Training runs (or walks) in Spain, UK, US, NZ and more

Get your trainers on!!! We love to run (admittedly slowly) so wanted to share a handful of our favourite spots to don a pair of runners and hit the road/path/rambla in some of the countries we've visited of late.

These are more 'off-the-beaten-path' runs - here's more on city running if that's your bag.

Almeria

There's so much coastline to run if you want flat (ish) and there is NO shortage of serious hills if you head inland. It's also a cyclists paradise for the hills and the quality of the roads!

We love running the section of seafront promenade from Villaricos down to Garrucha. It's almost exactly 10km (i.e. great time trial run) so you can reward yourself with coffee/beer and a meal there before grabbing a bus back, if you like? Or, if you're training for a half marathon or more, make it 20km and return on foot, of course!

However, if you prefer something off road, check out this unbelievable coastal trail from a remote beach south of Mojacar into Mojacar Beach. Fancy some Insta inspo? Here's a vid of Eps jogging this stunning route here!

While you're there, you might wanna follow us on Instagram @gadabouttheplanet for lots of other travel, roadtrip, motorhome/RV stuff.

Cambridge, UK

We've spent a few years in Cambridge so have tons of runs but these are two of our faves and which we'd recommend to any of you visiting (walking, cycling or running):

The Roman Road: Gorgeous old Roman road that goes on forever (well, for about 10km but you can extend it with other linked routes) through the Cambridge countryside. Great for dogs and mountain bikers too. It also offers a detour through the lovely Wandlebury Country Park if you fancy a change of scenery midway. We can recommend this any time of year but frosty winter mornings are particularly spectacular - layer up! We like to start from the entrance of Worts' Causeway (blink and you'll miss the small gravel carpark) and head out that way. Enjoy!

The River Cam: I mean, you can do this from just about anywhere in Cambridge but our pick of the bunch is to start somewhere near Stourbridge Common and head away from town up towards Waterbeach. This is not far off 10km each way so you can get a really decent run in and be distracted by the rowers training alongside you up the river. You'll pass through Baits Bite Lock and under bridges, alongside impressive houses and through quiet riverside country. If you fancy a one-way run (like we often did), you can stop for a riverside pint at The Bridge then wander up towards Waterbeach town to get the train back to central Cambridge.

Auckland, NZ.

Long Bay Beach: We were married on beautiful Long Bay Beach in January 2020 - BEST DAY EVER!!!

Having grown up here, I was spoiled for choice in Auckland and just about anywhere around NZ, but we particularly love running the length of Long Bay Beach and up the paths which start near the Vaughan Homestead and go up over the cliffs for several kilometres, past several beautiful coves and on to Okura. Lovely, hill training! Stop for a swim at any one of the coves (one is naturist so go carefully if that's not your bag) and, if you head up that way during December and January, you'll be lucky enough to see the glorious Pohutukawa trees in bloom - quite literally hanging off the cliff edges. Spectacular!

The North Shore Bays - Coastal Track: You can run along the undulating coastline (mostly off road) from Waiake Beach (just head up the main road from the beach and turn left to join the path at the end of that road) up to Takapuna Beach. Best as low tide so that you can truly stick to the coastal paths but this is a stunning route with views out to Rangitoto Island, even with a mix of the road and path. You can easily spend a couple of hours running from Long Bay up to Takapuna and back with tons of hills if that's your bag!

London, UK.

The Royal Parks: You don't need a pic of this as noone goes through life without seeing at least one image or broadcast of Buckers and it's surrounds!

I was lucky enough to work in Westminster for many years and would often take a long lunchbreak to enjoy the parks. They link up easily so you can get a two hour run (for you endurance runners) by running through or around St James Park onto Green Park and then onto Hyde Park and even Kensington Gardens. Enjoy jogging past Buckingham Palace too - maybe seeing a royal or a state visitor en route in or out, or perhaps even sneaking a peek at the famous changing of the guards or changing of the horse guards (which has even more pomp and ceremony) if you time it right!

New York, United States

Prospect Park: Where stayed on the border of Crown Heights and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn so Prospect Park was an easy ten minute jog away and it's fantastic! It reminds me a little of Hampstead Heath in London in that it's not a manicured park but, instead, one with lovely rambly slopes, big open green spaces and plenty of wooded areas. You can easily run here for a good hour and not see the same part twice. We loved it!

San Francisco, US.

Fort Mason to the Golden Gate Bridge: We started from the city and jogged out to Fort Mason for some green underfoot and great views over San Fran. We particularly enjoyed the 'Do not approach or feed coyotes' signs! I can say with certainty that there was absolutely NO CHANCE of us doing anything other than sprinting in the opposite direction!

From the park up at Fort Mason, we jogged down to and through Crissy Fields (past the marsh) where you can clearly see the famous Alcatraz prison and we stopped at a point where you have spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge. We took some pics and turned around there but you can carry on up to the Bridge itself if ya fancy! It's around 5 miles/8km from the park up at Fort Mason down past/through Marina Green and on to Crissy Fields and back - Mostly flat. A good 10km training run with great views?

Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain

Tarragonna to Torredembarra - Woods, coastline paths and beaches: You can run the whole way in either direction and, if you do, you will pass through woods with a marked route (but you need to keep your eyes out for the red and white paint markers) through the woods all the way from Tarragona via Waikiki Beach and past several naturist beaches (don't worry if that's not your thing - plenty of people walk and run this route) to the Torre (tower) de La Mora where you'll exit into the campsite there. A campsite that we absolutely love and highly recommend, by the way. You come down through the campsite onto La Mora Beach and over to the other end where you'll scramble for two or three minutes up the narrow path to join a well established clifftop path which will take you all the way over to Tamarit Castle. The views along that path are absolutely to die for - make sure you bring your mobile!

From Tamarit Castle, which you can reach via two routes - around the coast or via the woods, you head down to the beach and then you can jog along the beach all the way to the end or you might choose to head back via the paths through a nature park which take you around the back into Altafulla proper (and onto the main road). Either way, to get to Torredembarra, you want to get to the other end of beautiful Tamarit Beach where you can get up and over the coastline. You may need to walk parts of this where it's a little scrambly but it's well worth it. There's plenty of cafés and restaurants as well as a train station in the well-established Torredembarra.

So, you can refresh (if you remember your €'s) and then take the train back to Tarragona (or to Altafulla but not La Mora). Or you can jog or walk all of the way back again if you're slightly bonkers and up for a real challenge!

The whole lot is a long old way but you can do some or all of it and return or use the train service for some bits too.

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Check out more travel exercise inspo here!