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Gyms in Brighton and Hove

A young seaside city with three indoor pools, a 40 m Art Deco lido, a 50 m sea-front pool and the South Downs above it. Here's where to train in Brighton and Hove, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
282
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Showing 1–24 of 282 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Brighton and Hove

From Portslade's trading estates to the seafront at Kemp Town.

Training in Brighton and Hove

A young, active city with two outdoor pools and the Downs on its doorstep.

Brighton and Hove is home to around 277,100 people (Census 2021), up 1.4% since 2011, with a median age of 38. It runs young: 10.1% of residents are aged 20 to 24 and another 15.0% are 25 to 34. It's also active. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 73.5% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 67.4% across the South East.

Freedom Leisure runs the city's public sites: King Alfred Leisure Centre on the Hove seafront, with a 25 m six-lane pool, Prince Regent Swimming Complex in the centre of Brighton, St Luke's pool in Hanover, and the dry-side centres at Withdean, Moulsecoomb and Portslade. Outdoors there's Saltdean Lido, a 40 m heated pool opened in 1938, and Sea Lanes on Madeira Drive, a 50 m heated outdoor pool. High Sports has roped climbing at Withdean, and Portslade and Hove have a run of CrossFit boxes, strength gyms and jiu-jitsu academies.

Between the sea and the South Downs there's the Undercliff Walk, Stanmer Park and the old Dyke railway line to run along. Wherever you train, it's easier with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Brighton and Hove

Freedom Leisure's public centres first, then the outdoor pools and climbing walls, the CrossFit and strength gyms, and the fight gyms.

Public leisure centres (Freedom Leisure)

Outdoor pools and climbing

CrossFit and strength

Jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and MMA

Find a training buddy in Brighton and Hove

A lane partner for Sea Lanes through the winter, a belay partner at High Sports, someone to roll with at a Hove jiu-jitsu class: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Brighton and Hove training group

A Saturday crew for Brighton parkrun in Hove Park, an early run along the Undercliff Walk to Saltdean, a winter swim group at the Lido: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Brighton and Hove.

  • Undercliff Walk4.5 km along the foot of the cliffs from Black Rock to Saltdean, opened in 1933 and popular with walkers and cyclists; it closes after rockfalls.
  • Hove Park40 acres with tennis courts, a basketball court and a climbing boulder, and home to Brighton parkrun.
  • Stanmer Park187.9 hectares of 18th-century parkland inside the South Downs National Park, restored in 2021.
  • Dyke Railway Trailthe old branch line to Devil's Dyke, made into a trail in 1988, reached from Hangleton over the A27.
  • Devil's Dykea 100-metre-deep dry valley 5 miles north-west of Brighton, looked after by the National Trust, with the South Downs Way passing it.

Getting around

Rail, bus and bike routes to the city's gyms.

Rail

  • Brighton station: 15.328 million entries and exits in 2024/25
  • the end of the Brighton Main Line and of the East and West Coastway lines

Bus

  • Brighton & Hove, part of the Go-Ahead Group, runs most of the city's buses
  • 154 bus journeys per head in the year to March 2025, against a national average of 37
  • Breeze routes run up to the Downs on weekends and bank holidays
  • Saltdean Lido is on routes 12, 12X, 14 and 27

Cycle

  • the Undercliff Walk lets you ride the coast to Saltdean Lido off the road
  • Saltdean Lido is the eastern hub of the city's Beryl e-bike network

Who trains here

What the census says about the people you'll meet in the pool, on the mats and on the seafront.

  • 10.1%Aged 20 to 24With another 15.0% aged 25 to 34, a big share of the city is students and young adults building a routine.Census 2021
  • 73.5%Active adultsDoing at least 150 minutes of activity a week, well above the South East's 67.4%.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 19.1%Aged 50 to 64Up from 14.9% in 2011, an extra 12,200 people or so. Plenty of people at the age when a regular swim or class partner makes the difference.Census 2021

Brighton and Hove gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Brighton and Hove?

Gymist lists 282 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Brighton and Hove, from the Freedom Leisure centres and the city's two outdoor pools to CrossFit boxes, jiu-jitsu academies and tennis clubs.

Which leisure centres are in Brighton and Hove, and who runs them?

Freedom Leisure runs the city's public sites: King Alfred Leisure Centre on Kingsway in Hove, Prince Regent Swimming Complex on Church Street, St Luke's Swimming Pool on St Luke's Terrace, Withdean Sports Complex on Tongdean Lane, Moulsecoomb Community Leisure Centre on Moulsecoomb Way and Portslade Sports Centre on Chalky Road. Only King Alfred, Prince Regent and St Luke's have pools.

Where can I swim in Brighton and Hove?

Indoors, King Alfred and Prince Regent both have 25 m main pools with teaching pools, and St Luke's in Hanover is 15 m long. Outdoors, Sea Lanes on Madeira Drive has a 50 m six-lane pool heated to at least 19 degrees all year, run by South Downs Leisure. Saltdean Lido's 40 m crescent-shaped pool is heated too, open from May to September with a winter season from 1 December to 5 January.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Brighton and Hove?

Hove Park is home to Brighton parkrun and has tennis courts, a basketball court and a climbing boulder. The Undercliff Walk runs 4.5 km along the foot of the cliffs from Black Rock to Saltdean, though the council closes it after rockfalls. Stanmer Park covers 187.9 hectares inside the South Downs National Park, and the Dyke Railway Trail follows the old branch line from Hangleton up towards Devil's Dyke.

How do I get to gyms in Brighton and Hove without a car?

Brighton station recorded 15.328 million entries and exits in 2024/25 and is the end of the Brighton Main Line and both Coastway lines. Brighton & Hove buses run most local routes, and the city had 154 bus journeys per head in the year to March 2025, against a national average of 37. Withdean Sports Complex is near routes 5, 5A, 17, 272 and 273, and Saltdean Lido is on routes 12, 12X, 14 and 27.

How do I find a gym buddy in Brighton and Hove?

Join Gymist free, add your gym and when you train, and browse members nearby. If there isn't a group for your kind of training yet, start one.

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