Wednesday 19 September 2012

Stuttgart Vineyards Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 5.2 km (3.2 miles), terrain hilly

Stuttgart Routes List:
Best Stuttgart Running Routes: Overview
Schlossgarten Park  
Rosenstein Park  

TV Tower hills  
Bärensee lakes  
Vineyards  

Stuttgart Airport woods
For more running routes, see the Route List

Stuttgart is one of the few big cities with a variety of vineyards found within the city limits. Stuttgart if full of hills, and in southern Germany, vineyards are always laid out on the sunnier south slopes of hills, to add warmth to an otherwise cool climate.
Vineyard path on the Mönchsberg
Here's a nice little vineyard run in northern Stuttgart, if you're staying in the Zuffenhausen neighborhood, near the Porsche factory. It's fairly short but has a lot of uphill running to give you a good workout in a short time, with more than 100 meters vertical climb. It heads up to the Mönchsberg (Monks' Hill), with a great view for many kilometers. I did this run on a glorious autumn evening and was rewarded with beautiful scenery in every direction.

This run starts at the Kelterplatz intersection, with two U-Bahn stations, so it's easy to get to: U7 Kelterplatz or U15 Zuffenhausen Rathaus, so you can easily do this run even if staying elsewhere in the city.
Kelterplatz: turn right at the first cross-street
The street leading eastwards is called Haldenrainstraße. Follow it 100 meters until you come to the first side-street on the right, Hohenloher Straße, where you turn right.

This street curves to the left as it goes uphill. Run a few blocks until you see Möckmühler Straße on the right, after the long fence. Here, you turn right, heading south.
Lamppost with trail-markers on Öhringer Straße
After just a block, at the playground, turn left and -- after a few steps -- right again, on Öhringer Straße. You'll see some trail markers on the lamp-posts for the red trail markings. Just follow this street as it heads uphill. After 200 meters, the houses end and it turns into a paved bike- and pedestrian trail, and you'll soon run by the first vineyards.

We are now on the lower-level trail. There are others above and the mid-level and at the top of the hill.
Vineyard along the trail
You will cross a littler path going straight uphill but just stay straight on this trail. After xxx km, after passing an open field on the right with a great view of northern Stuttgart, the path starts going steeply uphill towards some houses at the hilltop.
View from low-level trail
Before you get to the houses, you'll see the path serpentine off to the right to become the mid-level trail. Turn left here and run back north, above the vineyards you just passed on the way south.
The grapes were ripe during my run
You'll pass one turnoff that goes to the right, up to the hilltop, but just keep going straight.
Head uphill at this spot
When the path ends at a cross-trail, turn right to continue uphill, past some private garden plots full of fruit trees and flowers.

This trail ends further uphill, where you turn left and run north again for a hundred meters, where the trail comes to an intersection. 
Turn right at this junction, continuing among the garden plots
You could keep running down the trail that goes steeply downhill here, but let's add some distance here and turn right to keep running along the hilltop among the garden plots.

When the paved trail makes a sharp right-turn, keep running straight along the gravel path.
Private garden paradise
Eventually, the path will come out to the main street along the mountaintop (Roter Stich).

Just before you get to the main street, with the military base higher up along the ridge-line, turn left on the little paved path with the post blocking the path.
Turn left here, just before Roter Strich and head back home along the rough-paved trail
Now you head down a set of steps and follow the old, rough paving past a couple of turnoffs for the new neighborhood. Just follow the old paving as it goes through more private gardens.

In just 200 meters, the path runs into Hohenloher Straße again, which you follow all the way back to the U-Bahn station at Kelterplatz.

Monday 17 September 2012

Copenhagen Lakes (Søerne) Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 6.3 km (4 miles), terrain flat

Copenhagen Running Routes:
Best Copenhagen Running Routes: Overview
Old Town  
Lakes (Søerne)  
Freetown Christiania  

Klampenborg Deer Park
For other running routes, see Route List

Copenhagen's most popular running route loops around a semi-circle of lakes that line the west side of the old town. The Søerne is a line of five lakes, joined together like a chain of perls. They were originally created to power watermills and used as reservoirs, just outside the western city walls.
Runners along the east shore of the Lakes
Nowadays, the lakes are lined by the most-used running trails around. The route is comparable to New York City's Central Park reservoir, but much bigger, at over 6 kilometers. The longest of the lakes, Sortedams Sø, is at the north end, and the two shortest lakes are at the south end, but they are both called Sankt Jørgens Sø, and together they are about the same length as Sortedams.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
Because the line of lakes is broken up by four cross-street causeways, you can easily cut short the route any time you please.

In a loop like this, it doesn't really matter where we start or in which direction we run, but I'll start it at the southeast corner, at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium on Vesterport. The planetarium is shaped like a diagonally sliced-through cylinder, looking like a dome from the front.
Tycho Brahe Planetarium
Facing the planetarium entrance, head straight north along the east side of Sankt Jørgens Sø, with the water to your left side.

The route doesn't really need much description: there is a fairly busy street along this east side of the lakes, Søgade, but there is a nice gravel path down near the water. The only annoyance is the cross-streets, where you have to wait at the traffic lights.

At the second cross-street, Gyldenløvesgade, there is an interesting old restaurant on the left side, the Søpavillonen. In warm weather, this lake is filled with paddle-boats.
The Victorian-era Søpavillonen
When you get to Sortedams Sø, you'll see an interesting old row-house neighborhood to the right side, and an island full of dead trees on the left, covered by cormorants.

NOTE: This section of the lake run overlaps with the Old Town Route. Maybe try that one out, too!

At the north end of Sortedams, turn left and keep following the lake. At the northwest corner, turn south to follow the west shore back to the start.
Watch out, runners ahead! At the northwest corner of the lakes
This is the most pleasant side to run on: the street lining the shore is mainly just for pedestrians and bikes, and there are a couple of tunnels taking you under the cross-streets, avoiding waits at traffic lights. There are various pubs, restaurants and beer-gardens lining the western shore. You might decide to do most of your runs running up and down this one shore.
Runners passing café and boat-rental dock
You will see the planetarium coming up when you get back to Sankt Jørgens Sø, where you run back to the starting point.
Another mass of runners, along Sankt Jørgens Sø