Running in the UK While On Vacation

instantmartian

I'm going to preface this by noting that I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to get myself motivated to actually go out to run while on vacation, but I will be in London/Ireland two weeks before my next half, and I know I really need to get at least a couple runs in. I have never been to England or Ireland before, so I I'm looking for any suggestions or tips. I don't want to end up somewhere where I think I can safely run and find out I can't (like ending up on a freeway or something).

In London, we will be staying in a flat in Piccadilly Circus.
In Dublin we will be staying at the Academy Plaza Hotel in (or near) the neighborhood of Broadstone.

Other overnights in Ireland include Portrush, Donegal, and Westport, but I need to figure out where, exactly, our accommodations will be before I can work on any route ideas. We're taking an organized tour, so there is no specific hotel information. I asked the tour company, so I hope to have more specific information shortly.

MNLittleFinn

This was before I was a runner, and about 12 years ago. That said, I covered a lot of Dublin on foot. It was a great place to get around on foot. If I remember correctly, you could run along the River Liffe.

Edit: just found this: http://www.joggingroutes.org/2011/07/dublin-river-liffey-running-route.html

instantmartian

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

This was before I was a runner, and about 12 years ago. That said, I covered a lot of Dublin on foot. It was a great place to get around on foot. If I remember correctly, you could run along the River Liffe.

Edit: just found this: http://www.joggingroutes.org/2011/07/dublin-river-liffey-running-route.html

Thanks, @MNLittleFinn! I was thinking along the river in Dublin would be the way to go. We'll be staying less than a half mile from there so it'll be easy to get (run) to!

MNLittleFinn

there's this too: http://dublinkickersrc.com/ you could send an Email and ask them for more info.

dkabambe

In Central London there is a huge abundance of places to go running. Near to Piccadilly I'd suggest Green Park, St James Park and Hyde Park, or along the Thames. You can easily pick a route that will take you past some, several or all of the local landmarks such as London Eye, Westminster/Big Ben/Downing Street, The Mall/Buckingham Palace, Serpentine, Albert Memorial/Royal Albert Hall, Diana Memorial, Marble Arch etc. if those of interest.

Just pop Piccadilly Circus into Google maps and you'll see these landmarks nearby, (with the parks to the South-West/West of Piccadilly). Enjoy...

dkabambe

p.s. Probably best to avoid going immediately North or East from Piccadilly. The bar/theatre/shopping districts are around there so always very busy.

_nikkiwolf_

I was living in Dublin 2006/2007. Further in the north of the city, so most of my usual running routes don't really apply, but the number one place you have to go for running in Dublin: Phoenix Park! It's north of the Liffey, a little to the west of the city center, and huge, beautiful, all kinds of terrain, ... If you have a change, go there.
I enjoyed it much more than going along the River; but then, I'm not much of a city girl, so running along the river through the city center wasn't really my thing.

_nikkiwolf_

This is the website of the park, with a couple of maps: http://www.phoenixpark.ie/maps/
Actually, if you don't want to run there, you should still visit it. Say hello to the deer, have a picnic in the flower garden, look at the monuments... In case you couldn't guess: I really liked that park when I was living there
My favourite corners were Furry Glen (the (south)-west area, more "wild", little trails, lots of birds) and the People's Gardens (the very east, flower gardens and such), the centre is a lot of open space, which might also be interesting if you want to focus more on running and less on sightseeing.

I did travel to both Westport and Donagal, but I don't remember where I went to run, so I can't help you there. But one thing you might check out are the park runs; they are very popular in the UK and Ireland (which is not part of the UK, by the way ). They only take place on Saturdays, but you can still have a look at the course maps to get an idea where a nice running area could be found.

louubelle16

I live in London, and I would definitely recommend the Royal parks - from Picadilly, you have St James Park about half a mile away, then after running through it you get to Buckingham Palace, cross the road and run through Green Park. When you get to the other end of Green Park, cross the road and you're in Hyde Park, the biggest and best. There is a lake there to run along and lots of cute monuments as you go along the other paths.

Someone else recommended running along the Thames, which I would personally avoid. Parts of it are packed full of slow moving tourists and I see endless frustrated runners there and wonder why on earth they are even trying. Unless you run from Westminster Bridge (by the Houses of Parliament) and go west on the north bank (don't even try the south bank), as that's the only bit that isn't really busy.

Otherwise, if you fancy a challenge, I would recommend getting the train out 2 stops from London Bridge to Greenwich/Cutty Sark and run around Greenwich Park. You get the best views of London from there, but that does involve an absolutely killer hill. Worth it though

Someone else also said to avoid running east from Picadilly, and I would definitely agree with that, unless you run early in the morning.

Mari33a

Hi ya. I'm from the north west coast of Donegal. Both cycling & running are very popular here. While here u can pretty much put on your runners and just run. That goes for most of the county. Enjoy your holiday

Marissa

instantmartian

Thank you all for such wonderful recommendations of places to go and places to avoid! This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. I know I could easily look at a map and plan a route, but for annoyance and safety reasons, I figured it would be best to ask those who may be more familiar with these places than I am!

Keep the suggestions and information coming!

@Marissaxzxzxz: This entire trip came about in a bit of a strange way, and actually started because of the Harry Potter productions playing at the West End in London and the idea to go there for a few days to see it and tour London. My 65-year-old father's family has traced their ancestry to Donegal, which is apparently where they immigrated from to the United States. His aunt had been over there in the 70s doing research and was able to find some interesting information and distant relatives. Unfortunately, she passed several years ago and seems to have taken a lot of her findings with her, so I really couldn't tell you exactly where in Donegal they were from. Dad has always wanted to go and see what he refers to as "the homeland," and he is looking forward to this trip a great deal. I am pretty excited for Ireland, as well. It'll be a bit of a whirlwind, but everyone I've talked to has fallen in love with your country after a visit, and their photos have been amazingly beautiful!