The Pineapple Chicken Blog

Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. As promised, this post will cover my “David Attenborough” moments at Richmond park. I do apologise that this is being posted later than I had hoped! I have spent the week catching up with very dear friends after work. Though it was much needed, it didn’t leave me much time to blog! On the bright side, there will be some exciting food reviews coming up, which I can’t wait to share with you all!

Opening hours and transport

Though having lived in London all my life, last weekend was the first time I visited Richmond Park. To be quite honest, I am an idiot for not having gone sooner. It is surreal that we have such a beautiful nature reserve on our doorstep. Being a north London girl, it is rare for me to venture to the south west of London, but I would advise anyone who needs a break from the bustling city to wander around Richmond Park, it is great for the soul.

A big shout out goes to @lilbigmovement, as he dragged me from my bed at 6:00 am so we could reach Richmond Park at 7 am when the gate opens for vehicles. Opening hours and directions can be found here. I highly recommend to go early. Personally, I think it is the time when you can truly appreciate the beauty and tranquillity of the park. We were very lucky that we had wonderful weather during the bank holiday weekend. However, this also meant that by midday, the park was swarming with families, runners, bike riders, and horse riders.

When we arrived at 7, there were a few runners (as the pedestrian gate is open 24 hours) and bike riders. If you are not athletic like me, I suggest to travel by car or take a train and bring your bike along with you. We seriously underestimated how large the park was! We did not manage to explore the whole park but luckily enough with the car, it was possible to see all the areas we wanted to in a relatively short space of time. There are various car parks located throughout the reserve and being there early meant that we did not have to fight for space!

Deer

For those who do not know, Richmond Park is famous for the wild deer that roam freely. Being a city girl, the closest I get to nature are pigeons and the local fox running off into the night. Seeing any sort of wild animal is a treat for me, so seeing deer and being able to get close to them is INCREDIBLE. My first sight of one was just as we were driving along the road towards Hams Gate. There were several males with their majestic antlers relaxing on the side of the road, watching people run by. I jumped out of the car and had to take a few pictures. Though this is when I realised, I really need to invest in a telephoto lens. Does anyone have any recommendation for a Nikon DX camera?  

The rules are that we must keep at least 50 feet away from the animal, as they wild and can act unpredictably. It thinks it is also just respectful to not get too close when they are relaxing and enjoying the morning sun.  Though here are the few shots I managed to get! Deers are just AWESOME!

Pen Ponds

If there is only one spot you need to go to and you are only there for an hour or less, then is to go straight to Pen Ponds. There is a car park named Spankers Hill Wood Car Park near the ponds and from there, walking in a straight line, you will walk by the field where the deer usually lie in the morning. There is a big herd of them, casually basking in the sun. They were unconcerned with the people running around them or walking past. It is a postcard shot moment – the lovely field and the Royal School of Ballet in the background (see picture above). After walking past them you will reach the large ponds. It is so picturesque. I was lucky that when I was there a lovely man was feeding the ducks and geese, so I could get really close to them. Another moment to enjoy Mother Nature.

It was a lovely Sunday morning and I really would advise anyone in London to stop by! Richmond park gets a juicy 5 out of 5 pineapples!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

With Sweet and Sour Love,

Pineapple Chicken

P.S. Do check out @lilbigmovement for his adventures with his drone Nikki around London and beyond!