Oxford

Athletics: The Horspath Road Athletics track is a state-of-the-art facility available to everyone. The facility is designed to encourage both the beginner and expert to try their hand at any track and field discipline. There are facilities for disabled athletes including accessible changing facilities and chair anchorage for field events. Organised coaching sessions are run by Oxford City Athletics Club which use Horspath Road as their home base. There is also a range of sports pitches at Horspath Road. For more information, visit the website: www.oxford.gov.uk/leisure

Ice skating: Home to Oxford Stars Ice Hockey team and the Junior Figure Skating Club, Oxford Ice Rink is in Oxpens, a ten-minute walk from the city centre and railway station. There is a car park next to it. Open daily for sessions between 10am and noon and 2pm to 4pm. On Fridays there is a lunch hour slot from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. Early evening sessions are available from 5.45pm to 7.15pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and 6pm to 7.30pm on Fridays. Later slots are available on Sundays and Mondays at 9pm to 10.30pm and Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm to 10.30pm. The afternoon session on Saturdays features disco lights and a DJ, as do some of the evening sessions.

Skate parks: Meadow Lane recreation ground is home to one the best outdoor skate ramp facilities in the UK. Open to all and free to ride, the park serves hundreds of skaters and bikers from Oxford. There are also skate parks in Blackbird Leys Park and Sunnymead recreation ground.

Swimming and gyms: Oxford City Council offers free swimming for everyone under 17. All you need is a free Kids Slice card, which is available from your nearest council leisure facility. Barton Pool is a brand new 25m, four-lane swimming pool and multi-activity room in Waynflete Road, Barton, East Oxford, which also offers exercises classes. 01865 467290. Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre is in Pegasus Road, East Oxford, five miles from city centre. Activities at the leisure centre include fitness classes, badminton, basketball and five-a-side football. 01865 467020. Located a few minutes’ walk from the centre is the swimming pool, in Blackbird Leys Road. 01865 467040. Ferry Sports Centre, situated in Diamond Place, Summertown, to the north of Oxford, includes a fitness suite, 25-metre, six-lane main pool, learner pool, dance studio, three squash courts, sports hall, therapy room, five-a-side football, basketball and volleyball. 01865 467060. Peers Sports Centre is on the Peers School campus, Sandy Lane West, Littlemore. Facilities include a 20m x 8m swimming pool, sports hall, three squash courts, tennis courts, exercise classes, badminton, basketball and five-a-side football. 01865 467095. Temple Cowley Pools, Temple Road, Cowley, is approximately two miles south east of the city centre. This modern centre offers a wide variety of facilities and activities, including a main pool, learner pool, 20+ station gym, sauna and steam rooms and classes. 01865 467124/467110. When the weather is nice, Hinksey Outdoor Pool is a must. It is situated in Hinksey Park, Lake Street, off the Abingdon Road, one mile south of the city centre. This year it opens on May 5. Facilities include: a large outdoor heated swimming pool, relaxation area, outdoor play area,
disabled toilet and changing facility and refreshments. 01865 467079.

Tennis: There are many opportunities to play indoor and outdoor tennis in the city. The city council runs courts in the following parks: Alexandra Park, Mondays to Sundays, noon to 7.30pm. Bury Knowle Park, Mondays to Fridays noon to 7.30pm and noon to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Cutteslowe Park, Mondays to Fridays noon to 7.30pm and 11am to 7pm at the weekend. Florence Park, Mondays to Fridays noon to 7.30pm and noon to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Hinksey Park, Mondays to Fridays noon to 7.30pm and weekends noon to 6.30pm. Bookings should be made in the kiosks next to the courts. When they are closed, the courts remain open and free to use.

North Oxfordshire

Swimming and gyms: Open seven days a week, Spiceball Park Sports Centre, Spiceball Park Road, Banbury, includes a kinetika gym, workout studio, sauna and steam rooms, 25-metre pool and training pool, squash courts, badminton, short tennis, five-a-side football and a fully-registered creche. 01295 257522. There is a second centre in Banbury — Woodgreen Leisure Centre, Woodgreen Avenue — which has a six rink bowling facility, badminton, table tennis and offers fitness classes. The outdoor pool is currently closed. 01295 262742. Kidlington and Gosford Sports Centre, Oxford Road, Kidlington, has a 25-metre pool, squash courts, sports hall, all-weather pitch, health and fitness studio and a creche. 01865 376368. Facilities at Bicester and Ploughley Sports Centre include a sports hall, two swimming pools, squash courts, fitness studio, two floodlit five-a-side pitches on synthetic grass, studio and creche. The centre is on Queen’s Avenue, Bicester, call 01869 253914.

