For most of padel’s growth in the UK, Cumbria was the gap on the map. While Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle built out multi-court venues and leagues, west Cumbria had nothing – the nearest indoor courts were over the border in Preston or up in Ayrshire, both well over an hour’s drive from Workington. That changed when Racquet Club 24 opened opposite Dunmail Park, and it changed fast: four courts became nine within months.

If you’re in Workington, Whitehaven, or anywhere along the west Cumbrian coast wondering where to play, this is the guide.

At a glance

Venue: Racquet Club 24

Address: Dunmail Park West, Workington, CA14 1NH – one mile from the A66, on the A596

Courts: 9 indoor panoramic courts (expanded from 4 at opening)

Facilities: Heated players’ lounge, changing rooms, free parking, WiFi, equipment rental, disabled access

Booking: App-based, also listed on Playtomic – book solo and get matched by skill level, or book as a group

Coaching: Bookable through the app

Website: racquetclub24.com

Cumbria’s first indoor padel venue

Racquet Club 24 markets itself as Cumbria’s first indoor padel tennis centre, and on the facts, that claim holds. It’s worth being precise about it, because Cumbria’s padel story didn’t start here – Carlisle got there first with four outdoor courts at Austin Friars School, open to the community since before Racquet Club 24 existed. Those courts sit under a canopy rather than fully enclosed, which means they’re weather-dependent in a county that doesn’t always cooperate.

Racquet Club 24 is different: a fully indoor, climate-controlled facility, which makes it the first venue in Cumbria where the weather has no say in whether your booking goes ahead. That’s the real distinction, and it’s the one worth caring about if you’ve ever had a Cumbrian October cancel your plans.

The venue is a £3.8m project from local businessman Bill Dixon, whose family also runs Dixons department store in Whitehaven and owns Dunmail Park itself. The courts were shipped in from Spain and installed in a converted retail unit, with automated access control and lighting systems that let the venue operate around the clock.

What’s there now

Four courts at opening became nine within months – a scale-up that outpaced even the owner’s own public expectations. Dixon had said additional units could be converted to house up to nine courts “if demand was high enough.” Judging by the court count now live and bookable on Playtomic, demand answered that question quickly.

All nine are indoor, double, panoramic courts – the glass-and-mesh enclosed format that’s now standard across UK padel, rather than the tennis-court-with-a-net setup some early UK venues got wrong. There’s a heated players’ lounge for before and after your session, changing rooms, free parking, and WiFi. A bar and retail offer were part of the original plan; check the venue’s current listings before you go if that’s a factor for your visit, since amenity rollouts like this can lag the court build.

Coaching is bookable through the same app you use for court time, which lowers the barrier for anyone in Workington who’s curious about padel but has never picked up a racket.

Booking a court

Racquet Club 24 runs its own booking app, and the venue is also listed on Playtomic – handy if you already have the app from playing elsewhere and don’t want to set up a second account just for a Cumbria trip. Both let you book alone and get matched into a group by skill level, which matters if you’re a solo player without three friends who already play.

The 24-hour access model is a strong draw for shift workers and early risers – not every UK padel venue lets you book a 6am slot before work, but the automation here is built for exactly that kind of flexibility.

What to expect on your first visit

There’s no existing padel culture in Workington to plug into, which cuts both ways. On one hand, there’s no established clique to feel like an outsider among – everyone at Racquet Club 24 arrived within the same window, and the app’s skill-matching means you’re not walking onto a court with strangers who’ve played together for years. On the other, don’t expect a packed social calendar of leagues and tournaments yet. That infrastructure takes time to build, and a venue this new is still finding its rhythm.

If you’ve never played, book a coaching session before your first open match. Padel’s scoring and the enclosed-court rules (the ball can bounce off the glass and stay in play) trip up tennis players and complete beginners alike, and half an hour with a coach saves you the confusion of learning it mid-rally in front of strangers. Bring indoor court shoes with non-marking soles – the venue’s flooring is the same rubberised surface used across UK indoor padel, and it won’t tolerate trainers with black soles or heavy tread.

Why this matters beyond Workington

Twenty-mile catchments sound modest until you remember what west Cumbria’s padel options looked like before this venue existed: none. The nearest courts were in Preston to the south or across the Scottish border in Ayrshire – both well over an hour’s drive, which is enough of a barrier to stop casual interest turning into a regular habit.

That’s the pattern padel has followed across the north of England – a first venue lands, a local community forms around it, and the scene looks meaningfully different within a year or two. Padel across the north has filled in steadily, and west Cumbria going from zero courts to nine in under a year is one of the sharper examples of that curve.

If you’re travelling from further into Cumbria, Racquet Club 24 is now the closer option for most of the county’s west coast, while Carlisle’s Austin Friars courts remain the pick if you’re based in the north and don’t mind outdoor conditions. Either way, the “nearest court is an hour away” era for Cumbrian padel is over.

Getting there

Racquet Club 24 sits a mile off the A66, on the A596, directly opposite the Dunmail Park retail park – easy to find if you already know Workington, straightforward with satnav if you don’t. Free parking is on-site, so there’s no need to factor in a separate car park fee on top of your court booking.

For anyone driving in from Whitehaven, Cockermouth, or further down the coast, it’s a manageable trip rather than a special occasion – which is the whole point of a local venue existing in the first place.

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