Springwatch

One of my favourite things about running has always been the gradual transition between seasons. When I lived in Oxfordshire I would run in Blenheim Palace during the spring to see the green foliage gradually develop. Now living in London, I’d been intrigued to see how London bloomed and blossomed as the winter subsided.
Beyond the sudden and welcome presence of floral borders and blossom on the trees, one thing I hadn’t quite banked on was the crowding in the parks as Londoners try to make the most of the weather.
My Sunday run takes in some of London’s archetypal sights, from Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill to Buckingham Palace and Westminster. With the temperature in the high teens and more sun than cloud (and April showers holding off for the timebeing), normally quiet paths became swamped with people, prams and dogs. Sunday, as it turns out, is very much the day for taking in the sights of the city.
Since the whole weekend has been particularly warm and pleasant, I took my camera down to Regent’s Park on the Saturday. (As, it turns out, did everyone. For once I wasn’t appearing in every other tourist’s snaps on my run, but trying to catch gaps between the inevitable torrent of strollers.)