Running The Circle Line

Start & Finish: Marylebone Station, Melcombe Place, Marylebone, London, NW1 6JJ
Distance: 23.9 km (14.8 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 190m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (Walk): Thames Path, Jubilee Walkway, River Fleet Walk, River Westbourne Walk, Jubilee Greenway
Other routes touched (Cycle): CS3, CS6
Pubs / Cafes on route: Loads … it’s London.
Map:
-
OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham
- OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford


The idea of above-ground trips along the London Underground lines is not new. Mark Mason's 2011 book Walk The Lines is the best example and many other running geeks have also attempted them. Needing to escape an especially tiring year-end at work, I set off to conquer the Circle Line on a cold mid-December morning.

The Circle Line is great starting point for above-ground Tube adventures. All other lines have distant start and end points and need a bit more planning. At just over a half-marathon, the Circle is an easy half-day adventure.

My start point was Marylebone Station. Although not on the Circle line, it's on the route between Edgware Road and Baker Street, my star and end points. I set off clockwise with the aim of marking each station with a Selfie. 

Despite knowing London pretty well, I still needed a bit of navigational help. The north and south sections are pretty straightforward, with the east and west trickier. The walking directions on Google Maps and a Google Keep checklist of all the stations were a big help.

The total distance underground is 14 miles, although that's by avoiding buildings. Negotiating the streets above ground adds at least a mile. Missing Temple station and having to run back to it from Embankment added another mile. Don't do that.

Once back at Marylebone I'd covered just over 16 miles. At around 3 hours it was no Personal Best. Speed is not something to be aimed for on a working day in central London. It was a fun trip though and a nice way to link up some familiar parts of London.