Touring London at One’s Own Pace : Joggers in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens can see some of the capital’s best-loved sights while working out.

There is a place here where it is exciting to see things on the run.

Forget the double-deck buses and the underground tube. Say goodby to tour guides. Instead, put on your running shoes and head for two adjoining royal parks, Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. You’ll not only have one of the great runs of your life, but you’ll find an amazing array of interesting things to see--including an admission-free art gallery that gladly welcomes park runners.

“No, we don’t have a dress code, and, yes, runners are welcome to come in here--in fact we get many runners,” said a clerk at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens. The gallery, which is near the lake of the same name, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The gallery, which calls itself “London’s most beautiful venue of contemporary art,” is housed in a building called The Old Teahouse, near the Albert Memorial. Skylights in four large rooms in the gallery provide stunning natural light for viewing a changing array of contemporary paintings. Art works and sculptures shown here are by professional artists who have not exhibited at commercial galleries.

I visited the Serpentine Gallery after a long run in Kensington Gardens. But the gallery can also be a good place to visit immediately before starting a run. Either way, it is one of the many treats in the two parks that make running or walking there a memorable experience.

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Running is a portable sport, and I usually get to enjoy it wherever I travel. London, however, poses special challenges. On previous visits to London, I was frustrated in attempts to make long runs along city sidewalks. The ancient city’s colorful, chockablock streets are marvelous for walking--but just not suited for long runs. I found that the short blocks and uncoordinated stop lights resulted in run-stop, run-stop, run-give-up.

But on a recent vacation to London, my wife and I stayed at a hotel near Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The two parks connect, jointly forming a vast, 636-acre preserve in the heart of the city. I had been in both parks before--but never as a runner. To my delight, I found that runners from all over London--and visitors from all over the world--use the twin parks. Paths fan out in myriad directions; runners can zig and zag through the two parks for miles without repeating the same course.

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One can begin a long run virtually anywhere in the two parks, but my favorite starting point is the wide sidewalk in Kensington Gardens called The Broad Walk. I would begin my run on The Broad Walk near the intersection of Kensington Road and Palace Gate. The scenery--and history--are immediately rewarding.

A few hundred yards north on The Broad Walk, I ran by Kensington Palace, once the home of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Via intersecting sidewalks, I was able to run around the periphery of the stately old brick building, which has been used by members of the Royal Family, including Victoria when she was a young girl, since 1689. A flower garden at the rear of the palace perfumed the early summer air.

Running back to The Broad Walk, I passed an intriguing statue of Queen Victoria as a young woman. Later, during my cool-down walk, I came back to the statue to read the inscription: “Victoria. Here, in front of the palace where she resided until her accession, her loyal Kensington subjects erect this statue.” The sculptor was Victoria’s daughter, Princess Louise.

A small, tranquil lake, called Round Pond, is opposite the Victoria statue. Visitors can rent canvas deck chairs to sit around the peaceful little lake. Or one can run, as I did, around the pond, getting a good view of the ornate bandstand nearby and watching visitors feed the ducks.

At the north end of The Broad Walk, another sidewalk parallels Bayswater Road. I ran down that walk, through stands of flowering chestnut trees, until reaching the reflecting pools of the Italian Gardens. Running south from the Italian Gardens, I passed a charming vista: the bronze statue of Peter Pan, one of the most beloved works of sculpture in London.

The path southward from the Peter Pan statue parallels The Serpentine--a long, twisting lake with exotic trees and flowers decorating its banks. Tame geese and ducks amiably honked at me as I ran by.

A bridge over The Serpentine is the dividing line between Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. I ran on a footpath under the bridge, emerging on the east side and facing a sandy swimming beach and an outdoor restaurant. The path continues around the rim of the lake, circling a picturesque area of rowboats. Immediately behind the running path, equestrians have their own track for riding, a sandy road ingloriously called Rot ten Row.

I circled The Serpentine and on the return run back into Kensington Gardens, passed a marvelous statue sculpted by G.F. Watts. Entitled “Physical Energy,” the statue shows a man on horseback. Both man and horse appear exhilarated with the spirit of rapid movement. The statue is a perfect depiction, I thought, of the physical energy runners enjoy.

GUIDEBOOK

A Jogger’s London

Getting there: In London, walking to large parks such as Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens is the best way to get to your recreational destination. The walk is a moderate warm-up, and it serves as a cooling-off period after the run. Moreover, you can see additional sights of London en route to the park. If your hotel is too far away for a reasonable walk, take a bus or the Underground (tubes).

Other places to run: In the vicinity of Buckingham Palace, one can run in Green Park and St. James’s Park. In northern London, the big (472-acre) Regent’s Park has numerous areas for running, and it also has the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London.

Where to stay: Many hotels, of all sizes and prices, are on the perimeter of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens; others are only a few blocks away. We stayed at the Forum Hotel, a comfortable, modern high-rise, at 97 Cromwell Road, where singles range $145-$165 a day, and doubles $175-$195. From there, we walked to Kensington Gardens via Gloucester Road and Palace Gate.

For more information: Contact the British Tourist Authority, 350 S. Figueroa St., Suite 450, Los Angeles 90071, (213) 628-3525.