It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day to have a fun winter date. Here are some ideas for cheap or free local things to do for everything from your first date to your 500th.

Love Bumps
There are lots of easily accessible hills in London that make for some great tobogganing. At the corner of Wharncliffe and Commissioners is Basil Grovner Park, which has a nice bowlshaped depression. In the south end of the city is White Oaks Park with a large hill in the middle of it. Out in the west end is Byron Somerset Elementary School, a popular location in the area known for its great hills. A more centrally located hill is in Doidge Park at the Southeast corner of Cheapside Street and Wellington Road, near St. Joseph's hospital (just in case).

Cozy Up
Have a romantic night staying in by the fire. No fireplace? Light some candles. Living in rez where you're not allowed to have candles? Use electric candles or that fireplace channel on TV. No money and no cable? Sometimes the imagination is the sexiest muscle in the human body.

Who's Smarter?
There are many pubs in London that hold trivia nights during the week. This is a great way to test your knowledge while having a ton of fun. On Mondays, trivia nights are held at the Black Shire Pub (511 Talbot St.) and Morrissey House (361 Dundas St.). On Wednesdays, the Old South Village Pub (149 Wortley Rd.) holds their own trivia night called Pub Stumpers. Play your own game with your date: whoever gets the fewest questions right buys dinner (or something sexier, you decide).

Cookin' Up Some Love
There are a few ways to cook up a fun evening. You and your partner could cook each other's favourite meals or you could try a new recipe together. For a group date, invite some couples over for a potluck dinner — that way if what you make doesn't turn out, one of your friends likely made something successfully! Good friends, tasty food and maybe some wine can make any blustery night a cozy one.

Test Your Trust
The Fleetway (fleetwayfun.com) entertainment centre on Oxford Street West has an indoor 40-foot wall that resembles a natural rock wall. There are eight climbing stations on the wall, with varying degrees of difficulty for beginners to advanced climbers. Trained professionals are always close by to provide assistance when necessary. After conquering the wall, visitors can continue the fun with, bowling, mini golf and a stop at Dairy Queen. Another awesome 40-foot rock climbing wall can be found at East Park's (eastparkgolf.com) indoor entertainment and educational centre. The wall is accessible to all age groups and all levels of fitness, providing a safe space for climbers to hone their skills. For the climbing wall, there also are day passes, equipment rentals and a certification course and testing for instructors.

Find "Your Song"
If you're feeling spontaneous, pick a night and a venue and show up to whatever the event is. You may find yourself stepping out of your comfort zone and finding a new favourite local band. If the band sucks, at least you have something to laugh about later. For less spontaneous types, londonmusic. ca had a full calendar of events in town to keep you busy all week long.

Roll the Dice of Love
Invite some friends over and try out a new game. Scene It is a great party game, Cranium will keep you racking your brains and Munchkin may cause more fights than it's worth. Whether you're into indie board games or old favourites, a games night is a great (and inexpensive) way to spend time with friends. For those funminded couples, there are plenty of adult board games (and regular games with naughty twists) to keep you laughing all night long.

Quit Playing Games With My Heart (Unless it's Hockey or Basketball)
Check out Groupon for great deals on swanky restaurants, then scream your lungs out along with half of London at the JLC at a Knights or London Lightning game.

Put Your Love on Ice
The City of London has a longstanding tradition of turning the area in front of the bandstand in Victoria Park into a free public skating rink for as long as the temperatures are cold enough. People of all ages and skill levels come to this beautiful rink to enjoy the fun of skating and the pleasures of the great outdoors. The Covent Garden Market is another great (and free!) outdoor skating spot. When you're tired out from skating, you can head into the market and enjoy a snack from one of the many food vendors within.

Get a Room
Use Groupon, Dealzinga, TeamBuy or another similar website to score a super cheap hotel room in your hometown — you'll avoid expensive travel costs, but will still feel like you're escaping from your everyday life. Note: This is probably not a good idea for a first date.

Back to Romance
A great way to unwind, relax and de-stress with your date is a couples massage. Many spas in London have special couples massages where you each get a massage in the same room. Sheer Elegance spa on Adelaide Street has a couples massage for $130.

Be a Kid Again
As adults, snow seems like a nuisance - you have to shovel it, scrape it off your car and trudge through it every day. Go back to when you were a kid and snow was a ton of fun. Spend a snowy day with your sweetie, snuggling up in a snow fort, making snow angels and writing cute messages in the snow with your tracks.