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Gyms in Sefton

A borough of coast, from the iron men on Crosby Beach to the pinewoods at Formby and the Southport seafront. Here's where to train in Sefton and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
78
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Showing 1–24 of 78 gyms

Places in Sefton

From Southport's seafront to the docks at Bootle, with Maghull inland.

Training in Sefton

An older, coastal borough with pools in four towns and a lot of sand to run on.

About 279,200 people live in Sefton (Census 2021), up 2.0% since 2011, and it is an older borough than most: the median age is 46, and 22.1% of residents are aged 50 to 64. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 62.4% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, close to the North West's 62.9%.

Sefton Council runs six centres as Active Sefton: Dunes Splash World on Southport's Esplanade, Bootle Leisure Centre in North Park, Meadows Leisure Centre in Maghull, Litherland Sports Park with its 400 m floodlit track, Crosby Lakeside and Netherton Activity Centre. Formby Pool is run by its own trust. Around them sit health clubs with pools, JD Gyms at Switch Island, a CrossFit box and a 24-hour gym in Southport, and boxing, judo and MMA clubs from Bootle to Formby.

The coast is the big free gym: Antony Gormley's Another Place on Crosby Beach, the National Trust pinewoods at Formby, the Ainsdale dunes and the start of the Trans Pennine Trail in Southport. It's all easier with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Sefton

Active Sefton's council centres first, then pools and health clubs, strength gyms and combat clubs.

Public leisure centres (Active Sefton)

Pools and health clubs

Strength gyms, CrossFit and chains

Boxing, MMA and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Sefton

A lane partner at Meadows, someone to lift with at Switch Island, a running partner for the sands at Crosby: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Sefton training group

A Saturday run past the iron men on Crosby Beach, a ride from the start of the Trans Pennine Trail in Southport, a walking group through the Formby pinewoods: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Sefton.

  • Crosby BeachAntony Gormley's Another Place: 100 cast iron figures along about 3.2 km of sand from Waterloo to Blundellsands, there to stay since 2007.
  • Formby pinewoodsNational Trust pine forest and dunes west of the town, one of the few places in Britain where red squirrels still live.
  • Ainsdale dunesa National Nature Reserve and Ramsar site, part of the dunes that run for several miles from Woodvale to Birkdale.
  • Trans Pennine Trailstarts in Southport and heads south through the edge of Liverpool, with gentle gradients for walking and cycling.
  • Sefton Coasta Site of Special Scientific Interest covering much of the borough's coastline, from Bootle north to Southport.

Getting around

Merseyrail and cycle routes to Sefton's gyms.

Merseyrail Northern line to Southport

  • Bootle New Strand, Seaforth & Litherland, Waterloo, Blundellsands & Crosby and Hall Road
  • Hightown, Formby, Freshfield, Ainsdale, Hillside, Birkdale and Southport
  • about every 15 minutes in the day from Monday to Saturday

Merseyrail Northern line to Ormskirk

  • Aintree, Old Roan, Maghull and Maghull North

Cycle

  • the Trans Pennine Trail starts in Southport
  • Merseytravel publishes a cycle map for Sefton

Who trains here

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

  • 46Median ageUp from 44 in 2011, and six years above the North West's 40.Census 2021
  • 22.1%Aged 50 to 64Up from 20.6% in 2011. A swim or class partner makes it easier to keep going.Census 2021
  • 62.4%Adults active 150+ min a weekClose to the North West's 62.9%, so plenty of people here are already in the habit.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Sefton gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Sefton?

Gymist lists 78 gyms, leisure centres, studios, combat clubs and sports venues across Sefton, from Southport and Formby to Crosby, Bootle and Maghull. Our list is still growing, so some local gyms are not on it yet.

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

Sefton Council runs six centres under the Active Sefton name: Dunes Splash World in Southport, Bootle Leisure Centre, Meadows Leisure Centre in Maghull, Litherland Sports Park, Crosby Lakeside in Waterloo and Netherton Activity Centre. Formby Pool on Elbow Lane is run by the Formby Pool Trust.

Where can I swim in Sefton?

Dunes Splash World has a 25 m main pool and a 12 m learner pool beside its Splash World water park. Meadows Leisure Centre in Maghull has a 25 m five-lane pool and a 12.5 m learner pool, Bootle Leisure Centre has a 25 m pool with a moveable floor and a leisure pool with a flume, and Formby Pool has 25 m and 12 m pools.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Sefton?

Crosby Beach, with Antony Gormley's 100 iron figures along about 3.2 km of sand from Waterloo to Blundellsands. The National Trust looks after the pinewoods and dunes west of Formby, the Ainsdale dunes are a National Nature Reserve, and the Trans Pennine Trail starts in Southport.

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

Merseyrail's Northern line runs up the coast from Bootle through Waterloo, Crosby, Formby and Ainsdale to Southport, and a second branch serves Aintree, Old Roan, Maghull and Maghull North. Both run about every 15 minutes in the day from Monday to Saturday.

How do I find a gym buddy in Sefton?

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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