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Gyms in Wales

Two 50 m pools, a national lido, a national velodrome and three national parks, from the Cardiff waterfront to Eryri. Here's where to train in Wales and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
5,230
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Council areas in Wales

Wales's 22 council areas, each with its own page.

Training in Wales

National pools, mountains and a path round the whole coast.

Wales had 3,107,500 residents at Census 2021, up 1.4% on 2011, and 21.3% of them were 65 or over. Most adults keep moving: 59% took part in sport or physical activity in the previous four weeks in 2024-25, and 35% did so three or more times a week. After walking and working out at home, the most popular activity was the gym (15.2%), ahead of running (12.8%) and swimming (11.1%).

The national venues are spread around the country. Cardiff International Pool and Wales National Pool Swansea both have 50 m pools, Newport has the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome, and Pontypridd has Lido Ponty, the National Lido of Wales, first built in 1927. In the north, Plas Menai on the Menai Strait and Plas y Brenin at Capel Curig are national outdoor centres, and the river at Canolfan Tryweryn near Bala is dam-controlled, so it runs when others are low.

Then there's the land: three national parks covering a fifth of Wales, Yr Wyddfa at 1,085 m and the 870-mile Wales Coast Path. Whether you lift in Swansea or scramble in Eryri, training is easier with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Wales

The national pools, tracks, outdoor centres and climbing walls worth knowing about. Each council area page lists its local gyms.

National pools and lidos

National centres and tracks

Outdoor centres, white water and climbing

Find a training buddy in Wales

A lane partner at Wales National Pool Swansea, someone to ride the boards with at the Newport velodrome, a belay partner at the Beacon in Caernarfon, company on Pen y Fan: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Welsh training group

A winter cold-water group at Lido Ponty, a weekend run on the Wales Coast Path, a Coed y Brenin ride, a Yr Wyddfa hill day: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

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Train outdoors

Free places to train in Wales.

  • Eryri and Yr WyddfaWales's largest national park at 2,142 km², and its highest mountain at 1,085 m, with six main paths to the summit.
  • Bannau Brycheiniog and Pen y Fana 1,351 km² national park; Pen y Fan, at 886 m, is the highest peak in South Wales.
  • The Wales Coast Path870 miles round the whole coast, opened in 2012; with Offa's Dyke Path it makes a 1,030-mile walk round almost all of Wales.
  • Pembrokeshire Coast Patha 186-mile National Trail from Amroth to St Dogmaels, through the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
  • Gowerthe first area in the UK to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in 1956, on Swansea's doorstep.
  • Coed y Brenina forest near Dolgellau with eight waymarked mountain bike trails, eight walking trails and five running trails, free to use.

Getting around

Rail, Metro, bus and bike routes to Wales's gyms.

Rail

  • Transport for Wales, publicly owned since 7 February 2021
  • manages all 223 stations in Wales

South Wales Metro

  • first electric trains in November 2024
  • South Wales Metro trains between Cardiff and Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Treherbert

Bus

  • £1 single and £3 day tickets for everyone aged 5 to 21 on participating services
  • 16 to 21 year olds need a mytravelpass

Cycle

  • over 1,200 miles of National Cycle Network in Wales
  • the Taff Trail runs 55 miles from Cardiff Bay to Brecon

Who trains here

What the census and the National Survey for Wales say about the people you'll meet in the pool, at the rack and on the hill.

  • 42.9Median ageOlder than England (40.5), and 21.3% of people were 65 or over in 2021, so training partners here come in every age group.ONS mid-2022 estimates; Census 2021
  • 35%Active three or more times a week40% of men and 32% of women; 52% of 16 to 24 year olds.National Survey for Wales 2024-25, via Sport Wales
  • 15.2%Use a gymBehind only walking and working out at home, and ahead of running (12.8%) and swimming (11.1%).National Survey for Wales 2024-25, via Sport Wales

Wales gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Wales?

Gymist lists 5,230 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Wales's 22 council areas, from national pools and council leisure centres to climbing walls, outdoor centres, strength gyms and combat clubs.

Which are the biggest places to train in Wales?

Cardiff, the largest council area at Census 2021, has Cardiff International Pool, Cardiff International White Water and the Sport Wales National Centre. Swansea has Wales National Pool Swansea and the LC, with its waterpark, gym and climbing wall. Newport has the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome at Newport International Sports Village.

Where can I swim in a 50 m pool or outdoors in Wales?

Cardiff International Pool and Wales National Pool Swansea both have 50 m pools; the Swansea pool is at Swansea Bay Sports Park, run by Freedom Leisure for Swansea University and Swansea Council. Lido Ponty in Pontypridd is the National Lido of Wales, first built in 1927, and its winter cold-water swims returned on 24 October 2026.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Wales?

Wales has three national parks, Eryri, Bannau Brycheiniog and the Pembrokeshire Coast, covering 20% of its land. Yr Wyddfa (1,085 m) has six main paths to the summit, and Pen y Fan (886 m) is the highest peak in South Wales. The Wales Coast Path runs 870 miles round the coast, and the trails at Coed y Brenin near Dolgellau are free to use.

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

Transport for Wales has run the Wales and Borders rail services in public ownership since 7 February 2021 and manages all 223 stations in Wales. The South Wales Metro links Cardiff with Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Treherbert. Anyone aged 5 to 21 pays £1 for a single bus fare or £3 for a day ticket on participating services, and there are over 1,200 miles of National Cycle Network in Wales.

How do I find a gym buddy in Wales?

Join Gymist free, add your gym and when you train, and browse members in your council area or town. If there isn't a group for your kind of training nearby, start one.

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