Georgina Lawrence March 26, 2019 What is a parkrun tourist? It’s anyone who enjoys a parkrun that isn’t their immediate local run - simple as that! And if you're a globetrotting jogger, then the global success of parkrun means there's a whole host of incredibly exciting routes waiting for you. But it makes no sense to travel all that way and not see some of the country whilst you're there... Every one of these parkruns are easily combinable with an Exodus adventure, making the most of your airfare with a week or two-week in-depth exploration of the country you’re visiting. Our dedicated sales experts can easily arrange flights and extra nights accommodation so you can arrive a day early, and Segway nicely from accomplished parkrunner to Exodus adventurer in time to meet the those arriving on the group flights on the Saturday. A – Ally Pally, London, UK It all began in London, which is why we’ve set A as Ally Pally or Alexandra Palace in north London. There are more than 600 parkrun events in the UK, which means it’s easy to find a local one. And if not, Ally Pally parkrun is just slightly over hour away from Heathrow airport on the Piccadilly line - the taking off point for many of our adventures. Ally Pally parkrun B – Big Bay parkrun, Cape Town, South Africa On to the global scale now. This is parkrun has it all – history, politics, stunning natural scenery and in season even wildlife! You’ll run on the gorgeous sandy beach for this one, with views of both Robben Island and Table Mountain. In season you might even spot seals or whales from the shore. Combine with: South Africa Wildlife & Wine Big Bay parkrun C – Crissy Field parkrun, San Francisco, USA One of the oldest parkruns in the USA, but it has iconic status for other reasons too. Imagine your weekly parkrun but this time the backdrop is the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, swooping over San Francisco Bay. If you’re looking for the perfect picture, this is it. Combine with: Western Explorer Crissy Field parkrun D – (Lac de) Divonne parkrun, France This lovely lakeside course was too pretty to miss – though we’ve taken some liberties with the lettering. Your route is an out and back horseshoe around one of the prettiest lakes in easy reach of Geneva from where our Tour du Mont Blanc treks start. You'll actually cross the border into France for this one, but the lake is beautiful enough to spend the day and there's a local swimming pool too. The easy, flat route along the promenade is a genteel introduction compared to the alpine trek to come! Combine with: Tour du Mont Blanc Camping Trek Lac de Divonne parkrun Image credit: By Henk Monster, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56726711 E – Etna parkrun, Sicily, Italy Your weekly parkrun on the ash-black slopes of an active volcano, followed by a local wine tasting? Sign us up. Read more: spotlight on Etna parkrun. Join: Exodus’ parkrun Italy designed for parkrunners F – Firenze parkrun, Florence, Italy This three-lap clockwise course around Florence’s biggest park runs like clockwork too – with easy tram links Le Cascine park is a piece of cake to get to. And pieces of cake are widely available afterwards, with rollerbladers, city strollers, swimmers and even horse riders also frequenting the park’s many little kiosks selling coffee and sweet treats. Combine with: Walking in Tuscany Firenze parkrun Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/45768960094/in/pool-firenze-parkrun/ G – Green Point parkrun, Cape Town, South Africa Another Cape Town route – this city is spoilt for choice when it comes to beautiful runs to choose from. This one passes the famous Greenpoint Lighthouse and the stadium made famous in the men’s FIFA World Cup 2010. Read more: spotlight on Greenpoint parkrun. Join: Exodus’ parkrun South Africa & Garden Route designed for parkrunners H – Haga parkrun, Stockholm, Sweden Hagaparken is a leafy, green park in Stockholm, but what makes this 5km a little unusual is the distinctive multicoloured tents along the route. It’s so picturesque that even the heir apparent Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has been known to enjoy a royal run here! Combine with: Stockholm & the Baltics in Winter Haga parkrun Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/42247286342/in/dateposted-public/ I – Inverness parkrun, Scotland Stunning Inverness is the start or end of the famous Caledonian Canal. Augment your adventure along this engineering marvel that links four famously beautiful lochs with stretches of canal for a coast to coast walk with a difference. Inverness is one of only a few in-demand letter Is for parkrun tourists. Combine with: Loch Ness & the Caledonian Canal Self-Guided Walk Inverness parkrun J – Jamaica Pond parkrun, Boston, USA If running alongside the water is your thing, then Jamaica Pond in beautiful Boston is a sure-fire hit. J is another rare letter, but this route is a rare treat too: looping around the lovely pond several times. Boston is a lovely sight, and this fascinating city is the start and end point for our sister company Grand American Adventure’s superb Appalachian Trail & New England Walk. Combine with: Grand American Adventures the Appalachian Trail Jamaica Pond parkrun K – Krakow parkrun, Poland What makes Krakow brilliant is that it is a single lapper – that’s right, just one long route with no repitition. Unlike many courses it doesn’t go back on itself or involve a loop, meaning every step of the way through this leafy urban park is unique. You're also a stone's throw from the historic castle, pictured above. Combine with: The High Tatras Krakow parkrun L – Løvstien parkrun, Bergen, Norway Beautiful Bergen, with its wooden wharf area and picturesque pastel homes, has a fittingly pretty parkrun. You’ll follow the Løvstien Nature Trail at the foot of Løvstien mountain, just minutes from the city centre, on a broad path through Norway’s mossy forested natural splendour. Be warned though, this is a hilly course! Combine with: Walking the Fjords Løvstien