Castle Leisure Centre

Fantastic experience: Fantastic class with Julie Porter

Negative experience: Rude staff, dilapidated and dirty. Avoid!

Negative experience: Stacy (instructor) is a joke, my 10yo daughter hsd fell over st school grazing herself, the grazes hurt in the water. When she told stacy, she told her to stop complaining and get back in the pool and that her son has an ear infection in both ears and doesnt complain. Needs firing

Negative experience: Would be 5 as normal if the Virtual classed worked

Positive experience: Attended for a dance competition with my daughter, was ok. Clean and tidy enough

Fantastic experience: Watching my grandchildren learn to swim.

Fantastic experience: I love it here. It has everything I need here to get into shape.gym..swimming..zumba..badminton..spin classes etc all at an affordable monthly price

Fantastic experience: Really well equipped. Many people think that as it’s a council facility it won’t be up to date but it really is. Large pool and kids pool as well as squash and lots of classes. Reasonable prices too. Really good place.

Negative experience: Went on Saturday Morning with a 4 year old The pool was absolutely freezing.. which made it worse was the cold draft blowing through. His little teeth were chattering he was that cold. Only stayed 30 minutes! Not a nice experience!

Positive experience: Would be the perfect place for the gym and a shower if only there was a hair dryer in the male dry side changing room.

Negative experience: Would love attend but the booking page just buffs and buffs so I won’t be taking my grandson swimming. Also no one to speak to since bury council decided to finish the reception staff

Positive experience: Swimming pool - fun for the kids

Fantastic experience: Had a fantastic time. Just wish the pools were a bit warmer and the teaching pool stayed open till the end of fun activities.

Fantastic experience: Good

Negative experience: Overall good experience. But feel like I'm learning to swim and none of the lanes are good for someone like me. It's annoying because the medium pool had something going on it. So if your learning to swim or gain more confidence swimming this isn't a good place to start. No free roaming. And feel under pressure to swim fast. Its a fun atmosphere and overall I'm happy with it but felt very nervous and anxious to swim. But felt people were judging but I couldn't go far as I'm learning.

Positive experience: Pleasant place to go but definitely some modernisation needed. Men's swimming shower room had loads of tiny flys near the showers. Other than that though staff are really helpful, the facilities are decent and an overall improves the community.

Negative experience: Online reservation system is confusing and the pool itself is way too packed, with people swimming on top of each other. Also annoying that you have to pick your lane speed in advance when you haven’t been in the pool - it varies depending on who is in the water.

Positive experience: This place has helped me with my swimming since I was a kid and now my kids building up confidence in the water and other facilities have been great and staff are always there to help you in person that is but there only two issues with the place, one being the phone lines are never available to be able to talk to someone which can provide difficult with inquiries and don't get a response by email for about 3 days, two the changing room is like walking thou the Atlantic with that's cold breeze hitting you as you walk in or out of it where the kids hate it.

Positive experience: Great gym induction by Paul, very knowledgeable and friendly give him five stars he’s been great! Gym is a nice environment & all the equipment seems new. Swimming changing rooms not the best, doesn’t feel very clean. But apart from that the centre has been great so far! Would be easier to have an app we can use to scan into the gym or key rings it’s just more convenient than the card we scan.

Negative experience: Some staff are very rude.

Fantastic experience: Love it amazing always go pool diff depths and is a comfortable temperature should go!

Fantastic experience: Great to watch my granddaughter have her first swimming lesson.

Negative experience: I don't understand why you can't just turn up for a swim. I was wanting to take my granddaughter who is one. There was no info on the website and no one to answer the phones. How is this progress.

Positive experience: Great classes but centre is in need of a revamp.

