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Gyms in Epping Forest

Four public leisure centres, eight Central line stations and an ancient forest to run and ride in. Here's where to train in Epping Forest district, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
43
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Showing 1–24 of 43 gyms

Towns in Epping Forest

From Buckhurst Hill on the London edge to Nazeing in the Lee Valley.

Training in Epping Forest

Commuter towns on the Central line, with woodland on the doorstep.

Epping Forest district had around 135,000 people at the 2021 Census, up 8.3% since 2011, with a median age of 42. Loughton is its largest town, Epping its administrative centre, and Waltham Abbey, Chigwell, Buckhurst Hill and Chipping Ongar make up the rest. In Sport England's Active Lives survey (Nov 2024–25), 62.2% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 64.6% across England.

Places Leisure runs the district's public centres: Loughton Leisure Centre on Traps Hill, Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre, Epping Sports Centre on Bakers Lane, with its sports hall and squash courts, and Ongar Leisure Centre. Around them are CrossFit boxes in Thornwood and Epping, MMA and jiu-jitsu in Waltham Abbey, Loughton and Nazeing, a boxing academy in Loughton and a hot yoga studio on Loughton High Road.

Then there's the forest itself, about 2,400 hectares of ancient woodland where people have run since the 1870s, and the River Lee Country Park on the district's western edge. Whatever you train for, it's easier with company. Gymist is how you find it.

Where to train in Epping Forest

The Places Leisure centres first, then the CrossFit boxes and health clubs, the fight gyms and a hot yoga studio.

Public leisure centres (Places Leisure)

CrossFit and health clubs

Combat and martial arts

Yoga

Find a training buddy in Epping Forest

A lane partner at Loughton Leisure Centre, someone to share a Hyrox session at CrossFit Raeda, a running partner for the forest trails: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start an Epping Forest training group

A weekend trail run from Theydon Bois, a Sunday mountain bike ride in the forest, an evening walk-and-run in Roding Valley Meadows: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Epping Forest district.

  • Epping Forestabout 2,400 hectares of ancient woodland, 19 km north to south; mountain biking is allowed away from the Iron Age camps, and riders register with the Conservators.
  • Roding Valley Meadowsa 56-hectare local nature reserve designated in 1986, the largest in the district.
  • River Lee Country Park1,000 acres either side of the Lee Navigation between Waltham Abbey and Broxbourne, linked by footpaths and cycle tracks.
  • Lee Valley Regional Park26 miles along the River Lea from Ware to the Thames, with the Lee Valley in the west of the district.
  • National Cycle Network Route 1crosses the district, alongside a shared-use path beside the Lee and Stort.

Getting around

Tube, road and cycle routes to the district's gyms.

Tube

  • eight Central line stations: Epping, Theydon Bois, Debden and Loughton in zone 6, Buckhurst Hill in zone 5, Roding Valley, Chigwell and Grange Hill in zone 4
  • Hot Yoga Essex is about a 10-minute walk from Loughton station

Road

  • the M11 and M25 meet in the district, with junctions 5, 6, 7 and 7A

Cycle

  • National Cycle Network Route 1 crosses the district
  • a shared-use path runs beside the Lee and Stort, and the forest has shared-use trails

Rail

  • Militia Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Nazeing is about five minutes' walk from Broxbourne station

Who trains here

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

  • 42Median ageUnchanged since 2011, with 10.2% of residents aged 65 to 74, up from 9.2%.Census 2021
  • 20.7%Aged 50 to 64Up from 19.7% in 2011. Plenty of people at the age when a regular swim or class partner makes the difference.Census 2021
  • 62.2%Active adultsDo at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 64.6% across England.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Epping Forest gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Epping Forest?

Gymist lists 43 gyms, leisure centres, studios, fight gyms and sports clubs across Epping Forest district, from the Places Leisure centres to CrossFit boxes, boxing and jiu-jitsu gyms and health clubs.

Which leisure centres are in Epping Forest, and who runs them?

Places Leisure runs four: Loughton Leisure Centre on Traps Hill, Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre at Hillhouse, Epping Sports Centre on Bakers Lane and Ongar Leisure Centre on Fyfield Road. All four have a gym and pools; Epping and Ongar also have a sports hall, and Epping has squash courts.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Epping Forest?

Epping Forest covers about 2,400 hectares and runs about 19 km north to south. Running there dates back almost to the start of the sport in the 1870s, mountain biking is allowed except near the Iron Age camps and other sensitive areas, and horse riders must register with the Conservators. Roding Valley Meadows is a 56-hectare local nature reserve, and the River Lee Country Park covers 1,000 acres either side of the Lee Navigation between Waltham Abbey and Broxbourne.

How do I get to gyms in Epping Forest without a car?

The Central line has eight stations in the district: Epping, Theydon Bois, Debden and Loughton in zone 6, Buckhurst Hill in zone 5, and Roding Valley, Chigwell and Grange Hill in zone 4. Loughton Leisure Centre is on Traps Hill and Hot Yoga Essex is about a 10-minute walk from Loughton station. National Cycle Network Route 1 crosses the district, and a shared-use path runs beside the Lee and Stort.

Where can I do martial arts in Epping Forest?

Titan Fighter Gym in Waltham Abbey teaches striking, wrestling, no-gi grappling and MMA fundamentals. Masters Academy in Loughton runs over 30 classes a week, including kickboxing, MMA and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Militia Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Nazeing is about five minutes' walk from Broxbourne station. Dennis & Dyer Boxing Academy in Loughton is an England-affiliated amateur boxing club with ladies-only and morning classes.

How do I find a gym buddy in Epping Forest?

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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