmas. Four full-length competition-standard sheets, open 10am to 10pm, seven days a week. Every session includes the stones, a headband, specialist curling shoes and a coached introduction.
If bending down is a concern, delivery aids are available, and sessions suit all ages and abilities. Most first-timers come out of the two-hour Curling Experience understanding why people keep coming back.
CURLING CLUBS
Junior Curling Club
Train Wednesdays
Preston Curling Club
Train Monday, Wednesday & Thursdays
Preston Wheelchair Curling Club
Train Tuesdays
GETTING HERE FROM LIVERPOOL
The Flower Bowl sits just off the A6 at Barton, near Preston, around 55 minutes from Liverpool city centre.
By car: take the M58 eastbound, merge onto the M6 northbound, and exit at Junction 32 for the A6 Broughton Bypass. The sat nav postcode is PR3 0RB, and parking on site is free.
By train: Liverpool Lime Street runs direct to Preston in about 50 minutes. From Preston Bus Station, the 40 or 41 takes you up the A6 to the door. Useful if you’re planning to drink.
LEARN ABOUT CURLING
How to Play
This video explains all!
History of Curling
From 1511 to now
Bonspiels
Play in a curling tournament
MAKE THE DRIVE WORTH IT. A FULL DAY OUT FROM LIVERPOOL
Most people coming over from Liverpool pair their session with food and a second activity. You can book it all together, so the whole day is sorted in one go.