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Gyms in St Albans

A cathedral city where 74.3% of adults are active, with a climbing wall and spa at Westminster Lodge and a Roman park to run round. Here's where to train in St Albans and Harpenden, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
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Showing 1–24 of 38 gyms

Places in St Albans

The city, Harpenden and the villages around them.

Training in St Albans

One of the most active districts in England, with a Roman park on the doorstep.

St Albans district is home to around 148,200 people (Census 2021), up 5.3% since 2011, with a median age of 41. It is one of the most active places in England: in Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 74.3% of adults did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, the second-highest share in the East of England, against 64.6% for England.

Everyone Active runs the council's centres. Westminster Lodge, on the edge of Verulamium Park, has a 10-lane 25 m pool, a 145-station gym, a hot yoga studio and a climbing wall with 14 rope lines. Harpenden Leisure Centre has a 25 m pool and a 100-plus station gym, and there are gyms at Batchwood, Cotlandswick in London Colney and Redbourn. Around them sit a CrossFit box, boxing and judo clubs, and hot yoga and Pilates studios.

Outside, St Albans parkrun runs every Saturday in Verulamium Park, and the Alban Way and Nickey Line carry old railways out to Hatfield and Harpenden. Wherever you train, it's easier with company. Gymist is how you find it.

Where to train in St Albans

Everyone Active's council centres first, then the strength gyms, fight clubs and studios.

Council leisure centres (Everyone Active)

  • Westminster Lodge Leisure CentreSt Albans · 10-lane 25 m pool, 145-station gym, four studios, climbing wall, spa
  • Harpenden Leisure CentreHarpenden · 25 m pool, teaching pool, 100+ station gym, cycling studio
  • Batchwood Golf and Sports CentreSt Albans · 50-station gym, indoor and outdoor tennis, squash, 18-hole golf course
  • Cotlandswick Leisure CentreLondon Colney · 60-station gym, studio, sports hall, 3G football pitches
  • Redbourn Leisure CentreRedbourn · Gym, studio, football pitches, all-weather bowls green

Gyms and CrossFit

Boxing, judo and martial arts

Yoga and Pilates

Find a training buddy in St Albans

A lane partner at Westminster Lodge, a belayer for the climbing wall, someone to run the Alban Way with on a weekday evening: find people near you who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a St Albans training group

A post-parkrun coffee crew in Verulamium Park, a Sunday ride along the Nickey Line from Harpenden, a beach volleyball four for summer evenings: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in St Albans district.

  • Verulamium Parkover 100 acres on the site of Roman Verulamium, home to St Albans parkrun every Saturday at 9am, with outdoor gym equipment, a basketball court and beach volleyball courts.
  • Alban Waya 6.3-mile shared path for walking, running and cycling along the old Hatfield and St Albans Railway, from near St Albans Abbey station to Hatfield.
  • Nickey Lineabout 8 miles of former railway from Harpenden through Redbourn towards Hemel Hempstead, now a shared path on National Cycle Route 57.
  • Cottonmillthe council's community and cycling centre off Cottonmill Lane, with a cyclo-cross track, a BMX pump track and trails.

Getting around

Rail lines and old railway paths to St Albans' gyms.

Thameslink

  • St Albans City and Harpenden are on the Midland Main Line, served by Thameslink
  • off-peak, six trains an hour run north to Luton, four of them going on to Bedford
  • two an hour run south through London to Gatwick Airport and Brighton

Abbey line

  • a single-track branch from St Albans Abbey, near Westminster Lodge, to Watford Junction
  • seven stations in all, including Park Street, How Wood and Bricket Wood

Walk and cycle

  • the Alban Way links St Albans and Hatfield on a traffic-free path
  • the Nickey Line links Harpenden, Redbourn and Hemel Hempstead

Who trains here

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

  • 74.3%Adults active 150+ min a weekSecond only to South Cambridgeshire in the East of England, and against 64.6% for England.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 41Median ageUp from 39 in 2011, the same as the East of England as a whole.Census 2021
  • 5.3%Population growth since 2011To around 148,200, slower than the region's 8.3%.Census 2021

St Albans gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in St Albans?

Gymist lists 38 gyms, leisure centres, studios, fight gyms and sports clubs across St Albans district, from the city itself to Harpenden, Redbourn and London Colney.

Which leisure centres are in St Albans, and who runs them?

Everyone Active runs the council's centres: Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre on Holywell Hill, Harpenden Leisure Centre on Leyton Road, Batchwood Golf and Sports Centre, Cotlandswick Leisure Centre in London Colney and Redbourn Leisure Centre on Dunstable Road. Westminster Lodge and Harpenden have the pools.

Where can I swim in St Albans?

Westminster Lodge has a 10-lane 25 m pool with a moveable floor, a teaching pool and a water confidence pool with slides. Harpenden Leisure Centre has a 25 m main pool and a teaching pool. In summer there's also the free Verulamium splash park for children.

Where can I train outdoors for free in St Albans?

St Albans parkrun is a free 5k in Verulamium Park every Saturday at 9am, and the park also has outdoor gym equipment, a basketball court and beach volleyball courts. The Alban Way runs 6.3 miles along an old railway to Hatfield, and the Nickey Line about 8 miles from Harpenden through Redbourn towards Hemel Hempstead.

How active are people in St Albans?

Very. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 74.3% of adults in St Albans did 150 minutes or more of activity a week, against 63.9% across the East of England and 64.6% for England. 14.1% did less than 30 minutes.

How do I get to gyms in St Albans by train?

Thameslink trains call at St Albans City and Harpenden on the Midland Main Line, with six an hour to Luton off-peak, four of them going on to Bedford, and two an hour south through London to Gatwick and Brighton. The Abbey line runs from St Albans Abbey, near Westminster Lodge, to Watford Junction via Park Street and Bricket Wood.

How do I find a gym buddy in St Albans?

Join Gymist free, add the gyms you use and when you train, and browse members near you, whether you swim at Westminster Lodge or lift in Harpenden. If there isn't a group for what you do, start one.

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