Richmond Park, Richmond

This is a huge park, with wide open spaces, and numerous cycle paths (buggy friendly) and you can park at different points throughout the park. On busier days it can be tricky to find a space in the car park, so we had to keep following the path until we found an alternative car park further along. We loved the open-ness, being able to see the kids even if they went a bit further ahead, and of course the deer-spotting - absolutely amazing. We went just after Christmas once and my son (aged 3 then) was convinced it was Rudolf up ahead, grazing. Great place for a family ramble after Sunday lunch, whatever time of year. For us it's also a good place to stretch the legs before heading home down the A3 which isn't far off. Take bikes or scooters, baby carriers, and head off for a stroll. There are play areas and a cafe, but you're also not far from Richmond itself, or Putney for a slice of village life and cafe society.

We are frequent visitors to Richmond Great Park and more specifically Pembroke Lodge. We have visited in all weathers including the snow which was stunningly beautiful it has to be said, and great fun watching people sledging down the hills. We always park at Pembroke Lodge as this way there are toilets there for 3yr old to visit before we go for a walk. There are some lovely areas and open spaces to find within Richmond Park and many hours of discovery for kids to explore. We have played numerous games around broken old logs and tree stumps! Its also a wonderful place to go for a picnic, just watch the Deer dont fancy your food for their lunch! They are often around and you can usually get pretty close to them but its essential not to touch! Of course you cant end the visit without going to the cafe within Pembroke Lodge for a nice slice of cake and a coffee!

This is a lovely park with a huge amount of space for the kids to run around. We went for a picnic there and were spoilt for choice as to where to sit. We chose an open grass area with large logs scattered around for the children to climb on. There are plenty of mature trees for shade and we took ball games to play after we had eaten. If you fancy an ice-cream there are a couple of ice-cream vans if you don’t mind walking to find them. Parking is easy with several car parks dotted around the park and residential roads just outside the park gates too. It is a very popular place but because of its size you don’t really notice.

Just had a lovely day in Richmond Park. This is a real popular park for cyclists and there were people picnicking everywhere, you are not short of lovely picnic spots to choose from. We took a picnic ourselves but there are a few cafes around the park if you haven’t had time to bring your own. I was told that Pembrook Lodge is your best bet for children as it has children’s meals and high chairs. People seemed to be setting up camp for the day, it was such a hot sunny day and there was kite-flying, games of badminton, volley ball and plenty of sun bathing going on. Richmond park is absolutely huge so I would advise bringing bikes if you wanted to see everything, it would be pretty hard going on foot, alternatively there is a bike hire centre. We were told there was small children’s playground but as we were on foot we decided to have a few ball games and enjoy the sun. The best part of the day for the children was dear spotting. We sat next to a huge group who seemed quite happy to be near us although they will make a quick dash if you get too close as our two-year-old found out! Brilliant day!

This is a great place for off-road cycling. We normally struggle to get our teenagers out on a walk in the countryside with us, but they love to come here for a pulse raising cycle ride. It is difficult to park, and sometimes we have to park outside the actual park (Ham Gate) but once we are in, we're in! The surroundings are very natural, with lots of grass, trees and deer but there have always been lots of people too whenever we have been.

We love Richmond Park and come for picnics quite often. There are several car parks around the site, one near each gate, and which are currently free although there is some talk about introducing a parking charge. We usually park at Pembroke Lodge and then cross the road and walk to the right and then follow the footpath left to the lake. We either picnic here or go back to Pembroke Lodge for lunch. The park is great for kids to run wild as even by the road the cars go very slow. There are some great views of London from around the Richmond gate area of the park, and of course, spotting the deer is the main attraction. Deer and parakeets!

Richmond Park is a beautiful escape from the city! The extensive grounds are home to two types of deer, red deer and fallow deer, which kids love to spot. The deer don’t seem to get worried about passing families and they are really beautiful to look at. We like the Isabella Plantation in the middle of the park that has some beautiful flowers and a pond with ducks to feed. There is another lake outside the Isabella Plantation, which is huge and great for picnicking by. The Pembroke Lodge tea rooms and restaurant is great for kids and sells kids lunches in animal boxes. For a longer walk, there is a good kids playground on the other side of the hill behind Pembroke Lodge.

Definitely one of London's finest open spaces. The Richmond Hill end has spectacular views over the capital. A few hundred yards on at the foot of the hill is Petersham Gate which has a great playground and a good place to picnic. It's a great place to explore on bike, but if the kids are a little young for that, it's equally as good by foot. My children love going 'off piste' into the wooded areas, climbing trees and building camps. The only downsides are the high volume of cars (traffic can often be bad and car parking is limited), and the huge number of dogs running around off their leashes. There are no real facilities to speak of (baby changing etc) so don't forget your baby essentials.