Photo credits: © Kasia Ciesielska-Faber, © Amanda Boardman, © Diana Loch, © Nigel Attenborough, © Paula Redmond, © Tammy Marlar
2022 calendar and Christmas cards are available now
We are delighted that our beautiful calendar and Christmas cards are selling faster than ever. It’s not surprising with so many amazing images of Richmond Park’s scenery and wildlife. Both the calendar and cards raise much needed funds for conservation projects in the Park and you can shop at the Visitor Centre or online here.
Discoverers event – Fascinating Fungi
Look out for more information shortly on the Discoverers part of our website about our next event on Fascinating Fungi, Sunday 7th November.
New wood turned gifts at the Visitor Centre
We are delighted to re-introduce a selection of objects made exclusively for the Visitor Centre using hardwood from Richmond Park’s iconic trees. The timber has been rescued from storm damaged trees (mainly oak) and seasoned at Holly Lodge for a couple of years. These objects were hugely popular last time but supply is limited as we won’t be getting any more seasoned timber for at least another year. They make beautiful and totally unique gifts, which cannot be bought anywhere else. Prices start from £15, available from the 14th October. The Visitor Centre opening hours can be found here.
Let’s Discover! New film and autumn trail family event
After a successful event earlier this month, we will be hosting another free family trail on the 26th and 28th of October for our new booklet, Let’s Discover! This event offers a fun opportunity for children to learn about the wonderful world of trees and their wildlife, while exploring the Park. The booklet features Olly the Little Owl, who is hiding on every page, along with interesting facts and activities to complete on the way. See our new 5-minute film from our first trail event here.
Starting point: the Visitor Information Centre by Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park. Here you will be able to purchase a booklet (£1.50) and also collect a map of the trail. Please note that the Visitor Centre only accepts card payments.
Dates: 10am to 12noon on Tuesday 26th October; 2pm to 4pm on Thursday 28th October.
Trail: Around 1 mile long. Volunteers will welcome you at each of the stations on the trail, where children can choose to take part in an activity and receive a stamp. At the end of the trail, there will be a special Olly stamp to collect.
Give rutting deer respect and space, urges The Royal Parks
The Royal Parks is urging visitors to Richmond Park to be extra vigilant and keep a minimum distance of 50 metres away during the annual deer rut. This advice follows the publication of a video, taken by a member of the public, that shows photographers, many with long lenses, dangerously close to stags in Bushy Park. In the footage one resting stag with sharp antlers, is so disturbed by the photographers’ proximity, that it suddenly stands up and moves away.
During the rut, The Royal Parks is urging people to take responsibility for their own safety by:
- Keeping a minimum distance of 50 metres away. The more space the better, especially during rutting season. If visitors want a better view, they should bring binoculars
- Keeping dogs on leads or walking them elsewhere
- Abiding by the British Deer Society’s Code of Conduct.
- Never getting in between two rutting deer
More information, including the video, can be found here.
Olly the Little Owl booklets and badges
Olly the Little Owl booklets (priced at £1.50) and badges (priced at £1 and available in six colours) are now available at the Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre is currently open Tuesday – Sunday each week, 10am until 4pm.
The Holly Lodge Centre’s 6th Annual Quiz Night
Quiz master Adrian Mills, the well-known radio and television presenter and patron of The Holly Lodge Centre, will host the 6th Annual Quiz night on Friday 22nd October, 7pm – 10.30pm. Tickets are £20 per person and include a light supper. Book your place here.
Guided Walks
Our free guided walks do not need to be booked ahead. Walks begin at 10am on a Saturday morning and finish around midday at the same car park or gate. Please keep dogs under control. The next walk is:
- 6th November Pembroke Lodge Car Park (fungi). Note: Motor Vehicle access only via Richmond, Ham and Kingston Gates.
See the full programme of details here.
Richmond Park Diary – October 2021
Deer rutting (breeding) season is under way and will last until early November. Richmond and Bushy Parks are home to over 1,000 free roaming red and fallow deer and during the rut you may notice some behavioural and physical changes in the stags and bucks. Read more from The Royal Parks here.The importance of wildflower meadows in Royal Parks
Say the word meadow and it immediately conjures up images of distant lazy days, the smell of hay and wildflowers, the sizzle of summer heat and the sound of the wind and crickets in long grass. Meadows are often portrayed as a natural habitat but that’s not quite the case. Read more from The Royal Parks here.
The causeway will be closed for approximately 8 weeks. Contractors will be undertaking work to raise the height of the causeway. This will improve the structural integrity of the reservoir to hold back water in the event of a ‘one in thousand year’ flood. Contractors will need to close the causeway to enable work as machinery will be in operation and aggregates and other material will be delivered. The Royal Parks appreciate that the causeway provides a very desirable section for many routine walks. However, pedestrians will not be able to walk through the work site for obvious safety reasons. Read more from The Royal Parks here.