Negative experience: Child came home crying

Negative experience: Haven’t visited in a while, decided seeing as Radcliffe pool is no more then I’d visit here wish I hadn’t bothered, the new “system” to enter is so ridiculous I didn’t even get past the entrance lobby as you now not only have to book online but type all your details in again to confirm once you arrive completely inefficient, takes too long, extremely unhygienic as the new screens you have to type on were filthy the ticker I was issued with was useless as it simply would not allow me through the new barriers so ended up stood being ignored by the two staff for 15 minutes despite my obvious attempts to enter which they both saw asked to be refunded by a surly overly opinionated member of staff who implied that I’d deliberately not gone in to “skip my session” as if I’d made time out of my day to come down simply to avoid a penalty fee totally unacceptable useless booking/entry system and even more useless staff stood watching customers without a thought to help and to give backchat too ? I’d go elsewhere if I were you as I will be doing from today absolute joke of a place

Fantastic experience: The centre has got many facilities: pools, badminton, squash, table tennis, basketball, netball, football pitches and manymore. It offers gym with many extra classes and training for all ages.

Positive experience: Swimming Facilities are good for both kids & elders. You will find Different swimming pools of different depths with moderate water temperature. Fee is reasonable. Gym is congested and I did feel like joining the gym, not much hustle and bustle in the gym.

Positive experience: Great place for a swim. Book in advance

Fantastic experience: Gym induction by Paul knowledgeable thorough and with care about my ability.really enjoyed this can't wait to return.

Negative experience: ABSOLUTELY TRAUMATISED HORRIBLE STAFF SHOUTING ESPECIALLY STACY HORRIBLE MADE MY CHILD CRY

Negative experience: Bury leisure? My wife’s a member for swimming she’s booked in for Thursday and Friday unfortunately she cannot attend on Friday but trying to cancel this is impossible you can’t get on there website and nobody will answer the phone so ladies and gentlemen if they try to fine you £2.00 for not attending I think they are in for a argument. If they can’t get there Systems to work somebody should be able to answer the phone. PS I’d like the people who organised this to explain how they think it is the right way to help people.

Fantastic experience: Joined the gym about a month ago love going every day .The staff are lovely I would recommend to anyone

Negative experience: Wouldn't even give one star Life guards are clearly unable to do their jobs properly and had me last minute stranded in the deepest part no chance of them guiding me to the side of the pool to hold on Instead they cut off that access which scared me and made me panic which results in drowning and as someone with thalasophobia trying to get over that fear it has made me very uncomfortable

Positive experience: Friendly helpful staff, great kids swim teacher

Fantastic experience: A great facility, everything you need to keep fit as an individual or as a family. I go swimming 3 x weekly, excellent! Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Negative experience: Tried to get through on phone after 5 minutes told me phones not monitored..and all bookings on phone. How abysmal

Fantastic experience: Great range of facilities. Had a really helpful induction to the gym. Just need to motivate myself to go regularly. Helpful staff on reception and elsewhere.

Negative experience: A Male in the female changing rooms… complained to manageress who didn’t apologise, just said if lots of women are in there, why are only you complaining?? Next minute several women were complaining to her but still no apology… Also faeces in one of the cubicles… absolutely disgusting!!! I will not be back…

Fantastic experience: Getting ready for AMA karate competition

Negative experience: What a shocking little dump of a place. Changing rooms smell like pee. It’s like the green room for the Jeremy Kyle show, if he gave out arm bands instead of paternity tests. Where the great unwashed go to wash… well and truly gross.

Negative experience: I can't post without stars but believe me i would give No stars! P With Radcliffe pool closing my Daughter was transferred to Castle leisure for her swimming lessons and she was in the Diving pool with an instructor called Jamie who to be honest could easily of been a guard in aushwitz my daughter said that she shouts at the students and is very pushy! the instructor from Radcliffe (kaitlin) was fantastic towards the students and in my opinion she should have transfered with them. If you want your child to be shouted at and not just by Jamie but other instructors were also shouting then please go and enjoy the experience but this is not for my daughter!.

