I'm just starting to train but by the time I get to Great Britain I'll be in the middle of training for a half marathon (that I'll be doing back home in California) and thought the idea of running in Hyde Park (in January, brr, I know) would be a great experience and possibly 'window shop'.
Just curious how 'safe' it is for a single, female to run around the park? Best times to run? And if any runners out there could recommend a trail? road? route?
Some females I knew in college who spent the semester in London would regularly jog through Hyde Park and the adjacent Kensington Gardens. If they went as a group or alone, I couldn't remember. As for routes... follow your eyes and curiosity, they're both gorgeous peices of land. If you really want to get fancy, go to the southeast corner of Hyde Park, jog through Green Park and St. James Park past Buckingham Palace, through the Mall, and through the Admirality Arch into Trafalgar Sqaure.
I do all my running on treadmills [dodgy knees] but in previous years I ran outside in the UK. Just follow the usual safety rules..only run during daylight hours..wear bright clothing etc etc. As for routes in London. If I were you I would grab a mapbook or even mapquest the part of London you will be staying in and try and plan a route round some of the great sights. Be better than taking an open top bus ride!! If you have a lightweight digital camera take that along on your run and you can have a great record of your trip and run.
As for the weather. January can be chilly but UK winters tend to be more damp than bone chilling cold so just dress in layers and watch out for cars driving on the wrong side of the road!! Hope this helps. Depending on how far your training runs are you could probably cover quite a few sights on a run. Even if you just run one way then have enough money to get the tube back to your hotel/residence etc. Maybe even google the London Marathon and see if they have a copy of the route for that. You could run parts of that route as if I remember correctly, that does run past quite a few monuments etc
Cheers
Pete
There are frequently 5k or 10k runs in Hyde Park. Maybe you can join one of those..... sounds like fun.
They have the same types of charity runs we do here in the states. You may be able to find something on the internet.
Seems everytime I'm in London, there is a race in Hyde Park.
When I go to London I always get a hotel located so I can jog Hyde Park. I always go in the mornings at first light - but have gone in the dark. I believe you would be safe in daylight. Although being a man, I don't worry too much. I have seen a lot of solo females walking and running in the park. I set a four mile course in the park and it is a neat place to see different things. There are some signs that give you directions, but since it is square, it would be hard to get lost,unless you became disoriented due to being new there. I know one time it started to rain on me and I got turned around a little, but it was easy to get back on track. I have been in the summer, fall, and spring and have never got hot, but I have gotten cold on a March morning. If you dress right, you will be fine. The paths are nearly all paved and clean. You will also see the workers around the park cleaning up in the mornings. I have never seen anything bad. I really enjoy the park when I am there. The map will help when you first start. Pick you out a couple of landmarks - tall biuildings - monuments - as reference points. I think you will enjoy it. Thanks - Bill
We stayed on Queen's Gate in South Kensington and Hyde Park was just a few minutes walk away. I don't remember seeing many joggers there, but there sure were a lot of people walking around in the daytime.
You'll be perfectly find jogging around the parks in London. I used to run in Richmond Park every morning - it was so beautiful! I really like www.mapmyrun.com You can search runs in pretty much any city in the world and it will show you maps and distance. I did a search for London - Hyde Park - (sorry the link is super long)
Also check out the Serpentine Running club - they have scheduled runs throughout the week and are open to visitors. It's a great way to meet some locals!
excellent! Thank you all!!!!
Much much appreciated!!!!
