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Gyms in Portsmouth

An island city with a 50 m pool at Hilsea, a 67 m lido next door and a seafront parkrun at Southsea. Here's where to train in Portsmouth, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
102
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Showing 1–24 of 102 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Portsmouth

From the Southsea seafront to Cosham and Paulsgrove under Portsdown Hill.

Training in Portsmouth

A young, crowded island city with a 50 m pool and a sea to run beside.

Portsmouth had around 208,000 people at the 2021 Census, up 1.4% since 2011, with a median age of 35. Most of the city sits on Portsea Island, and it's the most densely populated city in the UK. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 66.2% of adults did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, a little above England's 64.6%.

BH Live runs the city's public centres with Portsmouth City Council. The Mountbatten Centre in Hilsea has an eight-lane 50 m pool, an athletics track, an outdoor velodrome and a new gym, and Hilsea Lido's 67 m outdoor pool reopened beside it in May 2026. Pyramids on Southsea seafront is now a gym and studio site, and the University of Portsmouth's Ravelin Sports Centre, with a 25 m pool and a 10 m climbing wall, is open to the public. Around them are 24-hour gyms, CrossFit boxes, boxing clubs and martial arts schools from Southsea to Paulsgrove.

Whether you're new to the city 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 Portsmouth

BH Live's public centres and the lido first, then the university's sports centre, the strength gyms and the fight gyms.

Public leisure centres and the lido

University sports centre

Strength gyms, CrossFit and chains

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Portsmouth

A lane partner for the 50 m pool at the Mountbatten Centre, someone to share a session at the Box, a running partner for Southsea parkrun: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Portsmouth training group

A Saturday crew for Southsea parkrun, a summer swim group at Hilsea Lido, a hill-reps run on Portsdown Hill: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Portsmouth.

  • Southsea seafronthome of Southsea parkrun since October 2013, a free 5k every Saturday morning, with Southsea Common's open grass running from Clarence Pier to Southsea Castle.
  • Canoe Lakea seafront lake in Southsea, the last of the old Great Morass, topped up from the sea at high tide.
  • Farlington Marshes125 hectares of grazing marsh and saline lagoon on the north-east edge of the city.
  • Portsdown Hillthe chalk ridge above the city, rising to 131 m, with open access land along most of its southern slope and views to the Isle of Wight.
  • Victoria Parka 15-acre city park, opened in 1878.

Getting around

Rail, bus and ferry routes to Portsmouth's gyms.

Rail

  • four stations on Portsea Island, Portsmouth Harbour, Portsmouth & Southsea, Fratton and Hilsea, plus Cosham on the mainland
  • South Western Railway runs three trains an hour off-peak from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo, two via Guildford and one via Basingstoke
  • Portsmouth Harbour recorded 2.091 million passengers in 2024/25

Bus

  • Stagecoach South and First Hampshire & Dorset run the local buses

Ferry

  • the Gosport Ferry crosses the harbour every 15 minutes and carries bikes
  • Hovertravel runs hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde, and Wightlink sails from Portsmouth Harbour
  • the Hayling Ferry links Eastney with Hayling Island

Who trains here

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

  • 35Median ageUp from 34 in 2011, and younger than the South East's 41.Census 2021
  • 9.6%Aged 20 to 24A big student and young-adult population, the age when a regular training partner helps a routine stick.Census 2021
  • 66.2%Adults active 150+ min a weekA little above England's 64.6%, with 23.5% of adults doing less than 30 minutes.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Portsmouth gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Portsmouth?

Gymist lists 102 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Portsmouth, from the Mountbatten Centre and the university's Ravelin Sports Centre to 24-hour gyms, CrossFit, boxing and martial arts.

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

BH Live runs the public sites in partnership with Portsmouth City Council: the Mountbatten Centre and Portsmouth Gymnastics Centre in Hilsea, Pyramids in Southsea, Portsmouth Tennis Centre, Wimbledon Park Sports Centre in Southsea and Charter Community Sports Centre. The University of Portsmouth's Ravelin Sports Centre is open to the public as well as students and staff.

Where can I swim in Portsmouth?

The Mountbatten Centre has an eight-lane 50 m pool and a learner pool. Ravelin Sports Centre has an eight-lane 25 m pool. Hilsea Lido, a 67 m outdoor pool opened in 1935, reopened on 2 May 2026 after a £7.6m refurbishment and is run by Sea Lanes. Charter Community Sports Centre also has swimming.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Portsmouth?

Southsea parkrun has run along the seafront since October 2013, a free 5k every Saturday morning, beside the open grass of Southsea Common. Farlington Marshes is a 125-hectare grazing marsh and lagoon on the city's north-east edge, and Portsdown Hill rises to 131 m above the city, with open access land along most of its southern slope.

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

There are four stations on Portsea Island, Portsmouth Harbour, Portsmouth & Southsea, Fratton and Hilsea, plus Cosham on the mainland. Stagecoach South and First Hampshire & Dorset run the local buses, and the Gosport Ferry crosses the harbour every 15 minutes.

How do I find a gym buddy in Portsmouth?

Join Gymist free, add the gyms you use 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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