South Oxfordshire

Swimming and gyms: Abbey Sports Centre, Green Furlong, Berinsfield.
Air-conditioned gym, indoor pool, large sports hall for a variety of racquet sports, ball games and gymnastics, outdoors all-weather pitch for football and workout classes. 01865 341035. Didcot Wave Leisure Pool, Newlands Avenue, Didcot. An indoor leisure pool, including beach area, waves and flume, plus a gym, indoor cycling classes, massage and reflexology and creche. 01235 819888. Also in Didcot is Didcot Leisure Centre, Mereland Road. Facilities include a large sports hall for a variety of racquet sports and ball games, dance studio for workout classes, squash courts and a creche. 01235 811250. Henley Leisure Centre, Gillotts Lane, Henley-on-Thames, has a gym, indoor pool, squash courts, sports hall and aerobics studio. 01491 577909/01491 576890.
Riverside Park and Heated Pools is situated by the Thames in Wallingford.
It has a 20-metre, heated outdoor pool, paddling pool and cafe. 01491 835232.
Park Sports Centre, Wheatley Park School, Holton, includes a gym, sports hall for racquet sports and a dance studio offering workout classes. 01865 872128.
There are also leisure centres in Thame, Wallingford and Wantage.

West Oxfordshire

Sports pitches: There are artificial pitches on Upavon Way, Carterton. Sand based, floodlit and ideal for hockey and football with team changing and showering facilities. 01993 861981 (general) or 01993 861802 (bookings).
There are also similar facilities at Gordon Way, Witney, with pavilion and function room. Bookings on 01993 861802.

Swimming and gyms: Bartholomew Sports Centre, Bartholomew School, Witney Road, Eynsham. Facilities include a gym, group exercise programme, four-court sports hall and disabled changing facility. 01993 861830. Carterton Leisure Centre, Broadshires Way, Carterton. 25-metre main pool and teaching pool, aerobics studio, fitness studio and facilities for disabled people including a pool hoist. 01993 861981. Woodstock Outdoor Pool, Shipton Road, Woodstock, opens on April 19. There is a main swimming pool with diving board, paddling pool, indoor changing rooms and hot showers, cafe and grassed area. 01993 811785. There are also leisure centres with pools in Chipping Norton and Witney.

Vale Of White Horse

Athletics and football: Tilsley Park, Dunmore Road, Abingdon. A football and athletics centre with five-a-side Astroturf, floodlit football pitches, a floodlit, eight-lane athletics track with 300 seat covered grandstand and two, full-size floodlit artificial turf pitches with 200 seat grandstand. The centre is open from 9am to 10pm, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm on Saturday, and 9am to 4.30pm on Sunday. 01235 524524. Two football pitches without changing facilities are provided free of charge at Barrow Hills, and Long Furlong, both in Abingdon. To book, call 01235 520202.

Skate park: Abingdon Skate Park, next to the White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre in Audlett Drive, was opened in August 2007 after four years of fundraising and hard work by a group of Vale skaters. The £122,000 site is considered by many to be the best of its kind in the county and attracts young people from far and wide to try out their skateboarding and BMX skills.

Swimming and gyms: Abbey Meadows Outdoor Swimming Pool, Abbey Close, Abingdon. 40-metre heated outdoor pool, learner pool, hot showers, disabled changing facilities, interactive fun water feature for children and snack kiosk. 01235 530678. Faringdon Leisure Centre, Fernham Road, Faringdon. Facilities include gym, indoor swimming pool, spa pool, steam room and sauna, large sports hall for a variety of racquet sports and ball games and two squash courts with viewing area. 01367 241755.

Tennis: White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre, Audlett Abingdon. Indoor and outdoor public pay and play tennis courts. Open from 6.30am to 10.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 7am to 10.30pm on Sunday. Other facilities include gym, aerobic studios, squash courts, indoor five-a-side football, badminton, netball, basketball and bowls, eight-lane competition swimming pool, with a teaching pool and toddler pool, sauna and steam rooms. 01235 540700.