Skip to content
Sign in

Gyms in South Lanarkshire

From East Kilbride's 50 m pool and ice rink to the Clyde Walkway at New Lanark and Tinto above Biggar. Here's where to train in South Lanarkshire and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
369
Join Gymist freeFind a training buddy

Showing 1–24 of 369 gyms

Towns in South Lanarkshire

From Rutherglen on Glasgow's edge to the market towns of Clydesdale.

Training in South Lanarkshire

A 50 m pool, an ice rink and a long stretch of the Clyde.

South Lanarkshire had around 327,200 residents at Scotland's Census 2022, up from 313,830 in 2011. It runs from Rutherglen and Cambuslang on Glasgow's edge, through East Kilbride, Scotland's first new town, and Hamilton, out to the market towns of Lanark, Carluke, Strathaven and Biggar. At 1,772 km² it's the 11th-largest council area in Scotland, taking in rural and upland country as well as towns.

South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, a charity working for the council, runs 18 leisure centres. Dollan Aqua Centre in East Kilbride has the area's only 50 m pool, Hamilton Water Palace is its most popular pool, averaging more than 1,000 visits a day, and John Wright Sports Centre has a 400 m track. It also runs East Kilbride Ice Rink and the country parks at Chatelherault and Calderglen. Around them sit CrossFit boxes, boxing and jiu-jitsu clubs and chain gyms in East Kilbride and Hamilton.

Whether you swim in East Kilbride or walk the Clyde from Lanark, it's easier to keep going with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in South Lanarkshire

The council's pools and leisure centres first, then the gyms, CrossFit boxes and fight gyms.

Pools and leisure centres (South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture)

Community gyms, halls and the ice rink

Gyms, CrossFit and chains

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in South Lanarkshire

A lane partner at the Dollan, someone to share a CrossFit class in East Kilbride, a rolling partner in Rutherglen: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a South Lanarkshire training group

A weekend walking group up Tinto, a Sunday run through Chatelherault, a ride along the Clyde Walkway to New Lanark: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in South Lanarkshire.

  • Chatelherault Country Park500 acres of countryside and woodland off the A72 at Ferniegair, with more than ten miles of paths and a heritage trail to Hamilton's Low Parks.
  • Calderglen Country Parka wooded glen running over 5 km along the Rotten Calder in East Kilbride, with marked nature trails.
  • Clyde Walkway65 km from Glasgow to New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde, past Bothwell Castle and the 28 m Corra Linn.
  • Tintoa 711.6 m hill standing on its own about 8 km west of Biggar.
  • Lanark Locha walk round the loch, with lochside grass and a play park.

Getting around

Rail, bus and walking routes to South Lanarkshire's gyms.

Rail

  • East Kilbride to Glasgow Central: electrified in December 2025, half-hourly, about 30 minutes
  • Argyle Line trains serve Hamilton, with a branch to Larkhall opened in December 2005
  • a single-track branch serves Lanark

Bus

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

Walk and cycle

  • the Clyde Walkway runs 65 km from Glasgow to New Lanark
  • Chatelherault's heritage trail is a walking and cycling route to Low Parks Museum in Hamilton

Who trains here

What Scotland's Census 2022 says about the people you'll meet in the pool, at the rack and on the hill.

  • 20.3%Aged 65 and overClose to Scotland's 20.1%, so training partners come in every age group, from the pool to the walking path.Scotland's Census 2022
  • 15.8%Aged under 15Plenty of families, and parents who need training to fit around school runs and swimming lessons.Scotland's Census 2022
  • 184.7People per km²Busy towns in the north and open country in the south, with Scotland's average at 69.8.Scotland's Census 2022

South Lanarkshire gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in South Lanarkshire?

Gymist lists 369 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across South Lanarkshire, from the council's leisure centres and pools to CrossFit boxes, boxing and jiu-jitsu clubs, yoga studios and chain gyms.

Who runs the leisure centres in South Lanarkshire?

South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, a charity that works on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council, runs 18 leisure centres. They include Dollan Aqua Centre, John Wright Sports Centre and the Alistair McCoist Complex in East Kilbride, Hamilton Water Palace, the Jock Stein Centre and Fairhill Lifestyles in Hamilton, Eastfield Lifestyle in Cambuslang, Stonelaw in Rutherglen, and leisure centres in Blantyre, Larkhall, Carluke, Lanark, Strathaven and Biggar.

Where can I swim a 50 m pool in South Lanarkshire?

Dollan Aqua Centre in East Kilbride has South Lanarkshire's only 50 m pool, along with two gyms, two fitness studios and a health suite with sauna, steam room and spa pool. Hamilton Water Palace, opened in 1995, is the most popular pool in South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture's network.

Where can I train outdoors for free in South Lanarkshire?

Chatelherault Country Park near Hamilton has 500 acres of countryside and woodland and more than ten miles of paths. Calderglen Country Park in East Kilbride follows a wooded glen for over 5 km. The Clyde Walkway runs 65 km from Glasgow to New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde, and Tinto, 711.6 m, rises about 8 km west of Biggar.

How do I get to gyms in South Lanarkshire without a car?

The East Kilbride line was electrified in December 2025, with a half-hourly service to Glasgow Central taking about 30 minutes. Argyle Line trains serve Hamilton, with a branch to Larkhall, and a branch line serves Lanark. Bus travel is free in Scotland for everyone aged 5 to 21.

How do I find a gym buddy in South Lanarkshire?

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 South Lanarkshire? Join Gymist

Free to join. Save your gyms, share when you train, and connect with people from Rutherglen to Biggar.

Join Gymist free

Nearby areas