Positive experience: Good facilities, decent price. Only things are when i finish work and get to the gym theres a load of kids in (some of them no older than 12/13) doing half sets one every machine one at a time, not knowing what their doing, no real plan, and taking up every single machine just messing. I think 5:30 - 8pm should be adults only. The kids have 3:30 - 5:30 to do their messing. Also bank holliday hours really need updating on the website or app or at least make people aware bank hollidays are sunday hours and un bookable at other times. I took my pre workout and was able to book my session on the app for 6:15am, only to get there and it was shut. You can only imagine what i had to do to controll the pre workout buzz.also that new gate is soo anoying and doesnt work half the time and the app keeps logging me out whilst im trying to book.

Negative experience: The water in the family pool was cloudy and the bottom felt a bit slippy. Really unpleasant. The family changing area is very small, very dated and has a single shower and toilet so lots of queuing required. Compare this to other leisure centres within a half hour drive and this is an embarrassment to Bury. The staff were friendly and helpful but much better facilities are available elsewhere if you have the transportation.

Fantastic experience: My son loves the gym

Fantastic experience: Great swimming pool...take my daughter weekly, always clean and staff friendly

Fantastic experience: Last time I'm coming your swimming is very nice

Negative experience: Difficult to find anything on the website. Kept asking to join and not able to find what I was after. Went a few weeks ago and told the session I went for was no longer running. But signs still advertising it. Modern scanning system I find hard to use as have to scan to get in and then have to scan again to enter the activity. Not user friendly with this type of technology for people like myself that aren't technical minded.

Negative experience: I had an appointment you'll never turned up so I left very disappointed

Fantastic experience: Great for family swim sessions

Negative experience: On my forth visit to the swimming baths I was swimming in the fast lane and although not the fastest in the fast lane, it wasn't busy, I wasn't in anyone's way and there had been no complaints but the lifeguard Steve decided to stop me swimming to tell me I was in the wrong lane because I was slightly slower than the other swimmers. He did this very publicly and in an extremely condescending and humiliating way so that everyone in the pool could stop to watch him embarrass me. He spoke to me like a child and didn't listen to anything I had to say. It was very unprofessional, had there actually been an issue or complaint he could have spoken to me when I got out in private. The lane wasn't even busy, if I had been in the slow lane I would have been overtaking women who just stand there chatting, if I had swam in the middle lane I would have been repeatedly hit by backstroke swimmers and that lane was particularly busy. I don't feel I would be comfortable going back there. Facilities are okay but shame about the staff.

Negative experience: I asked to use the gym. They said I couldn't use it if I have never used it before... So what am I supposed to do to get started? I am so confused

Positive experience: You can join a private gym for the same money, I go really for the kids

Negative experience: Went today for the first swimming session at the leasure centre. Several pools available and good facilities. Went to the ladies only swim due to religious reasons. To my surprise one of the pools were being occupied by school children (both girls and boys). I found several men still using the pool at a time when it should have been Ladies only. I expected a female Lifeguard, but for half of the time there a male Lifeguard was on duty. I expected better, especially for it being such a big centre. Some changes need to be made if they want woman from all backgrounds/religions to be comfortable with swimming there. Was planning on having this centre as the place for my weekly swimming sessions, but that can no longer be the case unless some changes happen.

Negative experience: The new computer booking system is a disaster.

Negative experience: Booking system is pathetic. Poor planning by management.

Fantastic experience: I had to swim a large pool and at the end of it is deep.

Negative experience: Absolutely terrible! The water isn't very warm, there's nothing for kids to play with, the viewing area is run down and tired, the diving boards are closed, the shallow end of the main pool is blocked off, my six year old got very upset while he was in there due to a group of unruly kids and when we asked if we could change to the smaller pool we were told absolutely not and that we would have to book separately for that. We now travel to Chorley allseasons swimming baths which is a much more pleasant experience, plenty of pool toys and floats,can transition from the main pool into the smaller warmer pool and far more welcoming, cleaner and brighter. Stay away from the underfunded,dingy hole that is bury swimming baths. Bury council would rather spend money on ridiculous cycle paths than invest in fun places for local children to go during the holidays.

