Vagabond is opening a new N7 branch

Lololala

On the Holloway Rd on March 1st.

TheMimsy

Whereabouts on Holloway Road?

kreuzkav

<font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2">Holloway Road could do with a bit of trendiness and I think Vagabond do it in a good way. <br></font><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font></div><div><font face="Arial, Verdana" size="2"><br></font><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><br></div>

checkski

About 50 - 100 yards up from Highbury Corner, on the left, I think.

nick_m

Shame. Wish it was more up our end. There's a good place near there already called le peche mignon. 

krappyrubsnif

Very interested to hear of good caffs near Highbury corner, especially ones with wifi. I'm around there often as I swim/use the gym.

Marquis

How do you get to use that gym? I remember going in there once to ask for their rates, but instead of just telling me or handing me a brochure I had to book a face-to-face membership options consultation the next week (no thanks, not at this stage, can I have a sleep about that, do you have a leaflet by any chance, no thanks, ok thanks, bye, thanks). At the end of that I was given a leaflet with membership options, but by that time I had decided to stick to running and doing my own exercise. They don't allow for drop-in swimmers either, or do they? Coffee and wifi session after swimming sounds bad!

krappyrubsnif

I'm talking about the swimming pool and gym at Highbury Leisure Centre, on the edge of Highbury Fields just around the corner (behind that music club).    Council facility but part-privatised I think.    In my opinion the best and definitely most affordable facility in the area - clean, well run, helpful staff, good opening hours - excellent and well-maintained gym suite.     Pretty OK sauna and steam area.     Easily beats the filthy, broken down crappy pool and gym at Park Road.     <br><br>I have membership which is very reasonable indeed, only a few quid a month all-in, but it all depends on what facilities you sign up to, whether you opt for off-peak, and if you get any concessions.    I recommend giving it a go.<br><br><br>

Marquis

Strange, I'm talking about the same place. I found them fussy and needlessly difficult. But that's a few years ago now and things may have changed.

krappyrubsnif

They are now run by some kind of not-for-profit company with offices next to the Sobell Centre.   True, I have in the past had a couple of Kafkaesque discussions with their head office because of a mix-up over a bank payment, but that could happen anywhere.   Theirs is the only annual subscription I have ever paid by regular standing order that actually went *down* year-on-year, as they reduced their charges......<br>

andy

I used to be a member of Park Road gym and thought it was fine.

krappyrubsnif

Park Road was terrible.  I suppose the gym was just about all right but the swimming pool has always been dire, dirty, badly run, unhelpful staff. <br><br>I had to complain regularly about the little things such as NEVER any soap in the handbasin dispensers in the toilet/shower area and often no bogroll - you went for a crap and then you couldn't wash your hands before going in the pool.    Even after complaining personally to the supposed 'manager' no soap ever appeared.   Yuck!    <br><br>Constantly broken showers, lockers, a whole changing room with unusable lockers because people had stolen the keys.   Hair dryers that constantly swallowed your money for days on end, that nobody ever put an 'out of order notice on.  (On complaining to handyman an angry response - 'I've been working here for fifteen years, do you think I've got time for that?'  Says it all really.)   Long queues to get in, bored, listless counter staff.    Fast track gates that didn't actually function.<br><br>There is a 'users group' that makes constant complaints, which I occasionally find in my inbox, but I doubt if it ever achieves anything.<br><br>Moved to Highbury, have never had anything serious to complain about.    Always free soap in the showers.   Yay!<br>

Papa

We normally go to Park Road to swim, but I agree wholeheartedly with most of KRS' criticism. <br><br>I think it is reasonable to expect a certain standard of cleanliness and service, ie for the locks on cubicle doors that have been broken for six months to a year to be fixed, and  think you should be able to doubly expect that for the amount it charges for swimming.<br><br>I like the fact it is nearby and that the baby pool is good for our two-year-old and I like that it has diving boards, although I get to use them less now as you can't take a toddler on them.<br><br>Might sample Highbury though now.<br><br><br>

Mirandola

<P>Ironmonger Row baths near Old Street (direct train from Finsbury Park on weekdays) is beautiful and never crowded. It's only £4 for a swim and if you get a membership with the non-profit that run it you get free access to the open air heated pools at London Fields and Covent Garden, the victorian pool in Kentish town and dozens of others. </P>

andy

I must have sleepwalked through all of that! I'm obviously so 'in the zone' when exercising* that I'm just too focussed to notice.<div><br></div><div>*note: I am not in the zone when exercising</div>

miss annie

<P>The lady that runs the spa at Ironmonger Row is a customer of ours, she's dropped off some freebie vouchers so I'm going to give it a whirl, the pictures on the leaflets look glorious. My nephews dad used to have school swimming lessons there in the '70's and he said it was great then.</P> <P><A href="http://www.better.org.uk/leisure/ironmonger-row-baths/page/73">http://www.better.org.uk/leisure/ironmonger-row-baths/page/73</A></P>;