Barnet leisure centres and pools: where they are and what a swim costs

Barnet’s leisure centres are operated by Better, the trading name of GLL, under contract to the council. There are five, and the first thing worth knowing is that two of them do not have a pool.

The five centres

Copthall Leisure Centre is on Champions Way, NW4 1PX, on 020 8457 9900. Finchley Lido is at Chaplin Square, N12 0GL, on 020 8343 9830. Hendon Leisure Centre is on Marble Drive, NW2 1XQ. Burnt Oak Leisure Centre is on Watling Avenue, HA8 0NP, on 020 8201 0982. New Barnet Leisure Centre is at 1 Lawton Road, EN4 9BS.

Hendon and Burnt Oak have no swimming pool. If you have arrived at either with a towel, that is why.

The pools

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Copthall has three: a learner pool, a 25-metre six-lane community pool and a 25-metre eight-lane competition pool. New Barnet has a learner pool and a 25-metre six-lane pool. Finchley Lido, despite the name, is an indoor centre with an outdoor pool alongside.

What it costs

A casual adult swim is £8.45 for a non-member and £6.00 for a member. A junior swim is £5.30 and £3.50. Adult gym use is £14.40 and £11.00, except at Hendon where it is £14.10 and £10.75.

Monthly membership prices are the one thing not published in a form we can quote. Better renders them on the page after it loads rather than in the page itself, so they change without notice and cannot be checked against a fixed source. Ask at the centre or on the operator’s site.

Before you travel

Lane swimming, lessons and club bookings take out large parts of the week at every pool, and the timetables differ between centres. Check the timetable for the specific centre rather than assuming a pool is open because the building is.