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Gyms in the Scottish Borders

A new six-lane pool in Galashiels, Live Borders gyms from Peebles to Eyemouth, and Glentress and Newcastleton for mountain biking. Here's where to train in the Scottish Borders and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
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Towns in the Scottish Borders

From Peebles on the upper Tweed to Eyemouth on the North Sea coast.

Training in the Scottish Borders

Town pools, forest trails and long-distance paths.

The Scottish Borders is home to 116,900 people (Scotland's Census 2022), across 4,732 km² between Edinburgh and the English border. That's 24.7 people per square kilometre, against 69.8 across Scotland, and the biggest five-year age group is 55 to 59, with 10,000 people.

Live Borders, a charity, runs most of the public pools and gyms. Galashiels Academy has a 25 m six-lane pool, a hydrotherapy pool, a gym and two games halls, and there are pools at Teviotdale Leisure Centre in Hawick, Peebles, Kelso, Selkirk and Eyemouth. Duns has its own community pool, Kelso's Border Ice Rink has run curling and skating since 1964, and the towns add 24-hour gyms, CrossFit in Tweedbank and strength gyms in Hawick and Kelso.

Outside them, Glentress and Newcastleton are two of the 7stanes mountain bike centres, St Cuthbert's Way starts at Melrose Abbey and the Southern Upland Way crosses the region to Cockburnspath. Whether you swim in Hawick or ride at Glentress, it's easier to keep going with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in the Scottish Borders

The pools first, then the Live Borders gyms and sports centres, the independent gyms, combat and mountain biking.

Pools

Live Borders gyms and sports centres

Independent gyms and CrossFit

Ice, judo and the outdoors

Find a training buddy in the Scottish Borders

A lane partner at Galashiels Academy, someone to share a CrossFit class in Tweedbank, a riding partner for Glentress: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Scottish Borders training group

A Saturday ride at Glentress, a walking group for St Cuthbert's Way from Melrose, a curling four at the Border Ice Rink: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in the Scottish Borders.

  • Glentress Foresteast of Peebles in the Tweed Valley Forest Park, with five waymarked mountain bike routes and a freeride park.
  • Newcastletonone of the 7stanes, where the Border Stane stands parallel to the Scotland–England border.
  • St Cuthbert's Way100 km from Melrose Abbey through St Boswells, Morebattle and Kirk Yetholm to Lindisfarne.
  • Southern Upland Waythe 344 km coast-to-coast path, through St Mary's Loch, Traquair, Galashiels, Lauder and Longformacus to Cockburnspath.

Getting around

Rail and bus routes to the Borders' gyms.

Rail

  • Borders Railway: Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank to Edinburgh, reopened on 6 September 2015
  • half-hourly on weekdays until 20:00, then hourly; hourly on Sundays
  • Reston on the East Coast Main Line, reopened in 2022, serves Eyemouth

Bus

  • free bus travel for everyone in Scotland aged 5 to 21 with a National Entitlement Card

Who trains here

What Scotland's Census 2022 says about the people you'll meet in the pool and on the trails.

  • 24.7People per km²Against 69.8 across Scotland. Training partners can be a town apart, so it helps to know who's near you.Scotland's Census 2022 (NRS)
  • 10,000Aged 55 to 59The largest five-year age group in the Borders, with 9,400 more aged 60 to 64.Scotland's Census 2022 (NRS)
  • 8,500Aged 65 to 69And 8,000 aged 70 to 74: plenty of people with time for a regular swim or class partner.Scotland's Census 2022 (NRS)

Scottish Borders gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in the Scottish Borders?

Gymist lists 234 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across the Scottish Borders, from the Live Borders pools and gyms to 24-hour gyms, CrossFit, judo and rugby, golf and curling clubs.

Which leisure centres are in the Scottish Borders, and who runs them?

Live Borders, a registered charity, runs sport and leisure across the region. Its pools are at Galashiels Academy, Teviotdale Leisure Centre in Hawick, Peebles, Kelso, Selkirk Leisure Centre and Eyemouth Leisure Centre, and its gyms include TriFitness in Galashiels, run with Heriot-Watt University and Borders College, and Jedburgh Grammar Campus. Queens Leisure Centre in Galashiels has closed.

Where can I swim in the Scottish Borders?

Galashiels Academy has a 25 m six-lane pool with shallow and deep ends, plus a hydrotherapy pool. Teviotdale Leisure Centre in Hawick has weekend flume sessions, and there are Live Borders pools in Peebles, Kelso, Selkirk and Eyemouth. Duns Swimming Pool on Langtongate runs lessons, aquarobics and an adults-only sauna.

Where can I train outdoors for free in the Scottish Borders?

Glentress Forest, east of Peebles, has five waymarked mountain bike routes and a freeride park, and Newcastleton is another of the 7stanes. St Cuthbert's Way runs 100 km from Melrose Abbey to Lindisfarne, and the Southern Upland Way crosses the region through Traquair, Galashiels and Lauder on its way to Cockburnspath.

How do I get to gyms in the Scottish Borders without a car?

The Borders Railway, reopened on 6 September 2015, runs from Edinburgh to Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank, half-hourly on weekdays until 20:00. Reston station on the East Coast Main Line reopened in 2022 and serves Eyemouth. Bus travel is free for everyone in Scotland aged 5 to 21 with a National Entitlement Card.

How do I find a gym buddy in the Scottish Borders?

Join Gymist free, add your gym and when you train, and browse members in your town. If there isn't a group for your kind of training yet, start one.

Train in the Scottish Borders? Join Gymist

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