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Gyms in East Devon

Three 25 m pools, a climbing wall in Exmouth and the start of the Jurassic Coast. Here's where to train in East Devon, from Exmouth to Axminster, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
95
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Showing 1–24 of 95 gyms

Towns in East Devon

From Exmouth on the estuary to Axminster on the Dorset side.

Training in East Devon

A fast-growing, older district with a coast to train on.

East Devon had around 150,800 people at the 2021 Census, up 13.9% since 2011, the second-fastest growth in the South West after Tewkesbury. Its median age is 50, against 44 for the region and 40 for England. People here keep moving: in Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 70.3% of adults did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 64.6% for England.

Most public sport is run by LED Community Leisure, a charity working in partnership with East Devon District Council. It has 25 m pools at Exmouth, Honiton and Sidmouth, the VertEXE climbing wall in Exmouth, six indoor tennis courts at the Exmouth Tennis & Fitness Centre, and sports halls and pitches in Axminster, Colyton and Ottery St Mary. Alongside them are David Lloyd and PureGym on the Exeter edge, OJ Gyms in four towns and jiu-jitsu, boxing and karate classes.

Then there's the coast: the Jurassic Coast starts at Exmouth, and most of the district is protected landscape. It's all easier with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in East Devon

LED's pools and leisure centres first, then its gyms and courts, the chains and independents, and the fight gyms.

LED pools and leisure centres

LED gyms and courts

Chains and independent gyms

Martial arts and combat

Find a training buddy in East Devon

A lane partner at Exmouth or Sidmouth pool, a doubles partner for the indoor courts at Withycombe, someone to run the coast path out of Budleigh Salterton: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start an East Devon training group

A Sunday run on Woodbury Common, a ride along the Exe Estuary Trail from Exmouth, a sea swim group off Exmouth beach: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in East Devon.

  • Jurassic CoastA World Heritage Site since 2001, running about 96 miles from Orcombe Point near Exmouth to Old Harry Rocks in Dorset, past Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth and Seaton.
  • East Devon Pebblebed Heaths1,124.4 hectares of lowland heath inland of Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton, including Woodbury Common, open to the public 'for air and exercise' under a deed signed in 1930.
  • Exe Estuary Trail22.5 miles (36.1 km) on National Cycle Network route 2, from Exmouth round the estuary via Topsham to Dawlish Warren. 71.9% of it is traffic-free.
  • Exmouth beachA two-mile sandy beach, used for sailing, kite sailing, windsurfing and paddleboarding.
  • East Devon and the Blackdown HillsTwo protected landscapes, East Devon (designated 1963) and the Blackdown Hills (1991), cover around 70% of the district.

Getting around

Rail and cycle routes to East Devon's towns and gyms.

Avocet Line

  • 11¼ miles (18 km) from Exeter St Davids to Exmouth, the last 4 miles along the estuary from Topsham
  • trains about every 30 minutes in the daytime, most running through to Paignton

West of England line

  • London Waterloo to Exeter via Axminster and Honiton, hourly since a passing loop opened at Axminster in 2009

Cycle

  • the Exe Estuary Trail links Exmouth with Topsham and Dawlish Warren, 71.9% traffic-free

Who trains here

What the census and Sport England say about the people you'll train alongside.

  • 50Median ageUp from 49 in 2011, against 44 for the South West and 40 for England. 14.8% of residents are aged 65 to 74.Census 2021
  • 13.9%Population growth since 2011To around 150,800, the second-fastest rise in the South West after Tewkesbury (15.8%).Census 2021
  • 70.3%Adults active 150+ min a weekAbove England's 64.6%. 18.9% are inactive, doing under 30 minutes a week.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

East Devon gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in East Devon?

Gymist lists 95 gyms, leisure centres, studios and sports venues across East Devon, from the LED centres to David Lloyd, chain and independent gyms, martial arts gyms, yoga and Pilates studios and town sports grounds.

Which leisure centres are in East Devon, and who runs them?

LED Community Leisure, a charity working in partnership with East Devon District Council, runs Exmouth Leisure Centre on the Royal Avenue, Exmouth Tennis & Fitness Centre on Withycombe Village Road, Honiton Leisure Centre on School Lane, Sidmouth Leisure Centre on Primley Road, Sidmouth Swimming Pool on Ham Lane, Ottery St Mary Leisure Centre, Axminster and Colyton leisure centres, Broadclyst Leisure Centre, The Grove Health & Fitness in Seaton and The Engine gym at Exeter Science Park.

Where can I swim in East Devon?

LED has 25 m pools at Exmouth Leisure Centre, Honiton Leisure Centre and Sidmouth Swimming Pool. Exmouth also has a shallower learner pool for babies and young children. For the sea, Exmouth has a two-mile sandy beach.

Where can I train outdoors for free in East Devon?

The Jurassic Coast starts at Orcombe Point near Exmouth and runs about 96 miles east, past Budleigh Salterton, Sidmouth and Seaton. Inland, the East Devon Pebblebed Heaths, including Woodbury Common, have been open to the public for air and exercise since 1930. The Exe Estuary Trail runs 22.5 miles from Exmouth round the estuary, 71.9% of it traffic-free.

How do I get to gyms in East Devon without a car?

The Avocet Line runs 11¼ miles from Exeter to Exmouth, with trains about every 30 minutes in the daytime, the last 4 miles along the estuary from Topsham. The West of England line runs from London Waterloo to Exeter through Axminster and Honiton, with an hourly service since a passing loop opened at Axminster in 2009.

How do I find a gym buddy in East Devon?

Join Gymist free, add the gyms you use and when you train, and browse members in your town. If there isn't a group for your kind of training nearby, you can start one.

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