Had a three day trial. Gym and pool are both large, but that's where the positives end…read more Changing rooms and showers are filthy. Toilet paper was on the floor for three consecutive days when I went. Toothpaste and what appeared to be mud had been sprayed up the shower cubicle wall. Jacuzzi hot tub is cold, not heated at all. I sent an email asking how often the changing rooms and showers were cleaned, and what the temperature of the hot tub is set at, but I never received a response. A couple days after my trial finished. I received a marketing calls from the leisure centre asking if I'd like to sign up with them. I explained that I had emailed but received no response and I asked them on the phone how often the showers were cleaned and what are the temperature of the hot tub was. They told me that they didn't know how often the showers were cleaned and that it's supposed to be done by the lifeguards..they told me that they didn't know how often the showers were cleaned and that it's supposed to be done by the lifeguards. they also told me they don't know what the temperature of the hot tub is set at and that they would speak to their managers, who would then gets back to me. I wasn't surprised when I receive no response from management after waiting two weeks for one. Conclusion: For more than £40 a month, I would expect the changing rooms and showers to be cleaned at least daily and I would expect professionalism from the staff. Unfortunately both of these things are not apparent and I would warn anybody before taking out a monthly or yearly contract with the leisure centre that you check these conditions for yourself. If I had actually received a phone call back from the managers I might well have ended up signing up to the leisure centre because it's closer to me than other gyms. However, I have now signed up to another gym which happens to be a lot cheaper and the quality is much higher.

1* because of the car park, an Absolute scum bag operation. You can park legit and prove it and…read morethey still fine you and send copious amounts of aggressive fine letters with no contact details. This car park ruins the leisure centre reputation.

Kingsdown Sports Centre really doesn't look at all attractive from the outside. To be honest I…read morealmost didn't bother going in to enquire about a membership at all! It is however quite convientantly located as there aren't really any other gyms nearby. Once I had pulled myself together to go in there was only one receptionist who was on the phone. I waited for about 5 minutes and was not acknowledged at all. I looked around for prices but none were to be found. This is something I find really irritating as it means that blatently a massive sales pitch is going to be fired at me when all I wanted to know was a simple price! This was in fact the case. Eventually the receptionist welcomed me and I was offered a tour. The descriptions made by Will and Lisa are very accurate. The equipment is fine, the classes are fine, the saunas are fine etc. Nothing amazing and I have definitely experienced better. There is however bike storage outside the building and there is an extensive fitness class program. Additionally there is free parking, 3 squash courts and a creche.

It looks a bit old and dowdy from the outside, a big square lump of a thing with too much concrete…read morein view. Things aren't much better inside, with a few rooms that could do with a lick of paint. I suppose a sports centre doesn't need to be pretty though. The facilities are what I should judge it against, and these are fairly good. The most used thing here is the gym, with banks running machines, bikes, and the other usual things you'd expect. Along with that there's a couple of squash courts and a main hall where they do things like aerobics and badminton. It's run by the council so you can't do too much better price wise. This is probably why it isn't the flashest or or smartest of places though. But if you don't come to a sports centre to pose or admire the wall paper this place will do just fine.

I've been bodybuilding for 32 years and this gym is one of the best I've been in. Some of the…read moreequipment is the best I've ever used. it could do with a separate dedicated incline bench for barbell work as using the same power rack for squats and bench makes it a real pain to get a hold of at times. It's the only gym I've been in that doesn't have a straight / cambered bar for a cable attachment. Please sort it out? The calf machine could do with a few more adjustment holes drilled in to it. Apart from these niggles the gym is awesome and well worth the £15.99 per month.

OK. This is now my fourth city centre gym and so far so good. Great price and great equipment…read more(three floors). The place is kept reasonably clean and fellow gym members are considerate for the moment, given there are no paper towels and disinfectant spray available. A gym towel a must! I'd recommend going in the mornings because it does get busy at lunchtime and even busier after work.

The Bristol Uni pool is just like every public pool you have been to. The off white floor tiles and…read morelocker lined walls immediately make you feel at home. This is combined with the smell of chorine that seeps into every orifice of your body so that even after a shower you still smell like Michael Phelps. However it is a little bit more special, it is big- at full stretch it is a little over 30 meters. However this does vary depending on the day, as they shorten it for kids to swim in the rest. They have six lanes for doing laps, however this is not open all day, as the pool is open for more recreational swimmers too. Does everything you might hope for and more!

Unless you're a student you will unfortunately have to pay a yearly or monthly membership fee to…read morepay a visit to this pool, unless you have student friends in which case you're allowed to come along as a 'guest'. Inside it's a decent public swimming pool, of a good length, usually relatively warm (sometimes by the end of a session in fact a little too warm). In my experience it's not massively crowded although sometimes at busy times there can be a little tension in the lanes. The changing room and shower facilities are fine and very clean. It basically caters to your every need without doing it superbly so. For £3.50 per swim, ya can't exactly complain though. One thing I strongly advise is to make sure the swimming pool is actually open to the public when you decide to go. The amount of times I've rocked up only to find that it's closed for schools or classes has been frustrating indeed.

Head into any slightly less well to do urban location and you can be sure they've had a whopping…read morebig grant spent on some top notch sporting facilities - and St Paul's is no exception. On the outskirts of the area, the easiest way to get here is to go up the M32 from the city centre and get off immediately when you see the sign. There are other facilities here, though I've only come here for the outdoor five-a-side pitches. Unfortunately, however, this place is for me (perhaps appropriately for the surrounding area!) most readily associated with injury. My Saturday team used to use the tarmac pitches, but had to stop as players were dropping like flies due to the solid surface (including one broken wrist). Also, with work, I used to play lunch time five-a-side on the one astroturf pitch, though this is slightly old and broken up, which means that if you fall over and inevitably cut your knee, your injury also receives a fresh covering of sand. Not a bad place for a kickaround, but there are better alternatives.

This modern sports academy offers a wide range of sports activities and classes for the local…read morecommunity. Parking here is good and it has a large bright reception area with vending machines where you can meet for a drink or get your breathe back. They have outside courts and two large inside courts. They have a small but well equipped gymn. Classes include Pilates, yoga, karate, jujutsu, aerobics, step, spin and body pump. They have an open weekend coming up on the 26/27th January where you can sample some of the activities for free. Booking is recommended.

There's quite an interesting range of sports on offer down here. I was dragged down to play…read morebadminton by my other half, and was immediately taken by the sand court where you can play beach football or volleyball. They also have cricket nets and a bowling green (which I might be tempted by in a few years' time!). Be warned, though, the service on the desk is rubbish. I called up to book a court and was told I didn't need to, then on arrival was informed that since my call they'd booked them all out by an unrepentant assistant who clearly didn't give a shit.

This amazing little place is a total hive of activities, education and information services for the…read morelocal area. It's truly staggering the diverse range of stuff that goes on here. Courses vary from Improving Maths and English, Preparing for Higher Education, Languages, Computing, Counselling and Creativity, DIY, gardening and Reiki. There really is something for everyone. Family groups are also included with a crèche, parent groups, youth club and Pediatric first aid. At the other end of the scale, the Over 50's club provides a lunch club, shopping bus and keep fit as well as valuable health and social information. The Settlement is also involved with The Peoples Hive which runs a volunteer unit and time bank to help out in the local community and CAAAD, a service for people to get help with drug and alcohol problems. I've also attended special events here like the celebration of International Women's Day which was well attended, offered great workshops and a fabulous free lunch.