Running in Bath

Opened in 2013 and built by the sustainable transport charity Sustrans, the Two Tunnels Greenway follows the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway line from Oldfield Park, on the edge of the city centre, out through the 408 metre Devonshire Tunnel, across Lyncombe Vale, and into the much longer 1,672 metre Combe Down Tunnel before finishing at Tucking Mill Viaduct on the edge of the countryside near Midford. The route is flat and traffic free for its entire length, following a former railway gradient that never climbs or drops sharply, which makes it one of the easiest long training runs available anywhere around Bath. Both tunnels are lit and surfaced for shared use by walkers, cyclists, and runners, so there is no need for a head torch even well before sunrise. Combe Down Tunnel in particular is one of the longest tunnels open to runners anywhere in Britain, running for just over a mile underground.

Inside the Combe Down Tunnel, an ambient sound and light installation called Passage plays as you run through, turning what could be a plain, dark tunnel into something closer to an art installation, with shifting colour and sound responding to movement along the path. Because the tunnels stay cool and sheltered year round, the greenway is a popular choice on the hottest days of a Bath summer, when the exposed hilltop trails above the city offer no shade at all. The route connects directly into central Bath, so a full out and back to Midford and back adds up to a genuinely long, uninterrupted training run without a single road crossing. It is one of the more unusual things about running in Bath, a city better known for its hills and Georgian streets than for underground rail trails.

South of the city centre, directly above Bath Spa railway station, Alexandra Park sits at the top of Beechen Cliff, reached either by the steep flight of steps nicknamed Jacob's Ladder or the gentler climb up Shakespeare Avenue. The park itself is small, around 11 acres, and was opened in 1902 to mark the coronation of King Edward VII, but its real draw for runners is the climb to get there and the view once you arrive. From the top, the panorama takes in Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent, and the wooded valley sides that surround the city, widely considered one of the best free viewpoints in Bath. The spot was also a favourite of Jane Austen's during her time living in the city, adding a bit of literary history to the workout.

For runners, the appeal is simple, a short, sharp hill repeat with a payoff at the top that most gym treadmills cannot match. Jacob's Ladder in particular is steep enough to function as a genuine hill session on its own, and repeating the climb a few times makes for an efficient strength workout without leaving the city centre. Shakespeare Avenue offers a gentler, longer alternative for an easier warm up or cool down after the steps. Combined with the flat towpath running already available along the canal and railway path, Beechen Cliff gives Bath runners the steep end of the city's dramatic terrain within easy running distance of the abbey.