Just under 45 minutes from Piccadilly Circus, the heart of London’s West End, lies the picturesque borough of Richmond. With its charming little alleyways, boutique shops and cafes nestled along the highroad and riverfront pubs, going there feels like a mini get away from the city although Richmond is still a part of London and well-connected through the Underground District Line and Overground trains. Richmond also invites visitors for wildlife watching in Richmond Park, where an abundance of deer are free to roam the area.
It usually doesn’t snow much in London, actually in some winters it doesn’t snow all, and if it does, the snow doesn’t tend to stick around. This year was different, with about a week of proper winter wonderland in London a couple of weeks ago, and more over the last couple of days. Today I took that opportunity to enjoy the nearby Richmond Park, which is only about 30 minutes from where I live, covered in snow.
Richmond Park is the largest of London’s Royal Parks, others being Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Green Park, for example. It measures 955 hectares (almost 10 km2) and is of national and international importance for wildlife conservation. The park is a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation and features as Grade I on Historic England’s Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England.
What I particularly like about Richmond Park is that it allows me to get completely away from all the hustle and bustle of the city, without actually having to leave it. London can be really intense and I’m still a country girl after all. Moreover, if I didn’t get out of London every once in a while, I’d probably turn into one of those impatient and irritable people I see in the city on a daily basis, who always seem just an inch away from pushing someone off the sidewalk if they’re not moving fast enough.
Richmond can also get very busy on weekends but because it’s cold and snowing, there’s less people out and about as I make my way from the station to the river. From there, it’s a less than half an hour walk along the river, up through Terrace Gardens and to the park. I’m hoping to be able to spot some deer today. The snow, which has started melting, and then froze over again, is crunching under my booted feet. I could see myself getting lost in this massive park, especially with all that whiteness around me, so I stick in proximity to the road that goes through the park. A good indication for deer is when a small traffic jam forms on the road, usually due to the drivers getting out of their cars to get a glance at the deer. About half an hour into my walk, I can see cars lining up in the distance so I head into their direction.
I almost don’t believe my eyes when I get to the massive herd of deer consisting of well over 100 animals. They have all gathered in a little forest, probably to get some protection from the wind and the snow. Males with massive antlers stand in front of the group, as if to protect the females and young that lie behind them in the grass. Two younger males are fighting, their antlers smashing violently into each other.
After having spent a while admiring the beautiful animals in the snow, I only have a little more time before sunset to walk around a little more. I get as far as Adam’s Pond, a larger body of water in the park, before making my way back to the station as the snow has turned into rain, and winter is bidding its goodbyes for this year.
