Running and traveling go so well together. There’s no better way that I know to get your bearings in a new place than going for a run. I like to run in the morning, which lets me see tourist areas without a lot of tourists. There is a risk that I’ll be running right at rush hour, but I usually try to find dedicated running/biking paths so the traffic doesn’t matter. In a foreign country, I run with Strava and RunKeeper turned on, but with cell data turned off. They give me my split times while I’m running based on GPS, and I can see the final map of my route when I get back to WiFi. Running with my phone also gives me a little bit of security because I can use Google Maps to navigate if I get lost. It also gives me a camera. Seeing a city wake up is one of my favorite sights.
Running in London
When I run in a new city, I like to go where the runners are, and I always worry about getting lost. For those reasons, my first choice is to run along the river. In London, this means running along the Thames. Sunrise is amazing anywhere, isn’t it?
The sections with pedestrian walkways are not necessarily continuous on both sides of the river, but there are a lot of bridges and running over bridges is always one of my favorite things.
I ran at about 7am on a Saturday, and there were plenty of other runners to follow, or maybe pass! Clearly I should have crossed the Millennium bridge and returned on the north side of the river for a better view of Big Ben. Next time.
Running in York
York is a walled city about midway between London and Edinburgh. It’s perfect for an overnight stop, and famous for The Shambles, which claim to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley.
York is also along a river, and the running path through the trees is quiet and pleasant. Sections of the route have both a paved path and a dirt path.
At one point, I made the wrong decision about crossing the river (I didn’t cross) and found myself in a residential neighborhood away from the river. It was not what I had planned, but it was interesting to see the difference between single family homes in England vs. single family homes in the U.S. The river had some beautiful swans enjoying a cool morning. Speaking of weather – UK weather is about perfect for running. Cool, maybe lightly raining, with generally calm winds. I felt like I could have run forever.
Running in Edinburgh
Edinburgh did not have a river for me to follow, so I googled “where to run in Edinburgh”, and didn’t find much useful. I also became obsessed with finding the curved row of storefronts with the upper walkway that I had seen in so many pictures.
All that combined, and I chose to run from our Airbnb in New Town over to the University of Edinburgh and The Meadows park, stopping along Victoria Street to take pictures of those storefronts. Fortunately I got out early, because I was on the main tourist drag and I knew it would become really crowded by mid-morning. But at 7am, with a light drizzle, it was perfect. I saw some other runners in the park but it wasn’t big enough to do a whole run there, in my opinion. I also added a short lap in Princes Street Gardens on my way back. I highly recommend it.
Take you non-running travel partners later in the day, you won’t regret it. The hike up to Arthur’s Seat might seem like a good running trail, but be warned that it’s a pretty rocky and steep hike, which doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make a good run, but just know what you’re getting into.
Running in Dublin
The day I chose to run in Dublin was gray and misty, but the wind was calm and the temperature was mild. The run was great, but my pictures don’t do the city justice.
Dublin is built along a river, so that seems like the place to run. There are paved sidewalks along both sides, and plenty of bridges to keep crossing over and back. On the north side, there are sections of walkway suspended over the river – really awesome for running.
However, with all the bridges, and a lot of traffic on the roads next to the river, this run has a lot of starting and stopping to wait for traffic lights and to dodge pedestrians. There are a lot of other runners weaving around as well. Running along the river was a great way to see a bit of the city and get oriented. And it wouldn’t feel like I got the true feel of Ireland if I didn’t experience a little mist and rain.
Running in Galway
unning in Galway is absolutely spectacular! There are paths along the short and rapidly flowing river, but the running/biking path along the Galway Bay shore is almost unbeatable.
R The path is paved and flat, and offers incredible views of the rocky shoreline. Galway is now one of my top 10 places to run ever.
I managed to run twice along this path, once on a clear day, and once with a light steady rain. Even in a steady rain, this path was well used by runners and walkers alike. The view across the river to the little row of houses was a classic European view that reminded me of Bergen, Norway, except the buildings didn’t look quite as old.
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