Negative experience: This was a terrible experienced me and two of my friends came here and there was some boys we got in lanes we stayed in the shallow end and we got kicked out bc I could swim the whole way but it the only play I can swim at

Negative experience: The booking system is a nightmare! So much trouble to book a swim. But can't risk showing up and not being able to swim with a young family. Needs looking into. Current dance competitions taking up all the parking and no notice from the centre prior to the event to ensure those using the centre for its facilities park elsewhere or arrive earlier. Poor communication from the centre overall.

Positive experience: Swimming lessons for the little one. Lots of parking Good facilities

Negative experience: Terrible website, what's the point of a booking service that doesn't allow you to book

Fantastic experience: A bit dated but clean and great value for money

Fantastic experience: Staff was kind Every thing was good and cleen inveronment Just bad signal for your phone

Positive experience: I went for .my first yoga beginners class on Monday.. and really enjoyed it ...so I will be there again next Monday.

Fantastic experience: Great place to take your kids swimming.

Negative experience: I normally love coming here but today the family changing rooms stunk of urine but a r a really nasty smell, like it had been more than a days passed and it’s not been cleaned kind of smell.. and a male staff member kept just walking past and staring as people were mentioning it so he definitely heard and ignored the situation. Then in the actual kids pool it was so cold we all had goosebumps even moving around in the pool it was still cold would probably not come again now.

Fantastic experience: My son attended weekly lessons here for years and now my daughter does the same. Teachers and staff are great and very reasonably priced. Pool is never freezing. Definitely the only place I go to swim!

Fantastic experience: Really nice place especially for spectators good seating position.

Fantastic experience: Good basic centre for health purposes. Yoga swimming etc. Staff efficient and friendly.

Positive experience: The gym is class up to date treadmills and exercise bikes have screens on them so can choose a circuit from anywhere in world. Swimming is OK a little dated but clean and well maintained. Separate pool for little children. Well staffed all polite.

Fantastic experience: Love love love the classes here the instructors are absolutely brilliant, body positivity, all age ranges, massive variety of classes by very enthusiastic knowledgeable instructors, great gym too

Fantastic experience: Good facilities. Refund car parking fee if you present the receipt

Positive experience: I've been going to the gym here for over 5 years, the gym is great if you don't like crowded places. Has all the equipment you need really. The staff are always Friendly / Welcoming. Although if you take your bike to this leisure centre I would be cautious as bikes do get stolen from here quite frequently, my bike got stolen in 2018. And someone's bike was stolen just over 2 / 3 months ago. So it is a recurring problem. So I would be alert if you do travel here on your bike.

Negative experience: Haven't been here for 20 years. First time back and still exactly how it used to be. Majorly in need of updating. Family changing room needs to be so much better than they are. The app you've got to use is dreadful. Wouldn't accept my payment and when it did I couldn't change or cancel my timeslot so called but was on the phone for over 30 mins and no answer. Baby pool was quite cold to say its for kids so had to get my lad out after half an hour as he was shivering. Not impressed at all.

Fantastic experience: Staff friendly, facilities good.

Fantastic experience: Great place for swimming, Table Tennis and Squash. Can't comment on other activities as these are the only ones I do

Fantastic experience: This is a great place. Very good staff and nice large pool. Shame that Bury Council don’t invest in or maintain the place. Why is there a barrier in the rear car park with the arm missing and wiring hanging out of an electric control panel? Diving boards not in use and closed off because they can’t be bothered to upgrade them. They’ve closed the cafeteria in favour of a vending machine for to financial pressure and replaced it with some seating which is just a dead unused area and could be so much better

Positive experience: Update 21/08/2022 - Staff have now put signs up in the disabled toilet and shower asking people to not tie up the emergency cords & these were not tied up on my most recent visit. Thank you! Original review below: My review is of the pool and service received only - This is a good leisure centre with friendly staff. Discounts are available for people meeting certain criteria at an upfront cost of £6.50 The main pool is quite large. Not exactly warm but at the same time not too cold. One thing I would suggest is putting some signage up to make people aware of hidden disabilities (in fact, work with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme) - I had one customer tell me I shouldn't have used the disabled changing room which I assume is because to them I "don't appear disabled" as I don't use any mobility aids such as a wheelchair, even though I am autistic and find publicly shared changing rooms overwhelming. Also, please put some signage up in the disabled shower and toilets to not tie up the red emergency cord. I had to untie these twice. They exist for a reason, in case someone slips and falls they can get help by pulling it I will be visiting again. Thank you for a good swim session

