When I was in Glasgow on Wednesday 17 July 2019 , the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena was…read morehousing a T-rex exhibit. Banners along the streets marked that the critter skeleton was in town and observable at Kelvin Hall from 18 April 2019 through 31 July 2019. I was a little confused as the exhibit hall looked to be part of an indoor sports arena. It was a wee bit of culture shock for me, and I was like - am I in the right place. Sure enough, a worker at the front desk pointed me towards the exhibit. The T-rex was pretty neat and had a lit-up informational display approach. Is it glow in the dark ink or an electronic display, or just really bright ink... Walking around in the exhibit was easy as the floorpan was well designed for human bipedal locomotion. A gift shop by the exhibit hall exit provided physical offerings to remember one's experience(s) by.

I was all set to give Kelvinhall three stars - partly for being such a beautiful historic building…read more(from the outside), and partly for the nice staff who work there. That was until last night, when I discovered that the water in the taps in all the changing rooms is apparently not fit for human consumption. W-w-w-w-hat?! In a sports hall? Where there is no access to water that is ok for drinking (apart from in the gym). I visit Kelvinhall twice a week and have been drinking the tap water for around a year ... I was horrified. You'd think they'd put up a sign at least? Apart from that, Kelvinhall is closing for refurbishment sometime this year so don't expect anything flash at the moment. Here's hoping they do something nice with it for it's reopening (and sort out the water!)

Don't join the gym if you want to use the swimming pool, sauna and steam room…read more I signed up two weeks ago as the swimming pool is open every day till 10 o'clock " as the staff said" apart from Saturday and Sunday till 5 o'clock as I finish work at 6 o'clock so I have time to do some workout and Sauna after, however; since then every day I go to the sauna, they won't let us in as there is swimming club booking or some other activities which are unfair to shot the sauna as well!! swimming pool opening hours: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/sport/timetables/swimming-pool/

I cannot wait to see what this place is going to be like when it's fully open and fully installed…read more At the moment there are still big water cooler bottle things lying around everywhere, no TVs installed and I really wish that they would attach that one exercise contraption to the floor - I don't like the idea that I could fall over on top of you while you're exercising. However, that being said, it was about time that they extended the gym, and so far, it really has helped - unless you go at peak times and the sports teams are practicing and the changing rooms are stupidly full and all the weights are in use. My tiny little pet peeve, which you should know about, is that people will never put the weights back in their proper order, so be prepared to go on a hunt for matching weights. Also, the new floor exercise/stretching sections are always busy, and one of them is contained in milkglass - but with an opening which, if that's the mat you're training on, will make you feel incredibly on display! There is always a Trainer walking around, so if you have any questions about the exercises or if you want a new exercise to spice up your session, they will be able to help. Generally, the staff is very approachable and usually very friendly. I haven't attended any of the classes yet; they've introduced a new system of grabbing a little token which you then hand to the instructor. I have yet to find out how it works.

I was lucky enough to get drawn for a place at the preview of Rollerstop before it opened to the…read morepublic. We arrived at 19.30 and had a look around the premises the rink looked fabulous there is seating to one side for changing into skates and ther are free lockers for any valubles that you have with you. There is a very cozy cafe with comfortable seating if you need to relax after your hard skate with lots of soft drinks,water and snacks for energy. Also available is a party room which would be great for childrens parties or even for us big folks. Back to the rink Scott Laurie from MeanCity Roller Derby had the donated to the just giving site and he bought the privilege of cutting the ribbon and declaring the rink open, and was first onto skate. The floor has a few wee rumbly bits but I am sure these will settle down in time and with use. The floor is from Kelvin Hall and has lots of tape markings from courts which make it look funky, I like that a bit of history is being preserved. There are pillars in the rink these are well padded in case any one runs against them, there is skate hire available and classes for all abilities and I am looking forward to the dance class on skates. There is also a DJ booth and on Saturday we skated to some upbeat tunes. We had a very enjoyable time and will return as soon as I can.

