Europe

Leicester, UK

Leicester - City Centre by David Hallam-Jones

Leicester is a city of about 500,000 in the East Midlands of England. The city lies on the River Soar and is 90 miles northwest of London and 33 miles northeast of Birmingham. There’s a nice variety of running in Leicester, including numerous riverside footpaths, several large parks, and some areas of scenic wetlands and open countryside.

The anchor of running in Leicester is the several miles of paths along the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal. Abbey Park can be part of this or run separately. Our ‘runseeing’ tour hits the Leicester’s historic sites, New Walk, & Victoria Park. Great Central Way is a 3.8 mile paved multi-use path south from the center and connecting other trails. Watermead Country Park features several miles of paths around lakes, wetlands, and meadows, while Aylestone Meadows has a great network of trails among pastures, trees, river margins and small ponds. Near the Centre, combine Braunstone Park & Western Park. For gorgeous open countryside running, enjoy the rolling hill trails of Bradgate Park.

Editor's Picks

Some of our favorite runs in Leicester, UK

See All Routes
  • All Routes
  • Iconic Routes
  • Weather & Climate
  • Where To Stay
  • Stores & Group Runs
  • Events

Leicester Three Park Run

Leicester, UK

Some nice park running in western Leicester. A highlight is Braunstone Park, a 168-acre open space with formal gardens, 2 lakes, jogging paths with gym equipment. Combine with Western Park. Just west is Western Park Golf Course, a large open space with footpaths.
Explore

Leicester’s cool maritime climate is not one of the running attractions, but it is a reason for the area’s greenery! The most notable aspect of Leicester’s weather is the relatively low sunshine. It’s typical UK weather, with cool winters and mild summers. In summer, high temperatures are in the 70F (21C) range, with cool nights dipping to the low-mid 50sF (12C). A layer might be needed at any time of year! Winters are cool and damp, with daytime highs in the mid-high 40s (7-8C) and nights dipping to near freezing. Snowfall is relatively rare.

Try to stay in the western part of the City Centre for best out the door access to running on the River Soar and other centrally located runs in Leicester.

Leicester Running Shop.

Runners Need

Running club list, from Leicester Running Shop.