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Gyms in North Devon

Barnstaple's Tarka Leisure Centre, Ilfracombe's pool and the surf beaches at Woolacombe and Saunton, with the Tarka Trail between them. Here's where to train in North Devon and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
114
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Towns in North Devon

From Barnstaple and Braunton to the coast at Ilfracombe and the edge of Exmoor.

Training in North Devon

Surf beaches, dunes and a car-free trail, with Barnstaple's leisure centre at the middle.

North Devon is home to around 98,600 people (Census 2021), up 5.3% since 2011, with a median age of 48 against 44 for the South West. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 64.5% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, level with England's 64.6% and below the South West's 68.8%.

The biggest public centre is Tarka Leisure Centre in Barnstaple, with a 25 m pool, a 20 m learner pool, a 110-station gym, six indoor tennis courts and an indoor ski slope. Ilfracombe Pool & Fitness Centre has a 25 m pool and a 30-station gym, and South Molton has the SMART Swim Centre. Barnstaple also has PureGym, Anytime Fitness, CrossFit North Devon and a cluster of boxing, jiu-jitsu and aikido clubs.

Then there's the coast: the two-mile surf beach at Woolacombe, the dunes of Braunton Burrows and a car-free stretch of the Tarka Trail. Towns here are spread out, so finding someone who trains when you do can take some looking. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in North Devon

The public centres first, then the strength gyms, fight gyms and studios.

Public pools and leisure centres

Gyms, strength and CrossFit

Combat and martial arts

Yoga and Pilates

Find a training buddy in North Devon

A lane partner at Tarka Leisure Centre, someone to surf Woolacombe or Saunton with, a sparring partner at a Barnstaple boxing gym: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a North Devon training group

A Sunday ride on the Tarka Trail from Braunton, a run on the coast path out of Ilfracombe, a beach workout at Woolacombe: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in North Devon.

  • Tarka TrailA 180-mile figure of eight centred on Barnstaple; from Braunton south through Barnstaple and Bideford to Meeth it's 31 car-free, level, mostly tarmac miles on old railway lines.
  • Braunton Burrows1,356.7 hectares of sand dunes behind Saunton Sands, the core of North Devon's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
  • Woolacombe beachTwo miles of sand facing the Atlantic, backed by dunes, and popular for surfing.
  • South West Coast PathRuns through Ilfracombe from Hele Bay to Lee Bay, past the harbour.
  • Exmoor National ParkThe east of the district, around Lynton and Lynmouth, is part of the national park.

Getting around

The rail line, buses and trail between North Devon's towns and gyms.

Rail

  • the Tarka Line runs about 39 miles from Exeter to Barnstaple, roughly hourly, operated by Great Western Railway
  • the journey from Exeter Central takes around 75 minutes

Bus

  • Stagecoach South West and Filers run most local services from Barnstaple
  • Stagecoach 21B links Ilfracombe and Braunton with Barnstaple bus and rail stations
  • Stagecoach 301 runs between Barnstaple and Combe Martin via Ilfracombe

Cycle

  • the Tarka Trail follows the old railway line between Braunton and Barnstaple and on towards Bideford

Road

  • the A361 North Devon Link Road, opened in 1989, links Barnstaple with the M5

Who trains here

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

  • 48Median ageUp from 45 in 2011, and above 44 for the South West and 40 for England.Census 2021
  • 13.4%Aged 65 to 74Up from 11.7% in 2011, while the share aged 35 to 49 fell from 19.7% to 16.5%.Census 2021
  • 64.5%Adults active 150+ min a weekLevel with England's 64.6% and below the South West's 68.8%. 23.3% of adults did less than 30 minutes a week.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

North Devon gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in North Devon?

Gymist lists 114 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across North Devon, from Tarka Leisure Centre and the pools in Ilfracombe and South Molton to strength gyms, fight gyms, yoga studios and village sports clubs.

Which leisure centres are in North Devon?

Tarka Leisure Centre at Seven Brethren Bank in Barnstaple has a 25 m pool, a 20 m learner pool, a 110-station gym, two studios with over 50 classes a week, six indoor tennis courts, a full-size astroturf pitch and an indoor ski slope. Ilfracombe Pool & Fitness Centre on Hillsborough Road has a 25 m pool, a 10 m by 8 m learner pool and a 30-station gym. Both are booked through leisurecentre.com. The SMART Swim Centre on Mill Street in South Molton runs swimming and fitness sessions.

Where can I train outdoors for free in North Devon?

The Tarka Trail is a 180-mile figure of eight centred on Barnstaple, and its section from Braunton to Meeth is 31 miles, car-free and level. Braunton Burrows is a 1,356.7-hectare dune system at the core of North Devon's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Woolacombe has a two-mile sandy beach known for surfing, and the South West Coast Path runs through Ilfracombe from Hele Bay to Lee Bay. The east of the district is part of Exmoor National Park.

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

Barnstaple is the end of the Tarka Line from Exeter, about 39 miles, with Great Western Railway trains roughly hourly and a journey of around 75 minutes from Exeter Central. Stagecoach South West and Filers run most local buses from Barnstaple: Stagecoach's 21B links Ilfracombe and Braunton with Barnstaple, and the 301 runs between Barnstaple and Combe Martin via Ilfracombe. Between Braunton and Barnstaple, the Tarka Trail follows the old railway line.

How active are people in North Devon?

In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 64.5% of adults in North Devon did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 64.6% for England and 68.8% for the South West. 23.3% did less than 30 minutes a week.

How do I find a gym buddy in North Devon?

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

Train in North Devon? Join Gymist

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