August 2016
Running clears your head and gets you set up for the day, wherever you are. Eleanor Ross picks 10 scenic city spots to pack your trainers for.
Central Park, New York
As the ‘lungs of New York', Central Park is crisscrossed with bridleways, bike tracks and roads, ensuring there's plenty of room for all the keep-fitters.
Top tip: try the full 6.1m loop around the park between 7-10pm, when the park is closed to cars.
Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Griffith Park rises up out of the LA smog to give runners, hikers and dog walkers 53 miles of dirt paths and bridleways to explore. But beware stepping too far off the beaten path: the park is a wilderness area, with coyote, deer and rattlesnakes all calling it home.
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Plan your run
Maps of Griffith Park’s trails and up-to-date information on trail closures are available from the park’s eastern-located Ranger Station (+1 (323) 913 4688).
Explore LA -
Book your ticket
Bergen’s cable cars run 9am-9pm, Monday to Sunday between March and October, and 10am-5pm during the winter months.
Find out more -
See the sights
The Atlantic Ocean is home to plenty of wildlife, from cormorants and oystercatchers to seals, dolphins and humpback whales. And if you time your run for the evening, you’ll be in the perfect spot to see an epic South African sunset.
Experience Cape Town
Vidden Trail, Bergen
Unless you feel like running up 643m of steep trail, jump on the cable car to the summit of Ulriken, one of Bergen's seven peaks. From here, the Vidden trail awaits, complete with lakes, mountain firs, heather and rocky outcrops.
Sea Point Promenade, Cape Town
This 11km route offers incredible vistas of the wild Atlantic Ocean. Leave your iPod at home – the sound of the waves breaking against the coast is the best soundtrack.
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Challenge yourself
Make friends at a South African trail-running session. CRAG (Cape Runners Against Gravity) organises a 90-minute trail run every Wednesday night at beautiful venues all over the Cape Peninsula.
Find out more
Margaret Island, Budapest
With long bike tracks running along the Danube, plus tens of public swimming pools and nearby lakes to splash about in, Budapest is fitness bunny’s dream. For the most pleasant place to jog, visit the 5km rubber-coated running track at Margitsziget – an island in the centre of the Danube.
Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
Leave your hotel's stuffy gym behind and get active on this 3.5km trail that encircles Hong Kong's highest peak. Mainly flat, this path is best at sunrise or sunset, when the air is a little lighter and the city below is bathed in a golden glow.
MacRitchie Reservoir loop, Singapore
Jump on a bus from Orchard Road to MacRitchie Reservoir, where boardwalks and dirt paths come together to create one of the best urban escapes in Southeast Asia.
Circus Maximus, Rome
Bang in the centre of the city, the Circus Maximus used to be the site of chariot races and parades. Now, you can take a step back in time by using it as a running track. At 621m, with a springy, grassy surface, it's an atmospheric enough place to run laps. Be sure to go early, before the tourists arrive.
Holyrood Park, Edinburgh
The site of Edinburgh's Bupa Great North Run, Holyrood Park is the perfect place to beat out a 5k amid craggy scenery and lush parkland. The route circles the park before looping around the cliff face of Arthur's Seat and past pretty Dunsapie Loch.
