This isn’t one of those shiny, impersonal fitness chains where the staff forget your name the second you sign up. Lee On The Solent feels like a club that has history, and I mean that in the most charming way possible. You walk in, and there’s a faint echo of decades of tennis serves and squash boasts bouncing off the walls. The bar area—yes, a proper club bar—still has that “just finished a match, let’s talk about it” energy that’s rare to find these days.
But don’t let the “old school” vibe fool you, because the facilities are surprisingly sharp. The courts (both tennis and squash) are well-maintained, and the fitness gym has enough iron to make any serious lifter happy. It’s like your cool uncle’s garage gym, but with better lighting and fewer oil stains. And a bar. You see the priorities are in order here.
Tennis: Grass, Clay, and Artificial Turf (Oh My!)
If you’re a tennis player, this place is basically a playground. They’ve got four artificial grass courts that play beautifully, a couple of clay courts for when you want to feel like you’re at the French Open, and some floodlit hard courts for those dramatic night matches. I tried the grass courts myself, and let me tell you, sliding on them feels like a cheat code for getting to drop shots. Just be prepared to pick a few bits of rubber out of your shoes afterward—I’m still finding them in my gym bag.
What I love is that the members range from absolute beginners (like my poor, humble self) to absolute demons who can place the ball on a sixpence. There’s a real mix of friendly social doubles and intense singles leagues. Nobody judges you for double-faulting, but they will absolutely celebrate when you nail a cross-court winner. It’s a supportive sort of chaos.
Squash: The Sport of Masochistic Joy
Remember my opening anecdote? Yeah, that’s squash in a nutshell. The club has three international-standard squash courts, which basically means the walls are true and the floor is bouncy enough to punish your knees. If you’ve never played, imagine trying to hit a wall with a racket while simultaneously dodging a very angry, very fast fruit. It’s addictive, it’s exhausting, and it’s probably the best cardio you’ll ever hate.
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The squash community here is passionate. They run box leagues, tournaments, and even social evenings where beginners can get trounced by friendly experts. I went to one of their “Squash 101” sessions, and the coach—a retired pro with a wicked sense of humor—spent ten minutes just teaching us how to stop hitting ourselves in the shins. True story. You’ll leave with a purple bruise and a new obsession.