I've been to a couple of roller discos in my time and a bunch of us popped along to a Saturday…read moreafternoon one at Roller Stop's new home in Tradeston. The space is great - a large rink as well as skate hire, cafe, party space and loos. Overall, it's pretty big and a good set up. It was £8 for the two hour session (more if you need to hire skates) and the only downside was that it was an all-ages session, and skating near wee kids is more terrifying than playing roller derby. Personally, I would only go back for an adults-only session as it's just too stressful to have to watch out for wild kids on skates getting underfoot. I didn't check out the cafe but overall thought the place was pretty well set up. If you've never skated before I'd highly recommend borrowing some protective gear as you can do some serious damage if you fall. Note: they also offer lessons and private parties.

I'm a member of this gym and I really like it because it is very easy for me to get to after work,…read morebut I've knocked a couple of stars off because it is small and probably won't suit everyone. There is a small pool and a sauna but no steam room. The gym has most of the facilities I need like bikes, rowing machine and step machine but it is small. I usually go later in the evening and it is never too busy. Over the summer there seemed to be quite a lot of problems with air conditioning as it was never working and the gym could be unbearably hot. On the plus side the changing facilities are bright and clean and very child friendly. There is also a good selection of organised classes, but these can be busy and you should book.

We were booked for a family session which was an hour of instruction and a shot on some of the…read morewalls. Our instructor Mark was excellent, particularly given that the group was 2 adults and 2 teenagers - he kept all of our attention, and ensured that we were all safe and competent, and weren't going to let each other accidentally plunge to our deaths/severe injury. I felt very safe the whole time. I don't know much about climbing, and what particular features or challenges that you'd look for from a climbing centre, but this place looked pretty awesome to me. Because it's in an old church, the climbing walls are really high, and there's loads of them, with all sorts of different gradients, and a big overhanging wall too. There's also a bouldering area in the basement. There was a cafe, which wasn't open when we were there, but looked like it provided some nice healthy options - there was a choice of smoothies which caught my eye. I thought an hour wouldn't be long enough, but even though I'd only done 3 climbs, my arms were pure burst by the end, so it was actually plenty of time. I'd love to go back here and practice some more.

Fancy strapping yourself into a harness, wearing some tight shoes and attempting to scale an ever…read moresteepening pinnacle? No its not Thursday night is fetish night, its the Glasgow Climbing Centre. Opened since 1994 and still going strong, the climbing centre offers a fantastic opportunity to do a bit of rock climbing in a dry and safe environment. Whether your using it as a pro looking to stay sharp or as a complete amateur trying it for the first time, there are routes to suit of abilities and nerves. Priced a little steeply at over £7 a pop its still a fantastic facility and a chance to do something that's not just cool but is amazingly good for your health...if the heights don't get to you that is! With other facilities such as a cafe, new since the last time i went, and a shop for all your climbing gear needs, this place is top notch. Oh and dont worry that you'll ever get bored climbing the same routes (around 270 combined top rope and boulder problems) as they are changed every 3 months by the resident team of trained spider monkeys kept in the basement, a spectacle in itself!!

24 hours extremely helpful staff day pass would highly recommend 10/10 reminders me of my home gym…read moreeverything you need to get a great workout in

