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Gyms in Norwich

A young university city with a 50 m pool at UEA, Mousehold Heath on the doorstep and a rail trail running out to Aylsham. Here's where to train in Norwich and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
98
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Showing 1–24 of 98 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Norwich

From the strength gyms of Mile Cross to the riverside at Carrow Road.

Training in Norwich

A young, active city with an Olympic-length pool at its university.

Norwich is home to around 143,900 people (Census 2021), up 8.6% since 2011, with a median age of 34, joint second-lowest in the East of England. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 70.7% of adults in the city did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, well above England's 64.6%.

The city's public pools are at Riverside Leisure Centre on Wherry Road, run by Places Leisure with Norwich City Council, and at the University of East Anglia's Sportspark, which has a 50 m pool, a 400 m track and a gym of more than 130 stations, open to the community every day. The council's Norman Centre in Mile Cross and the charity-run Wensum Sports Centre on King Street add halls, courts and low-cost gyms. Around them sit independent strength gyms, the Highball bouldering centre and Norwich Lads, the city's longest-running boxing club.

Whether you've come for university or have trained here for years, it's easier to keep going with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Norwich

Public and community sports centres first, then the independent gyms, bouldering, boxing and pools.

Public and community sports centres

Independent and chain gyms

Bouldering, boxing and pools

Find a training buddy in Norwich

A lane partner for the 50 m pool at Sportspark, someone to project problems with at Highball, a running partner for Mousehold Heath: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Norwich training group

A weekend ride out along Marriott's Way, an evening run round Eaton Park, a Sunday loop of Whitlingham Broad: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

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Train outdoors

Free places to train in and around Norwich.

  • Mousehold Heath184 acres of heath and woodland north-east of the centre, a local nature reserve with two football pitches and pitch and putt.
  • Eaton Park80 acres, opened in 1928, with tennis and padel courts, bowls and a boat pond.
  • Marriott's Waya 39.5 km rail trail from the ring road through Hellesdon and Costessey to Aylsham, open all year for walking, running, cycling and horse riding.
  • Waterloo Parkone of six parks built in the 1930s to ease unemployment in the city, opened in 1933.
  • Whitlingham Country Park3 miles east on the south bank of the Yare, with the Great Broad, the Wherryman's Way and National Cycle Route 1.

Getting around

Rail, bus and bike routes to Norwich's gyms.

Rail

  • Norwich station: 4.557 million entries and exits in 2024/25, six platforms, at the end of the Great Eastern Main Line
  • half-hourly trains to London Liverpool Street, hourly to Cambridge, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Sheringham
  • East Midlands Railway runs hourly to Liverpool Lime Street via Peterborough, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester

Bus

  • First Bus, Konectbus and Sanders Coaches run the main local services
  • Konectbus runs six park and ride sites, with almost 5,000 parking spaces

Walk and cycle

  • Marriott's Way leaves the city near the Barn Road roundabout and runs 39.5 km to Aylsham
  • National Cycle Route 1 and the Wherryman's Way pass through Whitlingham Country Park

Who trains here

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

  • 11.4%Aged 20 to 24With another 6.2% aged 16 to 19, a big share of the city is students and young adults building a routine.Census 2021
  • 34Median ageUnchanged since 2011 and joint second-lowest in the East of England, with Luton, behind Cambridge.Census 2021
  • 70.7%Adults active 150+ min a weekAgainst 64.6% across England. Only 17.1% of adults do less than 30 minutes a week.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Norwich gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Norwich?

Gymist lists 98 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues in the City of Norwich, from Riverside Leisure Centre and the Norman Centre to independent strength gyms, martial arts clubs and yoga studios.

Which leisure centres are in Norwich, and who runs them?

Riverside Leisure Centre on Wherry Road is run by Places Leisure working with Norwich City Council, with pools, a gym, an indoor cycling studio and a health suite. The council's Norman Centre on Bignold Road in Mile Cross has the Xtra Mile community gym, indoor bowls, badminton and pickleball. Wensum Sports Centre on King Street is a charity with a five-court sports hall, two squash courts and a gym; non-members pay £1 entry per visit. UEA Sportspark, on the university campus, is open to the community every day.

Where can I swim in Norwich?

UEA Sportspark has a 50 m pool with public swimming sessions, lessons and Aquafit. Riverside Leisure Centre has the city-centre public pools. Wentworth Pool on Newmarket Road is a 16.5 m by 8 m pool you hire privately by the hour.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Norwich?

Mousehold Heath is 184 acres of heath and woodland north-east of the centre, with two football pitches and pitch and putt. Eaton Park, opened in 1928, covers 80 acres with tennis and padel courts and bowls. Marriott's Way, a former railway, runs 39.5 km from the ring road to Aylsham for walking, running, cycling and horse riding, and Whitlingham Country Park, 3 miles east, has National Cycle Route 1 and the Wherryman's Way running through it.

How do I get to gyms in Norwich without a car?

Norwich station recorded 4.557 million entries and exits in 2024/25, with half-hourly trains to London Liverpool Street and hourly trains to Cambridge, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Sheringham. First Bus, Konectbus and Sanders run the local buses, and Konectbus runs six park and ride sites with almost 5,000 parking spaces between them.

How do I find a gym buddy in Norwich?

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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