Skip to content
Sign in

Gyms in Thurrock

A Thames-side borough with 18 miles of riverfront, old chalk quarries turned nature park and a string of c2c stations. Here's where to train in Thurrock, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
24
Join Gymist freeFind a training buddy

Showing 1–24 of 24 gyms

Places in Thurrock

From Grays on the river to Stanford-le-Hope and Tilbury.

Training in Thurrock

A fast-growing, young borough where fewer adults are active than across the region.

Thurrock is home to around 176,000 people (Census 2021), up 11.6% since 2011 from around 157,700, and its median age has stayed at 36. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 57.0% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, below the East of England's 63.9%, and 32.0% did less than 30 minutes.

Impulse Leisure runs three centres in the borough: Blackshots in Grays, with a 25 m pool, a refurbished gym and a Kinesis studio, Corringham, and Belhus Park in South Ockendon, where the pool and gym sit beside an 18-hole golf course. Around them are Storm Fitness & Leisure next to USP College, Bannatyne's club at Chafford Hundred with a 20 m pool, a 24-hour PureGym at Thurrock Shopping Park, and boxing, jiu-jitsu and karate gyms in Grays.

Outside, there's Langdon Hills Country Park, the old chalk pits of Chafford Gorges and the paths of Thurrock Thameside Nature Park. It's all easier with someone to train with. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Thurrock

Impulse Leisure's centres first, then the health clubs, fight gyms and clubs.

Leisure and sports centres

Health clubs and gyms

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Thurrock

A lane partner at Blackshots, someone to share the 24-hour PureGym at Thurrock Shopping Park, a sparring partner at The Venue in Grays: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Thurrock training group

A Saturday run through Langdon Hills Country Park, a weekend walk around Chafford Gorges, a ride on the paths at Thurrock Thameside Nature Park: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Thurrock.

  • Langdon Hills Country Parkabout 400 acres of country park on the Thurrock side of Langdon Hills.
  • Chafford Gorges Nature Parkabout 200 acres of former chalk quarries at Chafford Hundred, run by Essex Wildlife Trust, with lakes and a geological trail.
  • Thurrock Thameside Nature Park120 acres on former landfill beside Mucking Flats, crossed by footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes; opened by David Attenborough in 2013.
  • The Thamesover 18 miles of riverfront, with Thurrock Yacht Club on the foreshore in the centre of Grays.

Getting around

Rail and bus routes to Thurrock's gyms.

Rail

  • c2c runs all the borough's trains, to and from London Fenchurch Street
  • stations at Purfleet, Chafford Hundred, Grays, Ockendon, Tilbury Town, East Tilbury and Stanford-le-Hope
  • West Horndon station sits on the northern boundary

Bus

  • Ensignbus runs most services in the Thurrock urban area
  • First Essex, Stagecoach London and NIBS Buses also run routes in the borough

Who trains here

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

  • 11.6%Population growthFrom around 157,700 in 2011 to around 176,000 in 2021, so plenty of people are new to the area and its gyms.Census 2021
  • 36Median ageUnchanged since 2011, and 14.7% of residents are aged 25 to 34.Census 2021
  • 32.0%Inactive adultsDoing less than 30 minutes of activity a week. A training partner is one of the easiest ways to start.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Thurrock gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Thurrock?

Gymist lists 24 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Thurrock, from the Impulse Leisure centres and health clubs to boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu and gymnastics clubs in Grays, Tilbury and Stanford-le-Hope.

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

Impulse Leisure runs three: Blackshots on Blackshots Lane in Grays, Corringham on Springhouse Road, and Belhus Park in South Ockendon. Members can use seven pools across the three. Storm Fitness & Leisure, next to USP College in Grays, has a gym, sports hall, squash courts, a studio, floodlit astroturf and tennis courts.

Where can I swim in Thurrock?

Blackshots in Grays has a 25 m pool, and Corringham and Belhus Park both have pools too. Bannatyne Health Club at Chafford Hundred has a 20 m pool, a sauna, a steam room and an outdoor spa pool for members.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Thurrock?

Langdon Hills Country Park covers about 400 acres. Chafford Gorges Nature Park, about 200 acres of old chalk quarries at Chafford Hundred, is run by Essex Wildlife Trust and has a geological trail. Thurrock Thameside Nature Park, beside Mucking Flats, has footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes across 120 acres.

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

c2c runs the borough's trains, with stations at Chafford Hundred, Grays, Purfleet, Ockendon, Tilbury Town, East Tilbury and Stanford-le-Hope, and West Horndon on the northern edge. Ensignbus runs most local buses in the Thurrock urban area, alongside First Essex, Stagecoach London and NIBS Buses.

How do I find a gym buddy in Thurrock?

Join Gymist free, add the gyms you use and when you train, and browse members nearby. If there isn't a group for your kind of training yet, you can start one.

Train in Thurrock? Join Gymist

Free to join. Save your gyms, share when you train, and connect with people from Purfleet to Stanford-le-Hope.

Join Gymist free

Nearby areas