Good gym though have to share changing rooms with pool users . Wide range of gym equipment plus…read morefree weights . Pay as you go or pay monthly no fixed contracts . 25 metrr pool but obviously shared with local schools during day . Plenty of parking .

Rebuilt or renovated a few years ago, the Leisure Centre has two clean swimming pools, one full…read moresize and a smaller for children, large clean changing rooms, good showers and welcoming staff. There are various aquatic events going on during daytime in the week, a raft and floating toys session at the week-end and swimming lessons. Ther is also a gym on site, and I have to say after having tried most in North Warwickshire at one point or another, that this one is by far one of the less intimidating and the best value for money. The gym has all the equipment you find everywhere, rovers, steppers, treadmills and weightlifting stations. They are all accessed through the fitlinx which allows you to chart your progress lesson after lesson. You can get e-mails sent home when you have reached milestones and the staff will give you motivational advice. They also offer body fat and muscle etc analysis and will keep a track of your records. The gym can get a bit busy in the evening, less so during the day, and you fast get to know the regulars who are a pretty friendly bunch. The changing rooms are fairly new, big and clean, the showers rather powerful. Did I mention the staff and their friendliness? I have to admit that I am not an all year round regular, but I do come back again and again. One last thing I like about the centre are the evening classes. They are held in the community centre just on the other side of the car park. You pay your ticket at the Leisure Centre and take it across. Fees are ridiculously low, my favourite class is the circuit training. That's really fun, I come out panting, tired, but exhilarated. Recommended.

I use the sports centre at the University of Birmingham a lot and while it does have positive…read moreaspects it is pretty dilapidated. The abundance of squash courts is a major plus, I don't know anywhere else in striking distance which can boast 7 courts, including three glass backed for easy viewing. Also there are numerous facilities for activities including: badminton, dance, gym, tennis, swimming and located across the university: 5-a-side, rugby, football, martial arts etc. However, it is soon to be demolished (the track has already closed) and as a consequence it hasn't been updated in a long while. The gym is tiny, the pool is only 25m (not Olympic size as stated below) and the tennis courts are almost unplayable due to a huge number of cracks and shabby nets. The changing rooms are clean enough but the showers areas are grim and the shower-heads are only about 5'10" off the ground (I'm pretty average height and I have to squat to get my hair wet). There is also a small cafe/bar which is nice enough but underwhelming and an overpriced, rarely open sports shop (£8 for a pair of football socks). It's functional and a pretty good facility for students and the wider community but the new-build can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

If you are looking for a private swimming pool or sports club but so as not to break the bank, then…read morethis could be the place for you. I was a member for about 2 years, although I am no longer for reasons I'll explain below. Firstly, the centre is part of the University of Birmingham. You can join as a non student and if you are alumni you will get a slightly cheaper rate. I joined for the swimming pool and you can get a swim only membership for a reasonable amount (it was about £12 a month I think when I was a member). The pool is great - longer than any of the other public pools at 30m. If you time it right you could get it to yourself but this is rare (university holidays are the best time for using the pool!). Basically membership works if you can work around the student timetable - it is out of use quite a lot although I think they always have it open for morning and lunchtime swims. This is why I'm no longer a member as I can't work around the limited availability of the pool. Do note though that during the university holidays they do often allow pay as you go membership which is fantastic because it is also the quietest time for the centre. The changing rooms are clean and bright. They also have a sauna there. Hopefully this has changed but when I was a member the ladies loos were awful with a terrible smell all the time! I have also done the pilates course at the centre, taught by Esther and she was excellent!

My first experience of this leisure centre was through swimming lessons at primary school but I…read moreenjoyed coming here for the water flumes and wave machine at weekends and during the summer. I would say it is more suited for families rather than for serious swimmers. One of the facilities they have is the Strokes Swimming Instruction which offers classes for various ages and abilities. Kingstanding Leisure Centre is more than just a swimming pool for example you can also take part in the following activities; Badminton, Zumba class, indoor bowls and Weight Watchers and they have two Sports Halls. It's very family orientated as there is a Childrens Party Room which you can hire out for birthday parties and if you want to use the gym or the toning suite you can leave the kids in one of the play schemes they host. If you're more of a fledgling Donald Trump than a budding Tom Daley then you can hire out one of the Training / Conference / Meeting Rooms. As well as the previously mentioned swimming classes on offer they also run First Aid at Work and National Pool Lifeguard courses and there is an Adult Education Centre on site which offers courses ranging from British Sign Language to Childcare and I.T. I would say its a brilliant place to visit if you want to keep the kids entertained over half term however if you are serious about swimming I would recommend that you head over to nearby Wyndley Leisure Centre and use the lanes there.

