Running in London isn’t all pavements and busy roads. I promise!
I have always loved London and it remains my favourite city in the world. I adore living here and running here over the past few years, particularly over the 2020 lockdown, gave me a new appreciation for the city itself, but also the part I live in – South West London.
Tonnes of greenery, the River Thames only a couple of miles away and a plethora of runners whatever time of day you head out to keep you motivated! Not to mention excellent pubs and coffee shops for all your post run needs.
So whether you live in SW London and you’re in need of some inspiration or whether you’re simply visiting or new to the area, here are my top 5 running routes (in no particular order!):
1. Tooting Bec, Wandsworth and Clapham Commons
This is kind of a jammy option because I’m putting three commons in one, but they are my three local commons and living with these amazing green spaces within walking (and certainly running!) distance is WONDERFUL. Each common has a perimeter of a few km’s and to extend your mileage it is really easy to cover two or even all three in one run. Alternatively you can just loop one common a couple of times if you need to as well. All of them have plenty of paths and trails, so even though it’s likely you need to run along a road to reach them, once you’re there you can mostly stay off road. They each also have a lake to run around and plenty of coffee shops nearby for when you are done! These are where I spend most of my time running – I think I know them inside out:)
Tooting Common and Clapham Common are also home to some of the biggest ParkRuns – if you’ve never tried them, do give it a go.
Nearest stations:
- To reach Tooting Common, it’s a 5-10 min walk from either Tooting Bec or Balham stations (both Northern Line)
- To reach Clapham Common, exit at Clapham Common or Clapham South stations (Northern Line)
- Wandsworth Common has its own train station under the same name. It’s also pretty close to Clapham Junction train station. Alternatively you can also walk about 20 mins from Tooting Bec or Balham tube stations to reach it.
- All three commons also have fairly extensive street parking in and around them – they are mostly residential streets so check the parking restrictions. Most you can pay for parking though, or alternatively most are free to park on evenings and Sundays!
2. Richmond Park
This has to be one of the best running spots in the whole of London, not just SW London. In fact, scrap that, it’s one of the nicest PLACES in London full stop. It really doesn’t feel like you’re here in the city.
The largest of the Royal Parks, one loop is around 7 miles and the size of it is so impressive. I only started running there fairly late in my running journey when I was desperate for a change of scenery on my longer runs. It really did the trick. It’s pretty hilly (heads up, I found out the hard way) but those hills forced me to slow down and take in my surroundings and even stop to take some pictures of the resident deer who live there. It’s also a very popular spot for cyclists and is a hive of activity at the weekends.
Nearest stations:
- The Park is certainly walkable from Richmond station, which is catered by the District Line, Overground Line and National Rail train services.
- The Park is HUGE so depending on which part you want to reach, it might be that another station gets you there quicker – look online at Mortlake or Barnes for example.
- There is also ample free car parking within the Park and lots of bus access. Their website is very helpful.
3. Thames Path towards Central London
The Thames Path is exactly what it says on the tin – the path that runs along the River Thames. It’s very long, so there are tonnes of places you can join it to run along, but no.3 and no.4 on my list are my two favourite bits in SW London. Both directions are quite different routes in terms of your surroundings, which is why I have listed them separately!
From SW London you can join the Thames Path at any point and run east towards central London, so you can make it as long or as short as you like. Personally, I would tend to start from Putney (for a longer run), or Wandsworth or Battersea Park to start a little closer to central. It’s incredibly flat and straight forward and there are ALWAYS other runners, so it’s kind of hard to get lost.
It’s pretty built up on this route but once you glimpse the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben when you pass Vauxhall you get the proper central London buzz! You could stop there/turn around, or you can brave the crowds of the London Eye and South Bank through past the Oxo Tower, Blackfriars Bridge and through towards the City of London. If you carry on you’ll see London Bridge, the City over the river and the mighty Tower Bridge – if you get that far, make sure you run over the bridge!
I remember running from Putney to Tower Bridge and back on my longest training run for my first marathon which totalled 30km (it was about 15km one way). It was a hard run but the views made me smug 😉 I have a video that I filmed on the day…..I will post it. I have also done a similar route starting from Tooting and crossing the river around Battersea Park to head towards Buckingham Palace which also works well for a longer run.
Closest stations:
This is wholly dependent on where you want to begin along the Path, so Google Maps should help you. However some suggestions are:
- East Putney tube station (District Line) or Putney train station
- Wandsworth Town train station
- Battersea Park station (Overground or train)
- Battersea Power Station or Nine Elms tube station (both Northern Line)
- Vauxhall (train station or Victoria Line)
4. Putney Embankment to Kew
As I said, the Thames Path is pretty extensive, so really it’s about finding the part that you like or that is closest for you. This is another bit that I love – running out to the West. From where I live, I can run to the Putney Embankment or I can drive there and park locally to run the whole way along the river. As a heads up, there is free parking on the residential roads around Putney Embankment on evenings and at weekends.
This route is mostly off road, it’s a wide clear path, some paved, some gravel, but it all runs completely alongside the river and the views are lovely. It’s mostly a woody trail, so on sunny days the light shines through the trees beautifully and the water is sparkly! The route is also home to lots of London’s rowing and boat clubs so on a weekend there is often tonnes to watch on the river itself!
From Putney to Kew it’s about five miles so you can add on or take off as suits you.
Nearest stations:
- Putney train station or East Putney or Putney Bridge tube stations (District Line)
- Barnes Bridge, Mortlake, Chiswick or Kew Bridge train stations
- Residential street parking available along the route
5. Wandle Trail
This is more local and an underrated running gem following the River Wandle, which is a tributary of the Thames. The trail follows the river from Croydon to Wandsworth and the internet gives me varying different distances of how long it actually is, from 9 to 15 miles, but you local borough council website gives me 14 miles so let’s go with that.
I’ve never been along the whole trail actually, but there are various bits I can join it from where I live. There are some lovely spots joining it from Earlsfield and in Morden Hall Park, which is what I tend to do.
Much less of a touristy/visitor route so a great spot for locals seeking some peace and greenery! My favourite bit is past Deen City Farm and through Morden Hall Park.
Nearest stations:
- Morden tube station (Northern Line) – it’s the final stop on the line so you can also get out at any of the previous stations and walk or run to the park
- Morden South train station
- Car parking available – it’s a National Trust site so lots of info on the website
There are so many hidden gems in this city. Where are your favourite running spots in London?
Ele x
chasingele.com 