Skip to content
Sign in

Gyms in the Vale of Glamorgan

Five council leisure centres, a 14-mile Heritage Coast and a railway that links Penarth, Barry and Llantwit Major to Cardiff. Here's where to train in the Vale and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
229
Join Gymist freeFind a training buddy

Showing 1–24 of 229 gyms

Towns in the Vale of Glamorgan

From Penarth's seafront to the market town of Cowbridge.

Training in the Vale of Glamorgan

Council pools, a busy coast and a line of stations to Cardiff.

The Vale of Glamorgan is home to around 131,900 people (Census 2021), up 4.4% since 2011, and its median age rose from 42 to 44 over the decade. One in five residents (20.7%) is aged 50 to 64, and 11.4% are 25 to 34. Barry is the largest town, followed by Penarth, Llantwit Major, Cowbridge and Dinas Powys.

The council has five leisure centres: Barry Leisure Centre, with a 25 m pool and a 13 m learner pool, Penarth Leisure Centre in Cogan, with a 25 m pool and a 120-station gym, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Colcot Sports Centre in Barry. Around them sit CrossFit and Hyrox boxes on Barry's trading estates, a strength studio in Penarth, jiu-jitsu and karate clubs, and paddleboarding at Jackson's Bay on Barry Island.

With a coast path on the doorstep and Cardiff a short train ride away, the Vale is an easy place to keep training, and easier with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in the Vale of Glamorgan

The council's leisure centres first, then the strength gyms, fight clubs and water sports along the coast.

Council leisure centres

Strength gyms, CrossFit and chains

Combat and martial arts

On the water

Find a training buddy in the Vale

A lane partner at Penarth Leisure Centre, someone to share the WOD at Vale CrossFit, a sparring partner at Barry BJJ: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Vale of Glamorgan training group

A weekend run round Cosmeston Lakes, a coast path walk from Llantwit Major, a paddleboard crew at Jackson's Bay: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in the Vale of Glamorgan.

  • Cosmeston Lakes Country Parka former limestone quarry between Penarth and Sully, opened in 1978, with a 15-hectare lake and more than 100 hectares of land and water.
  • Porthkerry Parkwoodland, fields and nature trails running down to a pebble beach, under the 19 arches of the Porthkerry Viaduct.
  • Glamorgan Heritage Coast14 miles of cliffs and bays from Ogmore-by-Sea to St Athan, with Nash Point near the middle.
  • Wales Coast Pathloops round Barry Island before heading west towards Llantwit Major.
  • Penarth seafrontthe esplanade and a 750-foot pier, with the Barrage path on to Cardiff Bay.

Getting around

Rail, cycle and walking routes to the Vale's gyms.

Rail

  • Vale of Glamorgan Line from Cardiff Central via Barry, Rhoose and Llantwit Major to Bridgend, run by Transport for Wales
  • branches to Penarth and Barry Island
  • Barry to Bridgend reopened to passengers in June 2005, after closing in 1964

Cycle

  • a walking and cycling route across the Cardiff Bay Barrage, opened on 27 June 2008, links Penarth to Cardiff Bay

Walking

  • the Wales Coast Path, opened in 2012, loops round Barry Island and on west to Llantwit Major
  • Barry Island station is about 9 miles from Cardiff

Who trains here

What the census says about the people you'll meet in the pool, at the rack and on the coast path.

  • 44Median ageUp from 42 in 2011, and 11.8% of residents are now 65 to 74, up from 9.8%.Census 2021
  • 20.7%Aged 50 to 64The biggest age group in the Vale. Plenty of people at the age when a regular swim or class partner makes the difference.Census 2021
  • 11.4%Aged 25 to 34Up from 11.2% in 2011: young adults and new families settling within reach of Cardiff.Census 2021

Vale of Glamorgan gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in the Vale of Glamorgan?

Gymist lists 229 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across the Vale of Glamorgan, from the council leisure centres in Barry, Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major to CrossFit boxes, karate and jiu-jitsu clubs, tennis clubs and yoga studios.

Which leisure centres are in the Vale of Glamorgan, and who runs them?

Vale of Glamorgan Council has five leisure centres: Barry Leisure Centre on Greenwood Street, Colcot Sports Centre on Colcot Road in Barry, Penarth Leisure Centre on Andrew Road in Cogan, Cowbridge Leisure Centre on the Bear Field and Llantwit Major Leisure Centre on Ham Lane.

Where can I swim in the Vale of Glamorgan?

Barry Leisure Centre has a 25 m pool and a 13 m learner pool, Penarth Leisure Centre has a 25 m pool and Llantwit Major Leisure Centre has a 17.5 m pool. For the sea, Llantwit Major Surf Life Saving Club, founded in 1963, takes adult members as well as juniors.

Where can I train outdoors for free in the Vale of Glamorgan?

Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, between Penarth and Sully, has a 15-hectare lake inside more than 100 hectares of land and water. Porthkerry Park, between Rhoose and Barry, has woodland, nature trails and a pebble beach under a 19-arch viaduct. The Wales Coast Path loops round Barry Island and heads west to Llantwit Major and the 14-mile Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

How do I get to gyms in the Vale of Glamorgan without a car?

Transport for Wales runs the Vale of Glamorgan Line from Cardiff Central through Cogan, Dinas Powys, Cadoxton, Barry Docks, Barry, Rhoose and Llantwit Major to Bridgend, with branches to Penarth and Barry Island. From Penarth you can walk or cycle to Cardiff Bay over the Barrage, whose path opened in 2008.

How do I find a gym buddy in the Vale of Glamorgan?

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.

Train in the Vale of Glamorgan? Join Gymist

Free to join. Save your gyms, share when you train, and connect with people from Penarth to Llantwit Major.

Join Gymist free

Nearby areas