Negative experience: worst pool i ever been too dirty changing rooms pool dirty 1st aider was not about took a hour off so not one person there could do 1st aid the flume no warning signs to lie down attendent was to busy on phone at the top to look after the patrons please close this place down

Fantastic experience: They have a brilliant gym

Positive experience: Have only used swimming pool with kids & nice, clean facilities.

Positive experience: Why are the blinds always down in the main swimming area and all the lights burning away when we are constantly being asked to save energy.

Positive experience: Decent leisure center. 1 life guard however is rather miserable (older guy whitd beard) and one life guard just disappeared so we couldnt access the pool at the booked time

Fantastic experience: Love Castle leisure centre. I attend several studio classes each week. Great instructors, good range of classes, friendly and the membership price is very reasonable.

Fantastic experience: Friendly and helpful people here Fantastic environment

Fantastic experience: We go to family yoga and love it

Fantastic experience: Love this place. Debbie and Julie you rock and I miss you when am not there..

Positive experience: i like this leisure center for swimming as it has teaching pool as well as main pool

Positive experience: Swimming teachers, cleaners, life guards all seem great but there is one lady with blonde hair that works behind the desk that is such a jobs worth

Negative experience: Not great for paid for (not particularly cheap either) Swimming lessons. Cancellations happen frequently and a number of the Teachers appear pretty useless - not all however.

Fantastic experience: Lovely clean place perfect for a family swim

Negative experience: I go here for the adult swim I stay in the slow lane , no matter what day I go all I get is ppl stood around or floating around chatting to each other it interrupts my swim the medium lane is the same it’s a absolute nightmare staff say nothing at all to them and I have spoken to them a few times over this , tues ladies only swim is even worse you can’t even get down the steps without them congregating around that area , the slow lane should have its name changed to stop n chat lane , staff should be advising them that it’s called adult SWIM for a reason , there are plenty of cafes in bury to go n sit with your mates for a chat

Fantastic experience: Great facilities offering many options for old and young, for the able and not so able.

Fantastic experience: A great place for football, swimming, squash, TT, gym etc. Managed well by the council and very clean. Parking is also good, can be busy at times

Negative experience: Mrs Lee used to teach my eldest daughter but since her retirement they have WAY oversubscribed the swimming classes to the point where my eldest (6) had to swim in the diving pool. The teacher she had (Leanne) was rude to the children and just doesn’t seem to want to be there. We also foolishly signed our youngest (3) up for classes but she cried and cried but the instructor continued nonetheless. Under the mistaken impression that the instructor knows what she is doing. The lifeguard then approached us after that lesson and asked us to put in a formal complaint as the lesson should have been stopped. Our daughter was forced to jump in the pool at the end of the lesson despite being rigid with fear. Both me and mum now feel incredibly guilty for ignoring our gut instincts to step in and get her out of the pool. We were promised a refund after removing both kids from this pool for their lessons and moving elsewhere. It has taken weeks and weeks for that to be processed. I would recommend avoiding this place like a crohn’s patient would avoid a vindaloo. Awful instructors, oversubscribed, dirty and poorly managed from the top down.

Positive experience: Brill friendly staff with some great facilities

Positive experience: I love castle leisure centre but I have given it a 4 becuase of online booking but definetly would recommend

Fantastic experience: Just wanted to say how very understanding & kind the staff are with my autistic son he will knock things over when he comes in to the entrance signs etc!! It’s a compulsion at the moment unfortunately & he loves going swimming! Just makes it so much easier for us to bring him thanks you so much for your patience from Andrea newey!!

Fantastic experience: A really good gym that has a good mixed aged membership. Staff are really helpful.