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Gyms in Cannock Chase

Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley, on the edge of a 68 km² National Landscape of forest trails and heath. Here's where to train in Cannock Chase and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
83
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Showing 1–24 of 83 gyms

Towns in Cannock Chase

Cannock and Hednesford in the south, Rugeley in the north.

Training in Cannock Chase

Two Everyone Active centres and a forest on the doorstep.

The Cannock Chase district is home to around 100,500 people (Census 2021), up 3.1% since 2011, with a median age of 42. In Nov 2024–25, 60.1% of adults did 150 minutes or more of activity a week, against 64.5% across England, so there is room here to move more.

Everyone Active runs the two public leisure centres. Chase Leisure Centre on Stafford Road, Cannock, has a 25 m six-lane pool with a moveable floor, a teaching pool, a 100-station gym, a six-court sports hall and an 18-hole golf course, and Rugeley Leisure Centre on Burnthill Lane has a 25 m six-lane pool, a four-court hall, glass-backed squash courts and a floodlit 3G pitch. Around them are two PureGyms, Anytime Fitness in Rugeley, reformer and hot yoga studios, and taekwondo, boxing and jiu-jitsu clubs.

Then there's the Chase itself, with mountain bike trails from Birches Valley and free weekly runs in the forest. It's easier to keep going with the right company, and Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Cannock Chase

The public leisure centres first, then the gyms, studios, fight clubs and trails.

Public leisure centres (Everyone Active)

Gyms and studios

Combat and martial arts

Trails and tracks

Find a training buddy in Cannock Chase

A lane partner at Chase Leisure Centre, someone to ride Follow the Dog with, a partner for the reformer in Cannock: find people nearby who train when you do.

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Start a Cannock Chase training group

A Sunday mountain bike ride from Birches Valley, a midweek trail run in the forest, a squash ladder at Rugeley: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

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Train outdoors

Free places to train in Cannock Chase.

  • Cannock Chase National Landscape68 km² of forest and heath, first designated in 1958, rising to 242 m at the Iron Age hill fort of Castle Ring.
  • Free forest runsForestry England lists two free weekly runs on waymarked routes, a ladies' 5 km trail run and The Chase on the 7.5 km route.
  • Follow the Dog and the Monkey Trailcross-country mountain bike routes of 11 km and 11.2 km from Birches Valley, not recommended for beginners.
  • Ladyhill and Fairoak trailswaymarked walks from the Birches Valley visitor centre, the Fairoak Trail the longer of the two, past the pools.
  • Heart of England Way and Staffordshire Waylong-distance paths that both cross the Chase.

Getting around

Rail and trail routes to the district's gyms.

Rail

  • the Chase Line from Birmingham New Street via Walsall to Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley, two trains an hour Monday to Saturday
  • electric services north of Walsall since May 2019
  • change at Rugeley for London Euston and Crewe

Cycle

  • cycle hire at the Birches Valley visitor centre, off Penkridge Bank Road
  • Follow the Dog starts and finishes at the Birches Valley cycle centre

Who trains here

What the census and Active Lives say about the people you'll meet in the pool and on the trails.

  • 60.1%Adults active 150+ min a weekUp from 55.1% in 2015–16, but still below 64.5% across England.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 42Median ageUp from 40 in 2011, as the district grew by 3.1%.Census 2021
  • 21.3%Aged 50 to 64Up from 18.8% in 2011. A regular swim or class partner makes it easier to keep going.Census 2021

Cannock Chase gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Cannock Chase?

Gymist lists 83 gyms, leisure centres, studios, fight gyms and sports venues across the Cannock Chase district, from the two Everyone Active centres to golf, cricket, rugby and football clubs.

Which leisure centres are in Cannock Chase, and who runs them?

Everyone Active operates both of the council's leisure centres: Chase Leisure Centre on Stafford Road, Cannock, and Rugeley Leisure Centre on Burnthill Lane, Rugeley. Chase Leisure Centre also has an 18-hole, par 67 golf course.

Where can I swim in Cannock Chase?

Chase Leisure Centre has a 25 m, six-lane main pool with depths from 1 m to 2.8 m, a smaller third pool and a warm teaching pool. Rugeley Leisure Centre has a 25 m, six-lane pool from 1 m to 2 m deep.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Cannock Chase?

Cannock Chase Forest has two free weekly runs on waymarked routes, a ladies' 5 km trail run and The Chase on the 7.5 km route, plus the Ladyhill and Fairoak walking trails from the visitor centre at Birches Valley. Mountain bikers have Follow the Dog, an 11 km cross-country route, and the more technical 11.2 km Monkey Trail.

How do I get to gyms in Cannock Chase without a car?

The Chase Line runs from Birmingham New Street through Walsall to Cannock, Hednesford, Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley, operated by West Midlands Railway, with two trains an hour Monday to Saturday. At Rugeley you can change for London Euston and Crewe.

How do I find a gym buddy in Cannock Chase?

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