parkrun M – Melkbosstrand parkrun, Cape Town, South Africa This stunning out-and-back beach parkrun is entirely on the soft sands of Melkboss beach, on the outskirts of beautiful Cape Town. With sea breezes keeping you cool and the crash of the waves as your soundtrack, this is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing parkruns around and understandably popular welcoming over 500 participants. Combine with: Cape Town & the Garden Route Melkbosstrand parkrun N – Natashinky parkrun, Moscow, Russia This route around the mirror-like edges of Natashinksy Ponds of Lyubertsy on the outskirts of Moscow is a pleasant two-lapper through a suburban park, away from the crowds of Red Square – a chance to see modern life for Russians, a contrast to the grandiose history of the Tsars. Combine with: Russia: Last Journey of the Tsars Natashinsky parkrun P – Pegasus parkrun, Christchurch, New Zealand Pegasus parkrun doesn’t just have a unique name, it’s also a unique parkrun. Your route follows the shores of Lake Pegasus, crossing over a scenic suspension bridge passing a waterfall and a mix of little beaches round the lake. It's just north of Christchurch on the South Island, where our Trails of New Zealand adventure ends – it’s a lovely place to extend your stay in New Zealand, which you’ll need to do by a few days in order to join on a Saturday morning. Combine with: Trails of New Zealand Pegasus parkrun Q – Queenstown parkrun, New Zealand Staying in the land of the long white cloud, our next parkrun is Queenstown. This beautiful route from the pocket-sized town takes you out along the paved shoreline of Lake Wakatipu, the lake that Maori legend says is the well of a giant’s heart. With a free day in Queenstown included on our Trekking in New Zealand adventure you’ll have time to do a freedom parkrun – a self-timed run at any time that suits you, to fit in with any other Queenstown adrenaline activities you have on your bucket list. Perfect time to go is as the sun goes down over the mountains. Combine with: Trekking in New Zealand Queenstown parkrun R – Richmond Olympic parkrun, Vancouver, Canada Follow the Fraser River with the splendid mountains as your backdrop on this Canadian parkrun. It’s an out and back route along the riverside walkway, with a flat route and good paved surfaces along the way you could be in store for a PB. Combine with: Canadian Wildlife and Vancouver Island Richmond Olympic parkrun S – Sosnovka parkrun, St Petersburg, Russia Another route from Russia but this time St Petersburg. This city has three parkruns to choose from, but we’ve selected Sosnovka for the lovely long stretch through the Beech Alley, an avenue of tall trees on each side, and the monument to the Great Patriotic War that you can see at the end of the route. The memorial is to honour the airmen who lost their lives, with its graceful wing shape. Combine with: Moscow to St Petersburg Sosnovka parkrun T – Treviso parkrun, Prosecco Hills, Italy Sandwiched between Venice and the Prosecco Hills is Treviso parkrun, a pretty pathway through the woods. We’ve designed the perfect long weekend to enjoy this Italian parkrun and the nearby Prosecco Hills, with a wine tasting included. Read more: spotlight on Treviso parkrun. Join: Exodus’ parkrun the Prosecco Hills designed for parkrunners U – Uditore parkrun, Palermo, Sicily This tight little course is an unusual four-lapper, which follows the perimeter of the park. It’s the perfect guilt free run, because it sets you up perfectly to indulge in Palermo’s excellent food scene – head down towards the waterfront to enjoy arancini, sfincione, pane e panelle sandwiches, or for those with a sweet tooth the gelato is simply sublime. Combine with: Sicily Food Tour Uditore parkrun V – Vääksyn parkrun, Finland Two hours north of Helsinki, you’ll find Vääksyn parkrun – a picturesque route along the sweeping bends of the canal. Being beside the waters not only means lovely views but also a flat course – making for a fast finish time, or if you’re brave enough, a safe course for a winter run. Our most popular winter trip Finnish Wilderness Week flies via Helsinki, and our team would be able to help you arrange to fit in this lovely parkrun. Combine with: Finnish Wilderness Week Vääksyn parkrun W – Warszawa-Praga parkrun, Warsaw, Poland Skaryszewski Park in Warsaw is an absolute delight. It is 55 hectares of perfectly manicured landscape gardens, fountains and flowerbeds. This two and a half lap route ends with a 400m straight perfect for squeezing every last drop of effort out for a final dash across the finish line. Combine with: Discover Poland Warszawa-Praga parkrun X Currently there are no parkruns beginning with an X, but with new courses opening every year there’s every chance one will be born. Watch this space! Y – Yzerfontein parkrun, South Africa For a challenge with a beautiful twist, Yzerfontein has it in the bag. This tiny parkrun is rural, and the community focus is paramount – you’ll run on the land of a local farmer through a working farm, a tough 2km uphill start past soaring wind turbines to stunning views over to Table Mountain, Dassen Island, Meeurots and Langebaan Lagoon. Combine with: Johannesburg to Cape Town Yzerfontein parkrun Z – Zelenograd parkrun, Moscow, Russia On the outskirts of mighty Moscow, an hour journey away on the Leningradsky rail, Zelenograd parkrun is one for the determined. Almost nothing stops this parkrun from going ahead, with their Instagram filled with heart-warming images of dedicated parkrunners completing their 5km in the snow! Combine with: Russia: Last Journey of the Tsars Zelenograd parkrun Join Exodus and parkrun Exodus is a proud partner of parkrun UK. We've got an exciting year of special events coming up, so keep an eye out for our takeovers in your parkrun newsletter. As part of our partnership with parkrun, we've also created our parkrun specials: dedicated adventures designed specifically for parkrunners to fit seamlessly with some of the most exciting parkruns around the world.