Looking for a change of scenery for your runs around South West London? Here are some well-trodden routes as inspiration.

Battersea Park

Perfect car-free loop with wide roads, a smooth flat surface and it’s well-lit in the evenings. Millennium Arena track and changing facilities in the north east corner, and plenty of grass to run on if you’re needing some reduced impact. Heavily used by some of the best marathon runners in the country in the spring.

Three Commons 6-miler

A great 6-mile / 10k loop for an easy run. Can be tweaked to start from a lot of different locations around Clapham, Balham, Tooting and Wandsworth. Takes Cavendish Road rather than Balham High Road to avoid pedestrian and motor traffic between Clapham and Tooting.

Bushy Park

The home of parkrun, but also the home of many of the country’s best distance runners. You’ll find a lot of GB-funded endurance runners based in nearby Teddington using Bushy for easy running as well as tempo sessions thanks to its long, flat, car-free paths and spectacular setting. Varied terrain (a mixture of grass, train and, dirt and tarmac paths) helps keep your joints in good shape.

A full perimeter loop usually comes to about 6 miles / 10km, and the parkrun course is obviously a 5k.

Richmond Park

One of the most beautiful places in the world to run. A good mixture of flat sections and hillier sections are great for building strength and endurance in the winter months, and the views and the wildlife don’t hurt either. The perimeter paths help keep you away from the cars and (many, many) cyclists on the roads.

Thames towpath (south side), Putney to Richmond and beyond

Brilliant for a long run when you don’t want to worry about directions. Hit the towpath on the south side of the river at Putney Bridge and keep going west until you’ve hit half your miles. Then turn around and come back. Watch out for dog walkers and rowing coaches with loudhailers on bikes.

Where else we’re running

Have a look at our Strava club to see where in the world Belgravians are logging their miles.

Got a route people should know about? Leave a suggestion in the comments below.