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Gyms in Amber Valley

Four market towns north of Derby, four public leisure centres and the Derwent Valley Mills on the doorstep. Here's where to train in Amber Valley and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
46
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Showing 1–24 of 46 gyms

Towns in Amber Valley

From Belper's mills to Alfreton, the district's largest town.

Training in Amber Valley

Four public pools, four market towns and the Derwent Valley.

Amber Valley is home to 126,206 people (Census 2021), up 3.2% since 2011, and its median age has risen from 43 to 46. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 71.2% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, up from 62.4% a year earlier and above England's 64.5%.

Places Leisure runs three of the four public centres in partnership with Amber Valley Borough Council: Alfreton Leisure Centre, Ripley Leisure Centre and William Gregg VC Leisure Centre in Heanor, each with a pool, gym, studio and sports hall. Belper Leisure Centre, run by Trilogy Active, has a 25 m pool, a 50-station gym, squash courts, a sauna and a steam room. Around them sit small class-based gyms, kickboxing and karate dojos, yoga studios and four squash courts in Duffield.

Belper's mills are part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, the Cromford Canal towpath runs down to Ambergate, and Crich Stand looks out over Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Gymist helps you find people who train like you do.

Where to train in Amber Valley

The public leisure centres first, then the gyms, rackets and martial arts.

Public leisure centres

Gyms and rackets

Martial arts

Find a training buddy in Amber Valley

A lane partner at Belper Leisure Centre, a squash opponent in Duffield, someone to walk the Cromford Canal with: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start an Amber Valley training group

A Sunday walk up to Crich Stand, a towpath run from Ambergate, a Saturday session in Shipley Country Park: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Amber Valley.

  • Derwent Valley Millsa World Heritage Site since 2001, running 24 km down the Derwent from Matlock Bath to Derby, including Belper's North and East mills.
  • Cromford Canala popular towpath walk beside the Derwent Valley line, with the Whatstandwell to Ambergate stretch managed as a nature reserve.
  • Crich Standa 19 m memorial tower on a limestone outcrop above Crich, 59 steps to the top, with views as far as Lincoln Cathedral on a clear day.
  • Shipley Country Parka former country estate near Heanor with bridleways, nature walks, cycling and a parkrun.
  • Crossley ParkRipley's park since 1935, with a paved perimeter walk.

Getting around

Two railway lines and the buses between the towns.

Rail

  • East Midlands Railway on the Derwent Valley line stops at Duffield, Belper and Ambergate, about hourly between Derby and Matlock
  • Alfreton is on the Erewash Valley line, with hourly trains towards Sheffield and Liverpool, Nottingham and Norwich, and Leeds
  • Langley Mill station serves Heanor, with hourly Northern trains between Nottingham and Leeds

Bus

  • Trent Barton, High Peak Buses and Notts + Derby link Ripley with Alfreton, Derby, Mansfield and Nottingham

Walk

  • the Cromford Canal towpath runs between Ambergate and Cromford

Who trains here

What the census and Sport England say about the people you'll meet in the pool and on the towpath.

  • 46Median ageUp three years since 2011, and six years older than England.Census 2021
  • 28,220Aged 50 to 64The district's biggest age band, and a good age to find a regular swim, squash or walking partner.Census 2021
  • 71.2%Active adultsDid at least 150 minutes of activity a week in Nov 2024–25, up from 62.4% a year earlier; 19.0% did less than 30 minutes.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Amber Valley gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Amber Valley?

Gymist lists 46 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Amber Valley, from the public leisure centres in Alfreton, Ripley and Heanor to independent gyms, martial arts clubs, yoga studios and golf clubs.

Which leisure centres are in Amber Valley, and who runs them?

Places for People Leisure runs Alfreton Leisure Centre on Church Street, Ripley Leisure Centre on Derby Road and William Gregg VC Leisure Centre on Hands Road in Heanor, in partnership with Amber Valley Borough Council. Belper Leisure Centre on John O'Gaunts Way is owned by Belper Leisure Centre Limited on behalf of the community and local schools, and run by Trilogy Active.

Where can I swim in Amber Valley?

All four public leisure centres have a pool. Belper Leisure Centre's is 25 m long, from 0.9 m to 2 m deep, with slow, medium and fast lanes, level entry from the changing area and a hoist.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Amber Valley?

The Cromford Canal towpath is a popular walking route, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust manages the stretch from Whatstandwell to Ambergate as a nature reserve. Crich Stand, a 19 m memorial tower on a limestone outcrop, has 59 steps to the top, and Shipley Country Park near Heanor has bridleways, nature walks and a parkrun.

How do I get to gyms in Amber Valley without a car?

East Midlands Railway trains on the Derwent Valley line stop at Duffield, Belper and Ambergate on the way from Derby to Matlock, about hourly. Alfreton and Langley Mill, which serves Heanor, are on the Erewash Valley line, and buses link Ripley with Alfreton, Derby, Mansfield and Nottingham.

How do I find a gym buddy in Amber Valley?

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