Dog Walks in Richmond

Richmond is London's answer to the question of how you combine a proper dog walk with a proper day out. The town itself is handsome, Thames-side and Georgian, with a riverside stretched with pubs, boat hire and walking paths. But the main event for any visitor with a dog is Richmond Park — the largest Royal Park in London, bigger than all the central parks combined, and home to around 630 free-roaming red and fallow deer that have grazed the landscape since the 1600s.

The park is a genuinely different kind of green space. Unlike Hyde or Regent's, it's not landscaped — it's a remnant of old English deer park with rough grassland, ancient oaks, hidden plantations and long open vistas. You can walk for two hours without retracing your steps. And because it's a National Nature Reserve, the wildlife interest is real; you'll see woodpeckers, parakeets, skylarks in summer, and of course the deer themselves, which are the reason for one very important rule.

Best Dog Walks in Richmond

The Richmond Park Deer Walk (5 miles, easy) is the all-rounder — a long meandering loop through the best of the park, typically starting at Pembroke Lodge or Sheen Gate and taking in the Isabella Plantation, King Henry's Mound (with its protected view all the way to St Paul's) and the long grass of the deer pastures. The terrain is flat, the paths are mixed grass and gravel, and it's suitable for dogs of any age. Parts of the route are off-lead friendly, but common sense and eye contact with your dog is essential throughout.

Planning Your Visit

Richmond, Mortlake and North Sheen stations all give you quick access to the park gates. Parking is available at Pembroke Lodge, Roehampton and Sheen. The critical rule: during the deer rut in September and October, and the birthing season in May and June, dogs must be on leads throughout the park — this is rigorously enforced and for very good reason. At any time of year, stay at least fifty metres from the deer. The Victoria on Sheen Road is a reliable dog-friendly Richmond pub for a post-walk pint, The Terrace Kitchen near the river welcomes dogs on its outside tables, and Urban Tails Daycare is useful if you need to leave the dog for a few hours mid-visit. Dog walks in Richmond genuinely reward the whole day.