Name of walk	Richmond Park
Date of walk	2026-07-20

Photos from several walks in the park from July and September. Richmond Park is a 30 minute walk from Richmond Station. Buses are available too. There is a free mini-bus time-tabled service in the park every Mon, Wed, Fri March-November. I used it once after a five hour park walk to save my feet. The bus driver, a volunteer, was very friendly and helpful.

I walked in every time, taking the side exit from the station on to Church Rd. You can also go via the High St. towards the vehicle entrance past all the shops, traffic and hordes of people too, if that is preferable. I prefer the quieter approach.

Entering Richmond Park via the Cambrian Gate pedestrian entrance means I get to walk past David Attenborough's front garden, which I have on numerous occasions. He has a couple of lovely tree ferns. He bought and extended into the former Hole in the Wall pub on the right. More room for his fossil collection.

On a previous occasion, early one July morning the gardener had been busy watering. Now with the hose pipe ban everything is a little browner but still tolerating the drought.

The Cambrian Gate pedestrian entrance. A 30 minute walk from Richmond Station along quiet suburban roads.

I always photograph the map to aid navigation. The path around the outside is 7 miles long, so the park is massive. The only signs are in areas that draw in people, the rest of the park has multiple paths everywhere but never any signs. A good sense of direction is needed as well as a basic familiarity of the layout. I only once had to use my phone map locator when trying to locate a particular pond.

Bishop's Pond is now dried up. (September)

Poet's Corner in the grounds of Pembroke Lodge is a memorial to James Thomson. He lived in Richmond in the mid 1700s. He wrote the lyrics to Rule, Britannia. Plus the epic poem The Seasons.

The memorial was restored in 2015 and opened by Sir David.

A rather poor, from memory, recreation.

There is also a memorial bench for the unique Ian Drury. He spent a lot of time here with his family. The song title Reasons to be Cheerful is inscribed on the back of the bench. Ian was a poet, lyricist, musician and actor. As lead singer with The Blockheads he had hits in the 1970s with Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick and What a Waste, amongst others. A stalwart of my teenage years.

Couldn't resist a photo on Ian's bench.

The view from King Henry's Mound.

The actual view. Looking down on the Elm Walk that I will visit another time.

There is a telescope on the mound to look at the view, and to turn around for the framed view of St. Paul's Cathedral. Which I can see, but not with my phone camera.

The Way gates that lead to a tree lined path that frames the view. This path is not for people, just views, the gates are padlocked.

Pembroke Lodge from the front just after I let author Richard Osman walk past so he wouldn't 'spoil' my photo. He's really tall! I wanted to ask "What's next for Joyce?", but I let him be.

Lovely bedding.

In the hallway of Pembroke Lodge.

We have coffee on The Terrace. It has a great view. On this occasion I met Brendan at King Henry's Mound. I had walked from the station and he had got the bus to the Petersham pedestrian entrance and walked up from The Elm Walk. We both arrived at the same time. He sat in the cafe and read while I disappeared off for a short mooch in the park.

Echinops.

The gardens at Pembroke Lodge are lovely.

Richmond park away from the crowds.

Heading for Pen Ponds and the causeway across.

I found myself returning here almost every walk.

Leg of Mutton Pond.

Many of the older trees are fenced.

Martin's Pond was rather lovely.

Attenborough Pond was disappointingly fenced off and the gate was padlocked.

Fallow Deer on the edge of Spankers Hill Wood. Now there's a name to conjure up all sorts of going's on!

You are supposed to keep 50m from the deer, I was about 25m, but I was out in the open, highly visible and they were fully aware of me, and it wasn't rutting season.

I thought it best not to venture into the wood but headed for Good slapping Plantation instead...... In truth I headed for Isabella Plantation, a duller name, but a delightful place.

The all important navigation guide. It is a 40 acre woodland garden set within a Victorian plantation.

Peg's Pond.

Still Pond. Around the edges are Azaleas which flower in shades of pink in the late spring. I must return then.

Thomson's Pond.

Thomson's Pond from the other side.

Behind Thomson's Pond is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). I have one in my garden that we grew from seed for the Millennium, but it's not that big!

From Isabella Plantation I head in the direction of White Ash Pond. I spot some Red Deer in the distance.

White Ash Pond is dry too (September).

On one of my walks I headed out in search of The Royal Oak. I had a rough Idea where it was. This is not it. The Royal Oak is at the far end of Queen Elizabeth Plantation. I came face to face with a fox at a junction of two narrow paths, I'm not sure which of us was the most surprised!

The Royal Oak has distinctive branches and hollowed trunk. The surroundings are now quite overgrown with bracken.

The nearest I could get.

As Patron of the 2020 Year of the Tree campaign Sir David was presented with one of the 100 limited edition prints of the Royal Oak by Mark Frith. The original is in Pembroke Lodge and small prints are on sale in the Visitor Centre next door.

The gate into Sidmouth Wood that would lead me back out and not far from Pembroke Lodge.

Very easy walking in Sidmouth Wood.

The view of the city from Sawyer's Hill.

There are roads that go through Richmond Park, heavily used by cyclists. Another great view of the London skyline.

For today's walk I was taking The Queen's Ride through The Saw Pit Plantation to White Lodge. It is a long, straight walk!

White Lodge is now in view.

The Queen's Ride was cut for Queen Caroline, wife of George ll, from the Old Deer Park to White Lodge, her favourite residence.

White Lodge is the only Grade 1 listed building in the park. It is now home of the Royal Ballet School.

View back the way I had come.

I head to Pen Ponds again.

I skirt Sidmouth Wood in the direction of Pembroke Lodge.

On one walk I came in via the Petersham pedestrian entrance. There were Fallow Deer quite near the gate and wall.

The Elm Walk. David Attenborough planted the one on the left for his 90th birthday. These elms are disease resistant.

You are supposed to keep away from the deer, but that can be difficult when the deer flaunt the rules and actively seek out humans. A mother and baby had to make a quick retreat from their picnic next to the children's play area.

Richmond Park at its best, devoid of people.

Richmond Park is an excellent place to visit if you are a walker who likes wildlife, and places with well-dispersed humans.

I used ‘Sir David Attenborough’s Richmond Park, a centenary celebration’ by The Friends of Richmond Park and ‘Richmond Revealed, Richmond in Six Walks’, by Paul Jackson, which has lots of colour photos. The first is available in the Visitor Center next to Pembroke Lodge. The second I got in Waterstones. I used his guide to structure my own walks, both in and out of the park.

Jo.