Tag: Parks and Green Spaces

Richmond Park in Richmond, the famed hunting ground of Henry VIII, is now maintained as a Royal Park yet it still feels wild and wooded. This year I have explored deeper into this vast expanse of nature.

The Different Regions of Richmond Park

Richmond Park comprises different regions each with their own character and attractions. Driving around the circumference road and dodging deer and cyclists, these are the ones that I have recently explored:

• Isabella Plantation
• Pen Ponds
• Pembroke Lodge
• Robin Hood Gate

Pembroke Lodge the Information Centre and Cafe of Richmond Park

Pembroke Lodge is the centre of the universe of Richmond Park. There is an information centre, a refreshment stand and  a cafe serving classic English fayre of sandwiches, cakes and scones. Behind the wrought iron gates there are elevated formal gardens with panoramic views of Richmond and the city beyond which rival nearby Kew with an abundance of seasonal colour.

Isabella Plantation a Fenced Garden in Richmond Park

This is a wooded fenced area known for its magnificent display of camellias, azaleas and daffodils with a central pond and the cutest ducks with little hats .

 

Pen Ponds

These ponds are a short walk on a slight incline from the Pen Ponds car park. Geese, swans and ducks follow tourists looking for forbidden contraband and bread from soft hearted folk who have decided to ignore the advice of not feeding the ducks. You almost feel that you are on holiday at an exotic lakeside destination.

Robin Hood Gate

There’s some interesting fallen trees here with exposed roots, gnarled bark and skeletal shapes in a boggy, marshy expanse of lush grass. Great for taking nature photographs and selfies. It’s a 10- 15 minute walk up to Pen Ponds from here. On my return trek, I was ecstatic to see the herd of red deer who had come out to graze. It was like being on safari in the Serengeti. Honestly, why go to Africa when you can go to Richmond Park!

Practical Advice for Visiting Richmond Park

Car Parking

Richmond Park is free to enter and free to park (we like free!) You are invited to make a donation at card reading machines at the various car parks but this is by no means obligatory.

You can only park in the car parks and if you park elsewhere you are liable for a fine. As a result, the car parks get busy, on sunny days and at weekends you are likely to have more luck parking at the furthest car parks from Pembroke Gate. Currently, you can’t drive the full circumference of the park as the road is closed just after Isabella Plantation on the anti-clockwise stretch.

Check the opening and closing times as you don’t want to get locked in overnight. These times change according to the season.

Driving and Cycling

As you would expect, Richmond Park is  a popular cycling area…think lycra-clad, kamikaze lunatics riding in packs or on their phones. The road is narrow so overtaking is often not an option. Be patient. You don’t want to make the newspapers for all the wrong reasons.

If you are one of those cyclists Richmond Park is your oyster!

Toilets

There are toilets at most of the Richmond Park car parks but you’ll need to check a map to ensure that your chosen car park has those facilities.

Cafes

There are cafes with seating at Pembroke Lodge, Roehampton Gate and Pen Ponds. In the great British tradition, the smaller car parks usually have ice cream vans run by independent vendors. Think whipped ice creams with flakes, Magnums and Cornettos. And I spied bacon sandwiches. There’s tea, coffee and hot chocolate – perfect for a freezing day. You can find out more information about the cafe and see photos here.

Seating and Picnics

Dotted around Richmond Park are wooden park seats and fallen logs making it the ideal spot for a picnic. Fortunately, you can picnic near to your car so no need to lug your flasks and hampers for long distances. On New Year’s Day I see many people having tailgate picnics from the boot of their car.

My amazing and recent discovery is the wonder of the Stanley vacuum flask. I paid a fortune for this pricy British icon. I preheat it with boiling water for 5 minutes and then adding fresh boiling water and pack Yorkshire tea bags and fresh milk with an ice pack and I have perfect, scalding hot tea for the whole day.

For more information on Richmond Park including any seasonal updates see the official Royal Parks website.

We have some other great suggestions for free and nearly free days out. and we hope these practical tips will help you make the most of your day at Richmond Park.

If you have enjoyed this piece you may like our feature on the nearby botanical wonder  Kew Gardens.

The Queen Mary’s Rose Garden is living proof that anyone can have an experience of a lifetime in London free of charge. These historic gardens containing thousands of roses are an area of peace and tranquility that feed the soul. Come here on a warm Spring day in late May or early June to see the roses when they are at their best.