Whilst the main building hasn't been updated for a number of years Madeley Court offers good…read morequality sports enviroments for most leisure pursuits. The floodlit pitch is very good, reguarly hosting football & hockey leagues. The swimming pool is shaped slightly differently from the norm but is well maintained & numerous swim sessions meet everyones needs. They also have a gym on site & a soft play area (according to my daughter the best part) which keeps the youngsters busy whilst you have a cuppa.

Sadly this venue has gone! There is a publicly available pool and fitness centre at the new…read moreAbraham Darby Academy about half a mile away but it is really no replacement for what was designed to be a community leisure centre, which at one time also had a theatre.

This place kicked us out from the ice rink because we fell over twice DO NOT recommend this place.read more

The Tamworth Snowdome was the first indoor ski facility in the UK, opening in 1994. There are now…read morequite a few more in the UK but Tamworth is still good fun. It's also handily placed for my ski group's annual UK reunion as it's in the middle of England and we live all over the UK. Tamworth is just NE of Birmingham, a few minutes off junction 10 of the M42. It's located just outside town in a complex of leisure facilities including a swimming pool. Parking space is sufficient unless there's a big event on in town as people then park at the snowboarding centre and walk into town. The snow quality is good and certainly beats skiing on dry slopes. At lunchtime, they close the slope and groom it, which makes conditions for afternoon skiing also good. You an pre-book your ski session and the booking process is easy and painless. Your skiing time is determined by a swipecard that activates your access to the ski lift. The changing area is a little small and the floors can get wet but it's adequate. I have my own boots and the process for getting skis is quite efficient. I definitely recommend using the hire skis as indoor slopes can damage your own skis. They do take some care to make sure that your skis are on the right DIN settings. The slopes are accessed by a set of 2 travellators on one side and a shorter rope tow on the left. One possible problem is that there is a right angle bend halfway up the slope and once you get on the first travellator, you're committed to go to the top, whichn you can't see and nervous first time skiers may be a bit worried. At the top, it can get a bit icy but the gradient isn't too bad - a decent blue run. It's just long enough to have some fun and it's possible to get slight air near the bottom of the run but it's never going to be as long as a mountain run. The main issue for me is that they do a lot of teaching on the main slope and when they run lessons on both sides, the main run becomes dangerously narrow, especially with skiers coming round the right angle bend blind at high speed. There is a bar/restaurant which serves pub style lunches. Worth a leisure trip especially with other leisure facilities like Drayton Manor Park theme park and bowling nearby.

If you're an enjoyer of local urban wildlife then I suggest a visit to this nature reserve. There's…read morearound 30 acres of natural open space, woodland, meadow and a number of pools. This is a natural attraction for all kinds of wildlife. There's a visitor centre manned by friendly and knowledgeable staff who take pride in their work. There's a Ranger Service too which is always on hand to help with education. Get children involved early with the Plantsbrook Young Explorers club which meet every third Saturday of the month, it's for 7 - 11 year olds and membership is absolutely free. Of course this area is used by the usual dog-walkers, joggers, strollers and so on but my advice when you pay a visit is to get involved, ask the staff about stuff, you'll be surprised what you learn.

So, this is what happens when you're a freelancer - you end up accompanying friends with toddlers…read moreand hanging out in Tumble Jungle... During term time, the Tumble Jungle is great for kids. To be honest, I'm sometimes a little jealous that kids get all the fun. I could easily hang out in Soft Play myself all day - if I didn't think I'd get some seriously suspicious looks... Apparently it gets a bit nuts here in the school holidays, but when there's a bit more space, the kids have a whale of a time. It's small enough that parents can sit on the big leather sofas and have a natter while the kids can play within sight/ earshot, so everyone's a winner. It's also cheaper than Hickory Dickory in Kings Heath.

This place is small and tightly packed into an old warehouse next to the canal in Cotteridge. Car…read moreparking is tight, so get there early if you're attending a child's party, but the place functions very well as a party and play area. Food is okay, fairly standard fare, and the usual assortment of slush puppies and so on to wash things down with. If you want a day that's full of fat and sugar for your kids, you're in luck, but you're better off bringing something with you if you want to prevent them from bouncing off the walls afterwards!