Iconic Deer Park You Won’t Want to Miss

Richmond Park is only the largest of the Royal Park in London, but also has protected status as an important habitat for wildlife, including the famous deer. Before the start of deer birthing season, I finally got the chance to spot deer.

Advice

1. 🔸In case of no signal, an offline map can give you direction.
2. 🔸The park is expansive. Familiarise yourself with the map of the Richmond Park.
3. 　　According to this guide, the Flying Field, the Sports Pitches and the areas around the Duchess Wood are particular popular with deer during the Spring and Summer months.
4. 　　In the Autumn and Winter months, deer tend to roam freely in the woodlands and follow the path of the sun.
5. 🔸According to the official website, be aware of your surroundings, especially during the rutting season (September-November)and birthing season (May-July), so that you do not come between two rutting stags or a mother and her calf.
6. 🔸Keep at least 50m away from the deer so that you do not come between two rutting stags or a mother and her calf.
7. 🔸Do not touch and feed the deer.

My trip

The Pen Ponds car park is usually a good place to start. The car park offers a central base for walking. There are several main gates which you can enter by. On that day, I entered from the southeast of the park and walked toward the Pen Ponds.

Spring is a glorious time in nature with new leaves and bright blooms. Autumn, in particular, is when the park comes to life when the leaves change colour.

The Pen Ponds is a twenty-minute walk from the gate. Before I can catch a glimpse of the famous deer, I found birdlife on and around the ponds.

Then, I headed toward the Duchess Wood and kept an eye out for deer. As soon as I spotted a herd of deer comfortably lying down on the Flying Field, I sprang into action and started walking toward them. Moreover, another herd of deer was wandering on the field not far away.

I was thrilled and lucky enough to find them both at the same time!

The Richmond Park are home to two species of deer – Fallow and Red. Their population is split nearly 50/50.

The wild deer are surprisingly tolerant of human visitors. By contrast, as they are wild and unpredictable, I did not want to get any closer 😅. After taking some pictures, I left the park and headed to the middle-class, leafy and affluent Richmond town centre. The Terrace Field and Terrace Gardens, located close to Richmond town centre, provide wonderful opportunities for having a picnic and enjoying the delightful views of the River Thames.

Before ending my trip, I decided to get myself some food. When I saw Chez Lindsay, I know it was what I wanted. This French restaurant offers savoury buckwheat galettes and sweet crêpes with carefully sourced ingredients. The staff are extremely welcoming and friendly. They even told me to take a picture of them 😂.

There is no secret to the recipe and preparation because everything was made in full view while I wait. The freshly prepared savoury galette with wide range of fillings is simple but delicious.

Is Richmond Park worth visiting?

Absolutely Yes.

Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t like to spot deer who are free to graze and roam around the green landscape? If you want to bring your trip to the next level, I suggest visiting the park in brownish, yellowish Autumn rather than Spring.

The fresh, new born green across the tops of the tress cannot rival the autumn show. All male deer have antlers which start growing in the Spring and are fully grown for the rut in September. Autumn, in particular, is when the park comes to life when the leaves change colour and the male deer have their crowning lofty antlers.

Also, Richmond town centre has some of the best grocers (Waitrose, Whole food, and M&S), different chain restaurants (Ole and Steen, Five Guys, and Amorino) and retailers (Lululemon and Sweaty Betty), and a range of independent and unusualretailers. It is a posh place that offers a unique shopping experience in a calm and relaxing ambiance, far away from the sometimes overwhelming atmosphere of the big city.

Richmond Park and Richmond town centre are an amazing place to you if you want to walk among the mature trees, enjoy the formal and informal planting, be with nature, as well as go shopping in a calm and relaxing ambiance.

Things to see and do nearby:‍

1. 📍 Richmond Park: the focus of your trip. It has protected status as an important habitat for wildlife, including the famous deer.
2. 📍 Pen Ponds: it is close to refreshment point and car park, and a good place to see water birds.
3. 📍 Flying field: a good place to see deer and the only permitted place for drones.
4. 📍 Isabella Plantation: a beautiful gardens, ponds and woodlands with a huge variety of beautiful flowers which look especially striking in April and May.
5. 📍 The Royal Oak: a 600 year old oak tree, with it’s famous hollow trunk.
6. 📍 Richmond: a  posh place that offers a unique shopping experience in a calm and relaxing ambiance
7. 📍 Kew Gardens: home to the world’s largest and most diverse collection of living plants. The Palm House, is a must see. Also, the park is a wonderful place to see cherry blossom.
8. 🍴 Chez Lindsay: a French restaurant offers savoury buckwheat galettes and sweet crêpes.