Every Saturday morning, more than a thousand people gather near the Diana Fountain in Bushy Park and run five kilometres together. It all started here: on 2 October 2004, thirteen runners lined up for what was then called the Bushy Park Time Trial, and that event grew into parkrun. If you run, Teddington has a claim on you.
Saturday: where it all began
Bushy parkrun starts at 9am every Saturday. It’s free, 5km, and runs anticlockwise on a fast, flat course of paths and grass from near the Diana Fountain. With more than a thousand runners and fifty-odd volunteers most weeks, it’s busy, sociable and very good for a personal best. Register once with parkrun and bring your barcode.
The everyday loop: Bushy Park
The rest of the week, Bushy Park is yours. Chestnut Avenue gives you a long, straight run, and the perimeter paths and open grassland let you build a loop to whatever distance you like, mostly off-road and almost entirely flat. Early mornings are the best time, before the cyclists and dog walkers, when the deer are grazing in the mist. Give them a wide berth, especially in the autumn rut.
The river run: Teddington Lock and the towpath
For something different, head down Ferry Road to Teddington Lock, cross the footbridges and pick up the Thames Path. It’s flat, traffic-free and easy to navigate (just keep the river on one side), and you can run upstream towards Kingston or downstream towards Ham and Richmond, turning round whenever your legs say so. In wet weather, expect some mud.
Find your people: the Stragglers
If you want company, the Stragglers are Bushy Park’s big, friendly running club, for “young and old, fast and slow”. Thursday is club night from Bushy Park Sports Club, with groups at different paces, showers, and food and drink afterwards. Members race cross-country and on the road through the year, and there’s a junior section too.
For runners aged 5 to 12, SIMMSAthletics at St Mary’s coaches the basics on the Sir Mo Farah Athletics Track.
Recovery
When something starts to niggle, JS Massage Therapy on the High Street offers sports massage and trigger-point work from an advanced clinical massage therapist. For gentler upkeep, the yoga classes and hot-stone sauna at Concrete Jungle do wonders for tight hamstrings.
Refuel
After a river run, the Flying Cloud Café by the footbridge is right on your route (open March to November). Back in town, Local Hero on the High Street will sort you out with a flat white and a bag of beans for tomorrow.
See you at the start line.
