On Richmond Park

 Before I left Canada, I was trying to soak up as many sensory experiences as I could so I could lock them away in a vault in my heart to be enjoyed when I was feeling homesick. My beautiful daughters' faces, their hugs, their smell. I went on long walks in the ravine near my house and soaked in the smell of the forest. I wondered if England would smell different. How does an English forest smell?

Today I wandered over to Richmond Park. I have an interview there tomorrow about a volunteer position at a nature centre. I wanted to get a sense of the place. 

My original plan was just to wander along the bottom bit that is near my house, but once I was there I decided I would walk the length of the park and then catch the bus home from the other side. 

I was greeted by this character. That is one of the
fern thickets to get a sense of how big they are.


The English forest does smell very different from a Canadian forest, but it still has that deep earthy smell of life. As Robert Louis Stevenson said:

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of the air, that emanation from the old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit."

And the trees in Richmond Park are old indeed. The forest is largely dominated by oak trees and the oldest of these are massive. They aren't tall like Douglas firs, but they have massive girth. There are also massive chestnut and beech trees. 

A large oak tree

There were also thick forests of ferns that in some cases were nearly 2 metres tall! There were huge swaths of fern thickets mowed flat so one wonders if they are an invasive species taking over areas of the park. These foresty thickets were everywhere. 

The thick ferns everywhere are positively Jurassic

As I approached the other side of the park, off in the distance, I realised I could see downtown London. There were the outlines of the famous buildings I have only seen pictures of. Every now and again, my brain jerks to attention that I actually live here. I'm not on holiday. I'm not going home in a few days or weeks. I. live. here. 

You can just make out the Shard there. I could also see the gherkin, but not in this photo.

Throughout the park are the funny little jackdaws, beaking off at each other. They are a member of the corvid family. They are smaller and not quite as beautiful as magpies, but they are hilarious to watch and, unfortunately, get the same amount of respect from the locals as magpies do in Canada. 

A Jackdaw 
Ben Rudiak-Gould, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons


I look forward to more trips to Richmond Park and learning about all the creatures that call it home. 

The classic oak tree shape




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