Looking after your physical health

The University of Edinburgh Sport department offers a wide range of opportunities to help you stay active and support your health. Whether you’re on campus or out exploring the city, there are plenty of ways to improve your physical wellbeing. Even small, manageable changes can have a big impact on both your body and mind.

Check out our gym membership options, join a group walk, or train using the free Technogym app.
 

Keeping active

Our Active Lives team offers a wide range of opportunities to help you stay active in ways that are enjoyable, social, and flexible around your lifestyle.

Explore our dedicated hubs:

Running Hub - programmes, routes and groups for all levels
Walking Hub - local trails, guided walks and wellbeing routes
 

Sport & Fitness Facilities

University of Edinburgh Sport provides discounted membership options for University of Edinburgh staff. Memeberships include access to 

The Pleasance Gym

Easter Bush Gym

100+ exercise classes a week

Member swim sessions at St Leonard’s Land swimming pool.

View all gym membership options here

The Pleasance Sport Complex and Gym

The University of Edinburgh's main indoor sports centre and gym facilities are located on the Pleasance in the centre of Edinburgh.

The Pleasance also provides facilities for a variety of team and individual sports as well as an extensive programme of exercise classes and workshops.

About the Pleasance Sport Complex and Gym

The Easter Bush Gym

Serving the students and staff of the Easter Bush Campus and Roslin Innovation Centre, the Gym is located in the Charnock Bradley Building at the Easter Bush Campus.

About the Easter Bush Gym

Peffermill Playing Fields

Located only two and a half miles from the city centre, Peffermill offers a hugely impressive array of training and competition facilities for everybody to enjoy.

About Peffermill

CrossFit 1583

Located at Peffermill Playing Fields, CrossFit 1583 is the University’s state-of-the-art CrossFit facility, offering coached classes suitable for beginners through to experienced athletes.

Find out more about CrossFit 1583

Firbush Outdoor Centre

The University’s residential outdoor activity centre, Firbush offers an extensive programme of watersport and mountain activities throughout the year. 

Firbush also offers spaces year round for reading parties, team building, management training courses and conferences, there really is something for everybody.

About Firbush

Staff discounts to other gyms

University staff are eligible for discounts to a number of gyms in and around Edinburgh.

Staff Discounts

Workshops

Our workshops offer blocks of specialised sessions, suitable for all abilities and open to both members and non-members. They’re a great way to gain confidence, learn new techniques and stay motivated.

Discover our workshops

UoE Sport x Technogym App

Stay active wherever you are with the UoE Sport Technogym App. Whether you’re on campus or at home, the app provides guidance, inspiration, and gentle motivation to help you move in a way that suits you.

With the app, you can:

• Explore personalised workouts tailored to your goals and fitness level
• Track your progress and celebrate your achievements
• Stay connected with the UoE Sport community

All at your own pace - fitness made flexible, fun, and accessible.

Discover more about download the app here

Edinburgh Sports Clinic

The Edinburgh Sports Clinic is Scotland’s premier multi-disciplinary sports injuries and physiotherapy centre, supporting everyone from elite athletes to recreational exercisers.

The clinic offers treatment, rehabilitation, and performance services, delivered by a highly qualified team based within the Pleasance Sport Complex and Gym.

Explore the Edinburgh Sports Clinic

Wellbeing Weekends

Take time out to reset at one of our Wellbeing Weekends, held throughout the year and designed to restore balance through activity, nature and connection.

Learn more about Wellbeing Weekends

University Clubs

There are a number of clubs and societies open to University staff.

Edinburgh University Staff Cricket Club

The EUSCC play cricket every Saturday during league time and also midweek evening games. Home matches are played at Peffermill.

Edinburgh University Staff Cricket club (EUSCC)

Staff Golf Club - SAUSAGES

The SAUSAGES organise a series of enjoyable outings to various golf courses throughout the Lothians and sometimes beyond.

SAUSAGES

Enjoying our city

Edinburgh is a beautiful city to walk around.

There are many interesting buildings, streets, shops and green spaces to investigate on foot.

Walking is a cost effective, healthy and enjoyable way to get around Edinburgh.

