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Gyms in Derry City and Strabane

A young council area along the Foyle, from Derry's walls and Peace Bridge to Strabane at the edge of the Sperrins. Here's where to train and who to train with.

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Towns in Derry City and Strabane

Along the Foyle from Derry to Strabane, and west to Castlederg.

Training in Derry City and Strabane

A young district with plenty of public pools and room to get more people moving.

Derry City and Strabane had 150,800 residents at Census 2021, up 2.1% since 2011. It is younger than most of Northern Ireland: 19.9% of residents are children aged 0 to 14 and 16.0% are 65 or over. It also has room to grow as a place to train. 38% of adults took part in sport in the past year in 2024/25, the lowest of the 11 council areas, against 51% across Northern Ireland.

The council's leisure centres are spread across the district: Foyle Arena has a climbing wall as well as a pool and gym, Templemore Sports Complex and the City Baths on William Street have pools, and Brooke Park has a gym and a female-only health suite. In Strabane, Riversdale Leisure Centre has a pool and gym, and a new centre with an eight-lane 25 m pool is proposed for the canal basin. Around them sit PureGym and Everlast Gyms, CrossFit Derry, strength gyms, jiu-jitsu academies and boxing clubs.

Whether you swim at the City Baths or climb at Foyle Arena, training is easier with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Derry City and Strabane

Council leisure centres first, then the chains and strength gyms, and the combat clubs.

Council leisure centres

Chains, CrossFit and strength gyms

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Derry City and Strabane

A belay partner on Foyle Arena's climbing wall, a lane partner at the City Baths, someone to roll with at Team Torres: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Derry City and Strabane training group

An evening run across the Peace Bridge to St Columb's Park, a lap of the city walls, a weekend walk from Strabane into the Sperrins: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Walls, bridges and hills in Derry City and Strabane.

  • The city wallsbuilt between 1613 and 1619, about a mile round, and accessible on foot for their whole length.
  • Peace Bridgea cycle and footbridge from the Guildhall across the Foyle to Ebrington Square, opened on 25 June 2011.
  • St Columb's Parkon the far side of the Foyle, reached from the city centre over the Peace Bridge.
  • Knockavoe and the Sperrinsthe hill behind Strabane marks the start of the Sperrin Mountains.

Getting around

Bus and rail routes to the district's gyms.

Bus

  • Ulsterbus Foyle network: 13 city routes from Foyle Street Bus Station
  • Goldline Maiden City Flyer to Belfast every half hour
  • Bus Éireann cross-border routes, including the Expressway to Galway via Sligo

Rail

  • Derry~Londonderry station in the Waterside, reopened as the North West Transport Hub on 21 October 2019
  • hourly trains to Belfast Grand Central Monday to Saturday, every two hours on Sundays

Walk and cycle

  • the Peace Bridge links the Cityside and the Waterside on foot or by bike

Who trains here

What the census and the household survey say about the people you'll meet in the pool and on the mats.

  • 38%Adults who played sport in the past yearThe lowest of Northern Ireland's 11 council areas (51% overall), so a training partner can make a real difference here.Continuous Household Survey 2024/25
  • 19.9%Aged 0 to 14Above the Northern Ireland share of 19.2%: plenty of families fitting training round school runs.NISRA Census 2021
  • 16.0%Aged 65 or overBelow the Northern Ireland share of 17.2%; only Belfast and Mid Ulster have a smaller share of over-65s.NISRA Census 2021

Derry City and Strabane gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Derry City and Strabane?

Gymist lists 170 gyms, leisure centres, studios and sports venues across Derry City and Strabane, from council leisure centres and PureGym to CrossFit, strength gyms, jiu-jitsu academies, boxing clubs and GAA grounds.

Which leisure centres are in Derry City and Strabane?

Derry City and Strabane District Council runs Foyle Arena on the Limavady Road, Templemore Sports Complex on the Buncrana Road, the City Baths on William Street, Brooke Park Leisure Centre on Rosemount Avenue and Bishop's Field in Creggan in Derry; Riversdale Leisure Centre and Melvin Sports Complex in Strabane; and Derg Valley Leisure Centre in Castlederg.

Where can I swim in Derry City and Strabane?

Foyle Arena, Templemore Sports Complex and the City Baths in Derry, and Riversdale Leisure Centre in Strabane, all run public swimming timetables. The council has proposals for a new Templemore centre with a 50 m competition pool and a new Strabane Leisure Centre with an eight-lane 25 m pool.

Where can I train outdoors in Derry City and Strabane?

Derry's 17th-century walls are about a mile round and you can walk the whole circuit. The Peace Bridge, a cycle and footbridge opened in 2011, crosses the Foyle from the Guildhall to Ebrington Square and St Columb's Park, and at Strabane the hill of Knockavoe marks the start of the Sperrins.

How do I get to gyms in Derry City and Strabane without a car?

Ulsterbus runs 13 city routes from Foyle Street Bus Station, and the Goldline Maiden City Flyer runs to Belfast every half hour. Derry~Londonderry station in the Waterside has an hourly train to Belfast Grand Central from Monday to Saturday. Strabane has no railway; its lines closed in 1954 and 1965.

How do I find a gym buddy in Derry City and Strabane?

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

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