‘Exquisite views and total exhilaration’: readers’ favourite running routes

From the Med to the Pentland hills, our tipsters find their pace by azure seas, medieval city centres, ancient woods and up lofty ridges

I love running in Ghent. It is completely flat, so encouraging for beginners and people aiming for personal bests. There is a rowing lake with a 5km track around the outside called Watersportsbaan. This connects with a nature reserve called Blaarmeersen on an 8km loop (with an artificial sandy beach to play volleyball, or swim in afterwards). To extend your route, there are gorgeous paths following the Leie River out into the countryside or through the historic city centre. If that isn’t enough, there is another nature reserve, full of wader birds and canals, called Bourgoyen-Ossemeersen, surrounded by a 10k loop. I will be running my first marathon in Ghent in March 2022. Beer, waffles and chocolate after, anyone?
Jennifer Coleman