There are some great trail runs near London. Within 30 minutes you can find yourself in the countryside and get the trails all to yourself. Here are our Top 5 destinations for trail runners based in London.
The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the spring flowers are out in all their glory. What better time than to go for a run! Then you remember that in a city with limited open parkland, these will be full to the brim with other Londoners, and a relaxed run becomes a stressful duck and dive gauntlet. So where can you go to escape the main London crowds, and yet not spend all day getting there and back? Here we give you our top 5 trails near London which are less than 1.5 hours away, and spoiler alert, we may have a small bias! We start with the furthest away by train…
THE THANET COAST (100 minutes)
If Coastal running is your thing, hopping on a train down to Ramsgate, just over an hour from Kings Cross St Pancras, you pop out to this original seaside towns of the Victorian era. A coastal path connects to Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Margate. For the history buffs, Charles Dickens frequented Broadstairs and famously wrote David Copperfield while based here.
THE COTSWOLDS (80 minutes)
The Cotswolds covers 800 square miles, and includes 5 counties, so this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a big space to explore. Famous for its quintessential grey stone villages and Farrow and Ball colour schemes, the Cotswolds covers from Moreton in the Marsh (~1.5hrs from Paddington direct) in the northern reaches, down to Bath (1hr20 from Paddington) in the South. If the ultra-runner in you fancies something a bit special, The Cotswolds way is a 102mile National Trail from Bath to Chipping Campden. Well stocked with lovely villages like Broadway, this is a great one for the to do list. The area is rolling hills, a mix of small villages, attractive grazing land, and of course Cotswold stone walls. Around 3000miles of public footpaths should keep even the keenest runner busy for a while.
THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY (60 minutes)
Big open vistas, and chalky hills, the South Downs is a 260 square mile area in the South East. A National Park since 2009, and a National Trail, but still plenty of space for everyone to enjoy on a sunny weekend! Direct trains from Waterloo and Victoria take 1hr-1hr30. The landscape is typified with rolling chalk hills, with short grazed turf, making for generally fairly mud free fast running. The hills can be intimidating as you can often see well ahead down towards the coast line, but on a blue-sky day nothing beats the scenery. The downs start near the fantastic Cathedral City of Winchester, and end at Beachy Head near Eastbourne.
SUFFOLK & ESSEX BORDERS (60 minutes)
Sometimes ignored for being too far away from London, Suffolk actually gives a tremendous offering to the trail runner. Flatter than the other areas mentioned so far, and with a more rural feel, the area has some lovely quaint villages, and gentle river ways that pass through, making for some really lovely running. Trains from Liverpool Street to Manningtree take around 60minutes, but you are well rewarded. Uncrowded and well-marked paths through a mix of predominantly farming land, and small woodlands, you can see why John Constable chose to recreate his birth place in so many famous paintings. Lovely villages like Dedham provide ample refreshment stops. The 112mile Icknield Way path joins Suffolk to Buckinghamshire in the West, and the start of the Ridgeway. If you have a little longer, the seaside towns such as Aldeburgh are definitely worth a visit too.
THE CHILTERNS (30 minutes)
Well I did warn you I was biased! The Chiltern Hills cover 660 square miles to the North West of London. From Goring, on the Thames in the South West up to Hitchin in the North East. Accessible by numerous train lines from Euston, Paddington, or Kings Cross, the journey takes from 20mins to 45mins. The Ridgeway National Trail starts at Ivinghoe Beacon, just 3miles from Tring Train station, and runs 87miles down to Overton Hill. The area generally is chalk escarpments interspersed with Ancient Woodland, with around 50% a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 1200 miles of footpaths mean you have plenty of options. High points include Haddington Hill and Coombe Hill, both just outside Wendover, a lovely little market town. Bluebells carpet the hills in late Spring, and Red Kites circle overhead. If you would like a better insight into this fantastic area, come and join one of our Run the Wild Trips!
Written by Karin – Running Guide
