We run to Hyde Park a lot. It’s less than 2 miles from SJW and it’s a good-sized, beautiful park. Its size makes it easy to have routes of varying length: generally between 5 and 8 miles when you loop back to SJW.
Usually, we start from Barclays and run down Circus Road and turn left on Grove End/ Lisson Grove. Cross over Marylebone Rd (now you’re on Seymour Pl) and run until the road ends. Turn right on Seymour St, cross Edgware Rd, and turn left at the next street (Stanhope Pl). Cross into Hyde Park, cross over the Carriage Rd and you’re ready to go.
Similarly, most of the routes exit at the east side of the park at Upper Brook St. You’ll know you’re in the right place if you run past the Animals in War Memorial (above). After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd. Turn left on Park Rd and make your way back to Starbucks.
Hyde Park 5 miles
With this route, you run straight when you enter the park and turn left when the path ends. Turn left again at Hyde Park Corner and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.
Hyde Park 6 miles
Here, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park. Turn left when you get to N Carriage Rd and run down to the Serpentine. Turn right and then left to run over the bridge. Turn left to run along the Serpentine Turn left again at the end of the Serpentine and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.
Hyde Park 6.5 miles
Like the 6 miler above, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park. Cross over N Carriage Rd and turn left just after the Italian Gardens. Run along the water (it turns into the Serpentine) and turn right at the end to run along the southern edge of the park. Then turn left and head back up along the eastern edge of the park before exiting at the Upper Brook St/Animals of War exit.
Hyde Park 8 miles
This run takes you around the periphery of the park. As before, you turn right at the silver sphere after entering the park. Cross over N Carriage Rd and keep going until the end of the park. Turn left to run along the edge. Just keep turning left until you’re heading back up along the eastern edge of the park. Exit at Upper Brook St/Animals of War Memorial.
Hyde Park Triangle Tempo
Head down to Hyde Park the usual way at a very gentle pace. Once you reach the park pick up the pace a bit around Speaker’s Corner, and then run very fast down to the SE corner of the park. Jog slowly around the corner while you try to bring your heart rate back down to a recovered rate. Once you reach the straightaway, run hard again to Carriage Road. Slow down to a recover rate again as you cross over the bridge and up to the path, where you will turn right and run hard along the diagonal back to Speaker’s Corner. Jog very slowly back to SJW or, even better, hop on the bus or tube from Marble Arch. If you are not doing tempo work, you can do this run at a regular pace (if you go back to SJW it is about 6.5 miles).