I have an arch enemy. A sworn nemesis. A Moriarty to my Holmes. A bad to my good. An X Factor to my…read morereal music. A Simon Cowell to my... eh... humanity. This evil being? Ma belly. I hate it. He (i shall call him he) sits there all day just quietly reminding me about the beer and pizza ans chips and whisky and chocolate and crisps and juice I've guzzled down. Perhaps you say, perhaps the ire of my anger should be towards the afore mentioned beer and what not and not the innocent outcome of my gluttonous actions? Perhaps, I say, perhaps you should shut the shut up! Anyway. Rightly or wrongly, i hate this wee dude and have finally decided to terminate his existence. But how? Well, since i'm writing a review about a gym, you may dear reader, assume that i'll be saying bye bye belly with the aid of exercise. You would be right. This i cannot argue against. So with a heavy belly and a heavy heart I joined the Pure Gym due to utter convenience (i work nearby) and the 'oooooh, that's cool and allows me to opt out if/when I cannie be arsed anymore' single month contract system. Nae year contract for this lasy barsteward! So, the beef burning beef? Well, as gyms go it seems to have all the gear you'd need to shed those extra pounds and tone up whatever's left over. I've just recently become a convert to running, so the appeal of these and a wee shower afterwards is pretty much all I'm after just now. Equipment wise, it seems to have all the mod cons. Runny things. Rowy things. Bikey things. Weight lifty things and what have you. It's clean (although the shower did smell a wee bit stinky), fresh, well lit and fairly welcoming even if the entry system does feel a wee bit like you're entering the safe zone in some sort of post apocalyptic zombie flick. Apparently the joint can be pretty busy at times, but today I popped in at around 2ish and it was fairly quiet. It'll do for noo. Classes and what not, other words, amenities, assistance and other relevant words. Yeah.

I'm trying to tackle my complete lack of motivation for exercising so I thought I'd check out this…read moregym as recommended by Amanda R. I got a 24 hour pass online for £5 to go for a look around and a go of the machines as well. The gym is easy to get to on Cathcart Road and has it's own private car park. We visited at a peak time and there was loads of spots so that's always good to know. To enter you need a pin number and then you stand in a very futuristic pod thing to be let in. You can sign up in the front area as well, in case you aren't already a member. There are lockers in the main area which means they are inside the secure doors, and visible to the whole gym. This was one of my worries about going to a 24 hour gym as I've heard horror stories about people's stuff being stolen - this seems like it might not be an issue here as you'd have to be pretty brazen to steal someone's stuff right in front of everyone. The machines are laid out in one main area which is huge - there is rows and rows of treadmills, cross trainers, bikes, rowing machines as well as a free weight area and machines. Then there's a proper weightlifting room if you're into lifting the heavy stuff. All the equipment I want to use is here, and they also have free classes (as well as some paid ones). There was a good mix of people and by that I mean it wasn't a total gym-wank gym so most people should feel quite comfortable here. The music was bad, but when is gym music good? Bring your own headphones and you'll be fine. I would have ranked this place a 4 star quite happily, but I needed some help from the staff when getting my padlock set up. She was so super helpful and nice about my extreme stupidity that it gets bumped up to a 5 star.

A month or so in, and I'm really impressed with this gym. For less than half the price of what I…read morewas paying before I get loads in the way of cardio stuff, loads of resistance machines and a good sized space for doing body weight stuff. There's also a really big free weights section, but I haven't used that yet. The facilities are really good: nice and bright with a good changing area, loads of lockers, and good quality equipment that hasn't been battered about yet. I've not dealt with the staff yet, but they all look really friendly. There are personal trainers there, and the details are on the wall, but it would be great if there were prices up there as well. It's probably on the website, but something at the gym would be great. All in, this is a brilliant deal. For the price, you get membership for here and the one in the city centre, which is an absolute bargain. If you're looking for a new gym definitely give it a go.

Update: the old Linwood Sports Centre has been demolished and replaced by a fantastic new facility…read morewith a daft name, The On-X . I think it's supposed to be pronounced like Onyx. Who thought that one up? Daft name or no, it is a great community sports facility AND it now has a swimming pool! No more infuriating and deafening Zumba music while you try to play badminton, as there are separate spaces for each activity now.

Linwood Sports Cenre is very widely used by people from the Renfrewshire area and beyond. It hold…read moreregular sports tournaments which attract people from all over Scotland. It has really good facilities and runs excellent exercise programmes, such as boxercise, aerobics and tai kwon do. It also has good football pitches for five a side. It has a creche and a play area with soft play area which can be hired for kids birthday parties. Staff here are very good at keeping the kids entertained! It doesnt have a swimming pool, which is a pity and I think it would really benefit from a cafe rather than the vending machines which are all that is available for refreshments.