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Gyms in Torridge

Active Torridge's pools in Northam, Torrington and Holsworthy, the Tarka Trail along the estuary and three miles of beach at Westward Ho!. Here's where to train in Torridge and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
41
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Showing 1–24 of 41 gyms

Towns in Torridge

From Bideford and Northam on the estuary to Great Torrington and Holsworthy inland.

Training in Torridge

An estuary trail, a surf beach and three public pools across a big rural district.

Torridge is home to around 68,100 people (Census 2021), up 6.7% since 2011. Its median age of 51 is the joint highest in the South West, against 40 for England. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 69.9% of adults here did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, above the South West's 68.8% and up from 57.6% in 2015–16.

The public pools are run under the Active Torridge name: Torridge Leisure Centre in Northam, with a 25 m pool, a learner pool, a gym and studios, Torrington Swimming Pool and Holsworthy Leisure Centre, with a 25 m pool, gym and sports hall. Bideford adds PureGym, independent strength gyms and karate, boxing and krav maga clubs.

Outside, the Tarka Trail runs along the Torridge estuary on old railway lines, and Westward Ho! has a long surf beach backed by a pebble ridge. It's a big rural district, so finding someone who trains when you do can take some looking. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Torridge

Active Torridge's pools first, then the gyms and the martial arts clubs.

Active Torridge pools and leisure centres

Gyms and strength

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Torridge

A lane partner at Torridge Leisure Centre, someone to lift with in Bideford, a riding partner for the Tarka Trail to Torrington: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Torridge training group

A Saturday run along the Tarka Trail from Bideford, a beach session at Westward Ho!, an early swim group at Holsworthy: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Torridge.

  • Tarka TrailFollows the old railway from Bideford to Great Torrington and on to Meeth; the 31 miles from Braunton to Meeth are car-free and level.
  • Westward Ho! beachAbout three miles of sand, backed by a pebble ridge and grassland, and known for surf.
  • Northam BurrowsA saltmarsh and dune landscape beside the Torridge estuary, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
  • South West Coast PathRuns along Torridge's coast, which is part of the North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Getting around

Buses and the trail between Torridge's towns and gyms.

Bus

  • Stagecoach South West runs the main routes in Bideford
  • the 21 runs from Barnstaple via Fremington to Westward Ho!
  • the 5B runs from Barnstaple through Torrington and Crediton to Exeter
  • service 6 links Holsworthy with Bude and Okehampton

Rail

  • the nearest station to Bideford is Barnstaple, 7½ miles away, at the end of the Tarka Line from Exeter

Cycle

  • the Tarka Trail runs on the old railway line from Bideford to Great Torrington

Who trains here

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

  • 51Median ageUp from 47 in 2011, and the joint highest in the South West.Census 2021
  • 15.4%Aged 65 to 74Up from 12.8% in 2011. The same share are aged 35 to 49, down from 19.3%.Census 2021
  • 69.9%Adults active 150+ min a weekUp from 57.6% in 2015–16, a significant rise, and above the South West's 68.8%.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Torridge gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Torridge?

Gymist lists 41 gyms, leisure centres, studios and sports venues across Torridge, from the Active Torridge pools to strength gyms, martial arts clubs, yoga teachers and village sports clubs.

Which leisure centres are in Torridge?

Active Torridge runs three sites: Torridge Leisure Centre on Benson Drive in Northam, with a 25 m pool, a learner pool, a gym, a sauna and fitness and dance studios; Torrington Swimming Pool on School Lane in Great Torrington; and Holsworthy Leisure Centre at Well Park on Western Road, with a 25 m heated indoor pool, a gym, a fitness studio and a sports hall.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Torridge?

The Tarka Trail follows the old railway from Bideford to Great Torrington and on to Meeth, and the section from Braunton to Meeth is 31 car-free, level miles. At Westward Ho! there's about three miles of sand backed by a pebble ridge, with Northam Burrows, a saltmarsh and dune landscape beside the Torridge estuary, behind it. The South West Coast Path runs along the district's coast.

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

Stagecoach South West runs the main bus routes, including the 21 from Barnstaple via Fremington to Westward Ho! and the 5B from Barnstaple through Torrington and Crediton to Exeter. Service 6 runs from Bude via Holsworthy to Okehampton. The nearest railway station to Bideford is Barnstaple, 7½ miles away.

How active are people in Torridge?

In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 69.9% of adults in Torridge did at least 150 minutes of activity a week, against 68.8% for the South West and 64.6% for England. That's a statistically significant rise from 57.6% in 2015–16.

How do I find a gym buddy in Torridge?

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

Train in Torridge? Join Gymist

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