One good place in which to enjoy such an escape from the built environment is Bushy Park, situated between Teddington and Hampton in south west London. I should note straight away that some people would not take this to be in London at all, lying as it does in the relative ‘sticks’ of Zone 6, but personally I adhere to the view that anything inside the M25 is part of London, whatever its residents may argue to the contrary. But anyway, back to Bushy Park. One of the old royal deer parks, it is second only to nearby Richmond Park in size, but has, I feel, a nicer atmosphere to it. The bulk of its area is left fairly scrubby, with unkempt grass in spring and summer being replaced by tall bracken in autumn and winter. Scattered groups of trees add interest, while long, wide rides in the southern half add a sense of grandeur.
Not all of the park is laid out so openly, however. There are two fenced-in plantations containing much denser vegetation that are also worth a look. Parts of these have been elegantly landscaped, with artfully-placed trees overlooking ponds frequented by all manner of ducks. Better though are those sections that have been allowed to grow a little more wildly, where the bushes are not as neat and the paths not as clear-cut. I have managed to spend whole afternoons tucked away in these upper reaches without coming across another soul.
Back outside of the fences two of the most prominent features (excepting the road that unfortunately blights the centre of the park and the Diana fountain that this winds around) are the Heron and Leg of Mutton Ponds. These attract a quite impressive selection of wildfowl, with red-crested pochard and Egyptian geese being often present in addition to the more usual gulls and mallards. On one of my more recent visits I was able to get within a metre of the very obliging heron pictured below.
Less water-inclined birds also abound. The green parakeets are worth a special mention; with their in-your-face plumage and piercing squawks they are pretty hard to miss. They are also rather exotic, and it is quite a shock to see these creatures flying happily around suburbia. After all, they are normally associated with rainforests and other such areas with rather balmier weather. Native birds such as green woodpeckers, thrushes and jays are also common, and one time I even caught sight of a cuckoo.
Not all the park dwellers have wings. Although not technically ‘wildlife’, the deer roam around freely both in herds and individually. There are a good mixture of fallow and red to see, and all are pretty well used to humans, allowing us to get much closer than would ever be possible out in the real countryside. Mingled in with the brown deer are a smattering of completely white animals. The limited herd sizes seem to allow the albino genes to propagate much more extensively than would happen normally; these white deer stand out a mile which is hardly a good survival trait when predators are lurking nearby.
The most common creature by far in the park however is unfortunately two-legged. A third car park complete with cafe has recently been opened, and this has encouraged the humans to swarm. I don’t wish to begrudge anyone their fresh air, but most seem to come in their cars to harass the deer, make lots of noise and then leave. As more people come the park becomes less of a haven for wildlife, and the sense of peace visitors feel is being gradually destroyed. So my advice would be to visit, but to come by public transport or by foot, to stay clear of the areas around the car parks, to get lost in the wilder sections of the plantations and to head to the corners the parents with buggies have not yet found.
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