The city has a number of traffic free green spaces such as Princes Street Gardens, The Meadows, Holyrood Park, and Calton Hill. Edinburgh even has its own mini-mountain in Holyrood Park - the famous Arthur's Seat.

Historic Scotland have produced this leaflet describing walks around Holyrood Park.

Walks around Holyrood Park by Historic Scotland (Pdf 954KB)

The Pentland Hills Regional Park is located to the south of Edinburgh. Information on the activities you can do in the Pentland Hills Regional Park are available on the Pentland Hills Regional Park website.

Pentland Hills Regional Park

Walking at the University

Walking to, from and whilst at the University, is a great way to keep active.

The University has a rich variety of architecture, history and green space with a number of interesting walking routes.

To plan a walking journey, you can use the walkit.com journey planner. This journey planner will tell you:

• the best route to walk.
• approximately how long the walk will take.
• the distance of the walk.
• the approximate number of calories you will burn.

To use the walkit.com journey planner, all you need to do is enter the name of your origin and destination.

Walkit.com

If you require more details of your origin or destination at the University, the University's campus maps provide details of all University buildings.

Campus maps

Lunchtime walks and walking clubs

Walking groups are simply a way of getting out and about at lunchtime and participating in walking as a means of getting healthier and fitter. Walking groups also provide an opportunity to catch up with and make new friends.

These groups aren't competitive and walks are at a comfortable pace. The walks are local to the area and will last 15-25 minutes, leaving plenty of time to have your lunch.

The University and Paths for All have joined forces to promote walking amongst staff.

The groups are led by University staff who have an interest in walking and who have been fully trained as a walk leader by the Health and Safety Department.

More information about lunchtime walking groups

The University provides the opportunity for staff to be trained as a Workplace Walk Leader, and will pay for staff wishing to attend a half-day Walk Leader course.

Further details for those interested in becoming a Workplace Walk Leader are available below.

Walk Leaders Information (PDF)

Curious Edinburgh

For those interested in the fascinating and important scientific, medical and technological heritage of the city of Edinburgh, the tours on the Curious Edinburgh website and its accompanying app will act as a guide to the history of ideas in the Athens of the North. The stories were sought from the history of Edinburgh, and will inspire, inform and amuse both visitors and residents of the city. There are currently tours available on the general history of science, the history of geology, the history of physics, the history of medicine, the history of genetics and biotechnology, and the Scottish Enlightenment. On top of this, there are also community tours, including the Jewish history of Edinburgh, the UnCoverED tour and The Black Lives Matter Mural Tour.

Curious Edinburgh Tours

JogScotland

Alternatively you may wish to up the pace and join one of the University's JogScotland groups!

These groups offer a fun and supportive way of exercising and are suitable for all fitness levels.

More information about the University's JogScotland groups

Cycling

Regular cycling can improve your health, save you money and reduce your environmental impact.

The Transport Office has published guidance on what support is available within the University:

Cycling

There are many sources of guidance and advice available online to support getting active and being healthier

Public Health Scotland

There are many sources of guidance and advice available online to support getting active and being healthier. Below you will find an example of these in the local area.

Scottish Government

Physical activity and sport policy page

Active Scotland Division has overarching responsibility for the delivery of the Scottish Governments policy for sport and physical activity as set out within the Active Scotland Outcome framework.

Eating well

The University of Edinburgh is committed to the promotion and provision of healthy eating choices.

Good Food Policy

Good Food Policy

Accommodation Services

Accommodation Services provide and actively promote healthy food and drink options in their catering outlets, for which they currently hold a number of healthy eating awards.

The University of Edinburgh is also committed to sustainable food practices. Our Good Food Policy takes a whole institution approach to food and its connection to health and sustainability.

In-house catering facilities

For those unable to access Accommodation Services catering facilities or who prefer to bring in their own food, kitchen areas are available throughout the University.

Vending machines

If you have a vending machine in your School or building and feel healthier options would be beneficial, ask the local School Administrator to contact the supplier of the vending machine products to request healthier options.

Edinburgh First

Edinburgh First provide catering for meetings and events at the University, which can be booked through the MyEd online booking form.

MyEd

There are many healthy options on offer, and they will also cater for specialist dietary requirements. Make this request in the additional information box in the MyEd online booking form.