Dutch turn frozen streets into ice rink (video)

The Dutch are known for their pretty impressive skating abilities, and it's more obvious now than ever thanks to the adverse weather conditions that have recently hit the country.

The Netherlands came in fifth on the medal table for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, with eight gold medals in speed skating alone not to mention seven silver and nine bronze, all of which were also in skating.

See also: Here's how to safely cycle the roads of Amsterdam

The Dutch Meteorological Institute issued a warning yesterday, with a code red alert on Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland in the north of the country.

It's currently -1C in Groningen and although temperatures are set to warm up before the weekend, for now much of the roads in the Netherlands are covered in a thick layer of ice.

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Never ones to let a cold breeze get in their way, this hasn't stopped the Dutch taking to the streets, this is, after all, a country where people will cycle everywhere, in any weather!

So, instead of jumping in their cars or on their bikes, the people of Holland have strapped on their skates and hit the streets to make the most of the chilly temperatures.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like the cold weather will last long enough for the 'Elfstedentocht' to be held this year.

The skating event, which roughly translates as 'Eleven Cities Tour' first started in 1909 and involves a 200 kilometre long race on the frozen canals and rivers of eleven cities in Friesland.

However the race can only take place if the ice is at least 15cm thick at all points of the course, and the last time that happened was 1997.

But, not all hope is lost for the keen skaters of Holland because as soon as the ice is deemed suitable the race begins within two days, so there's still a chance.