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Gyms in Thanet

Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs, with a tidal pool, seven sandy bays and a 25-mile coastal trail round the isle. Here's where to train in Thanet, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
75
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Showing 1–24 of 75 gyms

Towns in Thanet

Three seaside towns, each with its own gyms and beaches.

Training in Thanet

A coast to swim and ride, and a lot of room for more people to get active.

Thanet is home to around 140,600 people (Census 2021), up 4.8% since 2011, with a median age of 45. Most live in its three seaside towns, Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. In Sport England's Active Lives survey (Nov 2024–25), 59.8% of adults did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 67.4% across the South East, so plenty of people here are looking for a reason to start.

Your Leisure, a charitable society, runs the public centres: Hartsdown Leisure Centre in Margate, with a 25 m pool and a 46-station gym, Ramsgate Leisure Centre on the High Street, with a 25 m pool and sports hall, and Blue Wave Pool & Gym, an accessible 12 m warm-water pool and gym in Margate. Around them sit strength gyms such as Obsidian in Ramsgate, functional fitness at CrossTrain Thanet, chain gyms in Broadstairs and Ramsgate, and boxing, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu clubs.

Whether you swim the tidal pool at Walpole Bay or lift on an industrial estate, it's easier to keep going with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Thanet

Your Leisure's public centres first, then the strength gyms, chain gyms and fight gyms.

Public leisure centres (Your Leisure)

Strength and functional fitness

Chain gyms and health clubs

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Thanet

A lane partner at Hartsdown, someone to swim Walpole Bay with on a calm morning, a spotter at Obsidian: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Thanet training group

A Sunday ride on the Viking Coastal Trail, a sea swim group at Viking Bay, a beach run along Ramsgate Main Sands: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Thanet.

  • Viking Coastal Trail25 miles round the Isle of Thanet from Reculver, past Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate to Pegwell Bay; Regional Route 15 of the National Cycle Network.
  • Walpole Bay Tidal Poola Grade II listed tidal sea bathing pool in Margate, built in 1937.
  • Broadstairs baysseven sandy bays from Dumpton Gap to Botany Bay; Viking Bay and Stone Bay have lifeguards in summer.
  • Ramsgate Main SandsRamsgate's main beach; the town's harbour is the only Royal Harbour in the UK.
  • Margate Sandsthe town's sandy beaches, which first drew visitors from London.

Getting around

Rail and bus routes to Thanet's gyms.

Rail

  • high-speed trains between Ramsgate and London St Pancras since December 2009
  • some trains from Margate reach St Pancras via Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International
  • Thanet Parkway at Cliffsend opened on 31 July 2023, with an hourly off-peak train to St Pancras
  • Broadstairs station is a 10-minute walk from the beach

Bus

  • Stagecoach South East runs most local buses
  • frequent Loop buses run round the isle

Cycle

  • the Viking Coastal Trail links all three towns, and the Oyster Bay Trail continues west from Reculver towards Whitstable

Who trains here

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

  • 45Median ageUp from 43 in 2011, and older than the South East's 41.Census 2021
  • 20.4%Aged 50 to 64Up from 19.5% in 2011. Plenty of people at the age when a regular swim or class partner makes the difference.Census 2021
  • 59.8%Adults active 150+ min a weekAgainst 67.4% for the South East: 28.1% of adults here do less than 30 minutes a week.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Thanet gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Thanet?

Gymist lists 75 gyms, leisure centres, studios and sports venues across Thanet, from the Your Leisure centres to chain gyms, strength gyms, boxing clubs, yoga studios and sports clubs in Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.

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

Your Leisure, a charitable community benefit society, runs Hartsdown Leisure Centre on Hartsdown Road in Margate, Ramsgate Leisure Centre on the High Street in Ramsgate, and Blue Wave Pool & Gym on Victoria Road in Margate. Its FeelGood Factory runs at Hartsdown and Ramsgate.

Where can I swim in Thanet?

Hartsdown Leisure Centre has a 25 m main pool and a 12 m teaching pool, and Ramsgate Leisure Centre has a 25 m main pool and a 12.5 m teaching pool. Blue Wave in Margate has a 12 m accessible pool kept at around 32°C. Outdoors, Walpole Bay Tidal Pool in Margate is a Grade II listed sea bathing pool built in 1937, and Viking Bay in Broadstairs has lifeguards in summer.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Thanet?

The Viking Coastal Trail is a 25-mile route round the Isle of Thanet, running from Reculver past Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate to Pegwell Bay before looping back inland; it is Regional Route 15 of the National Cycle Network. Broadstairs has seven sandy bays, from Dumpton Gap to Botany Bay, and Ramsgate Main Sands is the town's main beach.

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

Southeastern's high-speed trains have run between Ramsgate and London St Pancras since December 2009, and some trains from Margate reach St Pancras via Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International. Thanet Parkway, at Cliffsend, opened on 31 July 2023. Stagecoach South East runs most local buses, including the frequent Loop round the isle.

How do I find a gym buddy in Thanet?

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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