Father's day in Richmond Park

Deer filled greenspace on the edge of town

Once upon a time when I was lucky enough to live in Putney (well - Putney Heath actually) and lived tooth-by-jowl with near neighbours Sean Connery, late great Bobby Moore and at least one Dr. Who. I was a regular visitor to nearby Richmond Park. So it was with great pleasure that I was re-acquainted with this beautiful oasis of flora and fauna – probably my favourite out-door space in London. Situated between Sheen, Richmond, Kingston and Roehampton this place is the perfect destination for picnic-ers and those fleeing the maelstrom of Central London.

I was fortunate enough to taken there this Father's Day to be fed a sumptuous outdoor feast lovingly prepared by my creative daughter, Evie. Sharing an area of knee-high grassland with at least one kind of indigenous deer we became part of the local habitat and hunkered down in our nest of rugs. You keep having to look up to remind yourself that London city-scape is never far away and unlike many other urban green-spaces this place has the look and feel of something slightly wilder. You are never too far away from the local inhabitants of the park (Red, Fallow and Roe deer) and as if the remind you – you need to be careful before seating yourself on the ground.

The Isabella Plantation is particularly beautiful at this time of year and although the day was a little overcast and chilly (even for early UK Summer) it did not detract from the day at all.

Note to self: visit much more often!

Peter Richards

TripTide User