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Gyms in Newry, Mourne and Down

An eight-lane pool in Newry, a seafront fitness suite in Newcastle and forest trails at the foot of the Mournes. Here's where to train in Newry, Mourne and Down and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
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Showing 1–24 of 260 gyms

Towns in Newry, Mourne and Down

From Newry and Warrenpoint at the head of Carlingford Lough to Downpatrick and Killyleagh.

Training in Newry, Mourne and Down

Young families, big households and mountains on the doorstep.

Newry, Mourne and Down had 182,100 residents at Census 2021, up 6.1% since 2011. It's a young district by Northern Ireland standards: 20.8% of residents are children aged 0 to 14, against 19.2% across Northern Ireland, and only 16.7% are 65 or over. Households average 2.64 people, among the largest in the country. 48% of adults took part in sport in the past year (Continuous Household Survey 2024/25).

The council runs the main public sites. Newry Leisure Centre on Cecil Street has an eight-lane 25 m pool, an 80+ station gym and a 47-bike spin studio, and Down Leisure Centre in Downpatrick has a six-lane 25 m pool and a 75+ station gym. The Newcastle Centre sits on the promenade with a fitness suite and the Tropicana outdoor heated pools, open in July and August. Around them are HYROX and functional fitness gyms in Newry, Bessbrook and Warrenpoint, Team Torres for jiu-jitsu and MMA, and an archery centre outside Castlewellan.

Then there are the hills: Tollymore and Castlewellan forest parks, Slieve Gullion and the Mournes themselves. Training here is easier with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Newry, Mourne and Down

The council's leisure centres first, then the strength and functional fitness gyms, and the martial arts and archery clubs.

Council leisure centres

Strength, HYROX and independent gyms

Martial arts and archery

Find a training buddy in Newry, Mourne and Down

A lane partner in Newry's eight-lane pool, someone to share a HYROX session at No Bull Gym, a rolling partner at Team Torres: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Newry, Mourne and Down training group

A Saturday walk on Tollymore's River Trail, a summer swim at the Tropicana, a weekend climb up Slieve Gullion: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Newry, Mourne and Down.

  • Tollymore Forest Park630 hectares at the foot of the Mournes, where the Shimna River is crossed by 16 bridges. The River Trail is three miles and the Mountain Trail five and a half.
  • Castlewellan Forest Parksome 460 hectares of woodland around a 40-hectare lake, with the Peace Maze, planted with 6,000 yew trees.
  • Slieve Gullion573 m, the highest point in County Armagh, at the heart of the Ring of Gullion. About 20,000 people climb it every year.
  • Murlough Nature Reserve697 acres of dune heath near Newcastle, Ireland's first nature reserve, with boardwalks and a four-mile Blue Flag beach.
  • Kilbroney Parkabove Rostrevor, with a mountain bike trail, tennis courts and the climb to the Cloughmore Stone, 300 m above the town.
  • Newry Canal towpathabout 20 miles from Newry to Portadown, part of the National Cycle Network and the Ulster Way.

Getting around

Rail, bus and bike routes to the district's gyms.

Rail

  • Newry station on the Belfast to Dublin line, the most southerly station in Northern Ireland
  • a free Ulsterbus shuttle from Newry station to the city centre for rail ticket holders

Bus

  • Newry's Ulsterbus station on The Mall, with local, regional and cross-border services
  • Downpatrick bus station on the Ballydugan Road, with services to Belfast, Bangor and Newry
  • Ulsterbus from Newcastle to Belfast Grand Central

Cycle

  • National Cycle Network Route 9 links Newry with Portadown, Craigavon and Belfast
  • the Newry Canal towpath, traffic-free north to Portadown

Who trains here

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

  • 20.8%Aged 0 to 14Above the Northern Ireland share of 19.2%. Plenty of parents here fitting training around school runs.NISRA Census 2021
  • 2.64People per householdSecond only to Mid Ulster (2.76), against 2.44 across Northern Ireland.NISRA Census 2021
  • 48%Adults who played sport in the past yearA little below the Northern Ireland figure of 51%, so there's room for more people to get going together.Continuous Household Survey 2024/25

Newry, Mourne and Down gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Newry, Mourne and Down?

Gymist lists 260 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Newry, Mourne and Down, from the council leisure centres in Newry and Downpatrick to HYROX gyms, jiu-jitsu academies, yoga studios and golf and sailing clubs.

Which leisure centres are in Newry, Mourne and Down, and who runs them?

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council runs Newry Leisure Centre on Cecil Street, Down Leisure Centre on Market Street in Downpatrick, the Newcastle Centre on Central Promenade, Ballymote Sports and Wellbeing Centre in Downpatrick, St Colman's Sports Complex at Violet Hill in Newry and Kilkeel Leisure Centre. Kilkeel has been closed for major refurbishment since 8 September 2025, and members can ask to use the other council centres.

Where can I swim in Newry, Mourne and Down?

Newry Leisure Centre has an eight-lane 25 m pool and a learner and leisure pool. Down Leisure Centre in Downpatrick has a six-lane 25 m pool and a learner pool. In Newcastle, the Tropicana outdoor heated pools on the promenade open in July and August only.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Newry, Mourne and Down?

Tollymore Forest Park, at the foot of the Mournes, has four signposted trails, and Castlewellan Forest Park covers some 460 hectares around a 40-hectare lake. Slieve Gullion, the highest point in County Armagh at 573 m, has trails to the summit from its western car park and from the north. Murlough, near Newcastle, has paths and boardwalks through the dunes behind a four-mile beach.

How do I get to gyms in Newry, Mourne and Down without a car?

Newry station is on the Belfast to Dublin line, and Ulsterbus runs a free bus from the station to the city centre for rail ticket holders. Downpatrick has no railway, but Translink's bus station on the Ballydugan Road has services to Belfast, Bangor and Newry. National Cycle Network Route 9 links Newry with Portadown and Belfast.

How do I find a gym buddy in Newry, Mourne and Down?

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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