Richmond Park hike

A lovely stroll through a massive park on the outskirts of London, with surprising wildlife.

Earlier this fall, as we settled into life in London, I had the opportunity to take several hikes outside London. Thus started a sequence of ten consecutive weekend hikes… so I was determined to get out hiking again today! I chose a walk along the Thames River and through the extensive meadows and woodlands of Richmond Park, just outside London. Little did I know how much wildlife I would find in this extensive parkland, so heavily traveled by so many joggers, dog-walkers, and equestrians.

The Railway Tavern in the center of Richmond, outside London.

Hundreds of red deer and fallow deer roam the park, as they have since the 1600s. I came across a herd of several dozen does, watched over by two beautiful stags. I watched as the two stags would occasionally ‘rut’ – really, it seemed they were gently playing, locking antlers – unconcerned about my presence or by the other people and dogs passing nearby. Then they’d graze for a while. Then play again.

Red Deer stag – Richmond Park, outside London.

Curiously, I encountered large, noisy flocks of green parakeets – sometimes a dozen in one tree. It’s unclear where they came from, but one theory is that they are the descendants of escaped housepets.

Parakeet – Richmond Park, outside London.

After eight miles on this chilly December gray day, it was time for lunch, so I tucked into The Princes Head pub and ordered a pint. And, without thinking, a plate of venison sausage.

Please enjoy the photo gallery; don’t miss the video of two stags playing at rut, the timelapse video of a parakeet cracking open a beechnut(?), and another with the noise of the parakeets amid the wind in the forest.

Hike stats:
Distance: 8.24 miles (13.3km)
Time: 3h47m (including lunch)
Elevation gain: 205′ (62m)

map of the Richmond area showing my track
As you can see, Richmond Park is huge – and is laced with trails formal and informal.
My route started (and ended) at Richmond Station in the upper left;
the village center has many nice shops and restaurants.

Most of the earlier ten hikes are discussed in this blog:

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Author: dfkotz

David Kotz is an outdoor enthusiast, traveller, husband, and father of three. He is also a Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College.

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