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Gyms in the Forest of Dean

Lydney, Cinderford, Coleford and Newent, with four Freedom Leisure centres, a volunteer-run outdoor pool and more than 110 km² of woodland with mountain bike trails. Here's where to train in the Forest of Dean and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
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Towns and villages in the Forest of Dean

From Newent in the north to Cinderford, Coleford, Lydney and Sedbury by the Severn.

Training in the Forest of Dean

Forest towns, the Wye Valley and the Severn shore.

The Forest of Dean is home to around 87,000 people (Census 2021), up 6.2% since 2011, with a median age of 48. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for November 2024 to 2025, 62.9% of adults here did 150 minutes or more of activity a week, against 67.0% across Gloucestershire, and 23.2% did less than 30 minutes.

Freedom Leisure runs four centres in the district: Freedom Leisure Lydney on Church Road, Freedom Leisure Cinderford on Causeway Road and Freedom Leisure Newent on Watery Lane, each with a pool and a gym, and Freedom Leisure Sedbury, a gym and racket sports venue open on weekday evenings. In summer, volunteers open Bathurst Pool in Lydney, a 38 m outdoor pool. Around them are a strength gym in Cinderford, coached small-group strength training in Lydney and MMA and jiu-jitsu at Mindset MMA.

Then there's the forest itself, with the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre in the Cannop Valley, Symonds Yat Rock above the Wye and the start of Offa's Dyke Path at Sedbury. It all goes further with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in the Forest of Dean

The Freedom Leisure centres first, then the outdoor pool, strength gyms and fight gyms.

Leisure centres (Freedom Leisure)

Outdoor pool

Strength and small-group training

Combat sports

Find a training buddy in the Forest of Dean

A lane partner at Freedom Leisure Cinderford, a riding partner for the Verderers Trail, a lifting partner at Ironmasters: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Forest of Dean training group

A Saturday ride from the Cycle Centre, a run round Mallards Pike, a summer swim group at Bathurst Pool: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Woods, trails and riverside paths across the district.

  • Forest of Dean Cycle Centrein the Cannop Valley, with the blue-graded Verderers Trail, 14 downhill trails, bike hire and the Family Cycle Trail to Beechenhurst.
  • Mallards Pikea lake in the forest with a gentle lakeside loop and running trails.
  • Symonds Yat Rocka viewpoint high above the River Wye, where peregrine falcons nest in the cliffs.
  • Offa's Dyke Path177 miles from Sedbury, by the Severn Estuary, to Prestatyn on the north Wales coast.
  • Wye Valley Walk136 miles from Chepstow to Plynlimon, passing Symonds Yat on the way.

Getting around

Trains to Lydney and the forest's gyms.

Rail

  • Lydney: 0.194 million passengers in 2024/25, with an hourly Transport for Wales service between Cardiff Central and Cheltenham Spa via Gloucester
  • CrossCountry trains from Lydney to Birmingham New Street and Nottingham, six a day each way, Monday to Saturday

Who trains here

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

  • 23.2%Adults doing under 30 min a weekNearly one adult in four. A lot of people here would train more with someone to go with.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 48Median ageUp from 45 in 2011, so you'll find people starting out at every age.Census 2021
  • 26.0%Growth in people aged 65 to 74Around 2,400 more since 2011, with the pools and forest trails open to all of them.Census 2021

Forest of Dean gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in the Forest of Dean?

Gymist lists 95 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across the Forest of Dean, from the Freedom Leisure centres and Bathurst Pool to strength gyms, martial arts clubs and village sports clubs.

Which leisure centres are in the Forest of Dean, and who runs them?

Freedom Leisure runs Freedom Leisure Lydney on Church Road, Freedom Leisure Cinderford on Causeway Road, Freedom Leisure Newent on Watery Lane and Freedom Leisure Sedbury on Beachley Road. Lydney, Cinderford and Newent each have a pool, a gym and classes, and Newent also has a sports hall and a virtual cycle studio. Sedbury has a gym and badminton, and opens on weekday evenings.

Where can I swim in the Forest of Dean?

Freedom Leisure has pools at Lydney, Cinderford and Newent. Bathurst Pool in Lydney is a 38 m outdoor pool run by volunteers through the Friends of Bathurst Pool charity, open for at least 14 weeks each summer.

Where can I train outdoors for free in the Forest of Dean?

The forest has more than 110 km² of mixed woodland and hundreds of miles of trails. The Family Cycle Trail links the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre in the Cannop Valley with Beechenhurst, and Mallards Pike has lakeside running trails. Offa's Dyke Path starts at Sedbury and runs 177 miles to Prestatyn, and the Wye Valley Walk passes Symonds Yat.

How do I get to gyms in the Forest of Dean without a car?

Lydney station had 0.194 million passengers in 2024/25. Transport for Wales runs an hourly service between Cardiff Central and Cheltenham Spa via Gloucester, and CrossCountry runs six trains a day each way, Monday to Saturday, between Cardiff and Nottingham. Freedom Leisure Lydney is on Church Road in the town.

How do I find a gym buddy in the Forest of Dean?

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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