I often visit after a trip to the nearby Regents Park Open Air Theatre but there is nothing to stop you bringing a book and a picnic and lying in the sun surrounded by beauty.  Copy the Victorians and make Queen Mary’s Rose Garden it a place to see and be seen.

What is Queen Mary’s Rose Garden Famous for?

In a single word, roses…to be precise, 12,000 of them, contained in 85 single variety beds. Each year 3 of these beds are replaced with a new variety.

What is the History of Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

The garden is named after the wife of King George V and was first planted in 1832. In the same way that we might dress up to meet our friends in a pub, club or restaurant the affluent middle classes of the day would wear their best clothes and promenade in their top hats and tea gowns in the rose garden. Fetes and music would be organised in the summer months. It was a place to see and be seen,

Today the Queen Mary’s Rose Garden attracts all sorts of people…newly-weds looking for a back drop for their wedding photographs, professional photographers bearing tripods, local residents taking a stroll, families having picnics, young lovers (it’s the ideal backdrop for a proposal) and of course tourists who have heard about the legendary blooms.

It is a stroke of luck that we have this magnificent garden to enjoy today as there were historic proposals to use the land as a palace for the Prince Regent, the bloated and debauched son of an earlier monarch. Fortunately, he preferred the Buckingham Palace location.

The Four Areas of Queen Mary’s Rose Garden

There are several distinct areas that make up Queen Mary’s Gardens.

The Circular Rose Garden

The original garden was the circular rose garden with its rose-festooned border of white and pink roses that provide a colourful living wall.

The Triton Borders

The Victorian jungle beds known as the Triton Borders have flamboyant jewel like colours with contrasting begonias, huge palms and ferns. These are linked to the famous garden designer William Robinson who worked for the Royal Botanical Society. He was a big fan of subtropical bedding containing hardy plants placed in natural arrangements.

Don’t be mystified if you see plastic buckets in the borders. These are place holders for plants that are on order and waiting to be delivered.

The Sausage Border

There is also a herbaceous border called the Sausage Border because of its shape. This has a planting scheme of deep red peonies and ornamental rhubarb spikes

The Mediterranean Garden

The Mediterranean Garden has been made possible by improving the water-logged London clay soil with plenty of sand to allow acacias, palm trees and purple alliums to thrive.

When Should I Visit Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

Very late May and early June is the best time for seeing the roses in full bloom. Most roses have a second showing in August and September but your photos maybe spoiled by the faded blooms of earlier flowerings. The delphinium border is at its best in June.

Can you find the plant sculpture of an elephant which is hidden in one of the borders?

How Do I Research Roses Before my Visit?

Before you visit, familiarise yourself with the different types of English roses. The varieties that you will see in the garden are:

• Hybrid tea
• Polyantha
• Climbing
• Rambling
• Damask
• Gallica
• Alba
• Centifolia
• Floribunda
• Patio
• Ground Cover

As a general rule, the older varieties are less magnificent looking but have a stronger smell and the newer hybrids are amazing to look at but with less scent.

You can find out more about the different types of roses at the Gardener’s World website.

If you see a rose that you like you can almost certainly buy it online from one of our many rose firms, so don’t forget to photograph the plant label.

Tips for Photographing Roses Using a Smart phone

Any amateur can get very successful results using these tips;

• Use natural light to photograph flowers as overcast days give a softer look
• Mornings are the best time as the roses are fresh and often have dew drops
• Crouch or kneel to get to the same level as the flowers
• Use the close up/flower function on your phone’s photograph menu
• Take a lot of photographs at different angles and closeness
• Fill the frame and block out as much of the background as possible for rose close ups.
• Check for unwanted things in your picture e.g. people, litter bins, insects
• Use the crop facility on your camera to edit your photos and make the flowers bigger.

How Do I Get to Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

There is an 8-10 minute walk which ever tube you take as the rose garden is in the centre of Regent’s Park. The nearest underground stations are Great Portland Street, Bakers Street and Regents Park.

How Much Does it Cost to Visit Queen Mary’s Rose Garden?

The entry to Queen Mary’s Gardens is free of charge.

If you like gardens, be sure to see out post on Kew Gardens in Winter.