Best of spring in the Royal Parks
Hedgehogs stir, birdsong fills the air, daffodils bloom and goslings are born. Spring breathes new life into our parks, so plan a stroll to boost your step count and witness nature at its very best. This season, The Royal Parks have an array of activities to suit all tastes from guided tree walks and a historical exhibition to free activities for the kids during the Easter Break.
1. Discover tree folklore
- Kensington Gardens
- 23 March, Kensington Gardens
- £10 book here
Learn about the folklore and myths that surround trees with our resident arboriculturalist Greg Packman.
In this walkthrough Kensington Gardens, discover why oaks were symbols of the gods; how rowan trees provided protection from malevolent forces, and which variety, above all, symbolised renewal and purification.
2. Discover how the parks helped win the First World War
- Wren House at The Royal Hospital Chelsea
- 29-31 March, 10am-4pm
- Free, more info here
To mark this year’s centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919, an exhibition called ‘From the WW1 battlefields and into the peace’will look at how both The Royal Parks and the Royal Hospital Chelsea supported the wartime effort - and marked peacetime.
The exhibition will feature rarely-seen photos and artefacts and will invite visitors to dive into the fascinating stories of the past. This includes the construction of a giant post office in The Regent’s Park to deliver letters to troops on the Western Front and the growing of crops across the parks to support the national food shortage. There will also be a guest appearance from The 10th Essex Living History Group, who will be dressed in WW1 uniform.
3. Relax on one of our boating lakes
- Cost varies, check locally with parks
Hire a rowing boat or a pedalo and glide through the picturesque surroundings of Greenwich Park, Hyde Park or The Regent's Park.
In Hyde Park, jump on the sun-powered 'Solarshuttle' which will take you from the boathouse to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain.
4. After work gardening in Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens allotment
- First Monday of the month, 6-7.30pm
- Booking is required. Reserve your place by emailing volunteering@royalparks.org.uk For more information visit www.royalparks.org.uk/volunteer
If you want to volunteer but struggle to fit it in around the nine to five, then our twilight gardening sessions are for you.
Discover how to grow everything from pumpkins and potatoes, to peas and beans in our volunteer-run allotment in Kensington Gardens. Duties will include planting, watering and harvesting an array of vegetables and fruits.
This allotment is one of three demonstration spaces in the Royal Parks, designed to inspire the public to ‘grow their own’ in whatever space is available to them.
5. Entertain the kids for free during the Easter holidays
This Easter, our learning team will be hosting free Discovery Days in the LookOut Discovery Centre in Hyde Park.
First up is the Marvellous Mammals session on 10 and 11 April. Learn about the secret lives of The Regent’s Park hedgehogs and search for mammal tracks in our gardens. ‘Spring to life’ the following week (17 and 18 April) with activities that will include a nature trail, pond dipping and nature-based arts and crafts.
Further afield in Bushy Park (9 April) and Richmond Park (16 April), the Mission: Invertebrate team will be on hand to help children uncover the fascinating world of invertebrates, from bees and beetles to snails and spiders. Join a bug hunt and explore insect habitats, learn fascinating critter facts during interactive story-telling and make bug-inspired crafts to take home.
6. Watch a gun salute to celebrate The Queen’s birthday
- Parade Ground, Hyde Park
- 22 April, noon
- Free, more info here
Royal gun salutes mark special royal occasions and, in London, salutes are fired in either Hyde Park or Green Park by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, and at The Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
The Queen celebrates her 93rd birthday on 21 April and this year the firing of the canons takes place the following day, Monday 22 April 2019, in Hyde Park and the Tower of London.
The number of rounds fired in a Royal Gun Salute depends on the place and occasion. The basic salute is 21 rounds. In Hyde Park and Green Park, an extra 20 rounds are added because they are both Royal Parks.
Please be aware that due to the noise level of the gun salute, dogs should be kept well away.
7. Free Easter-themed animal mask making
- Near Greenwich Park bandstand
- 11 and 14 April, 10am-4pm
- More info here
Come over to our tent near the Greenwich Park bandstand to take part in animal mask making and arts and crafts – with an Easter theme.
Transform your youngsters into chicks and bunnies at this free drop-in activity. Once you’re finished pop into the tent next door find out more about ‘Greenwich Park Revealed’, an exciting multi-million-pound project to restore the park’s natural heritage, fund a new learning centre and develop training and volunteering opportunities for a growing and diverse local audience.
8. Visit the beautiful Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park
In spring, expect a kaleidoscope of colour in the plantation, as bluebells carpet the floor and evergreen azaleas and rhododendrons put on a bewitching display of vivid pinks, purples and reds.
To enable more people to enjoy this enchanting 40-acre woodland garden, a free minibus service will operate every Wednesday from 17 April - 30 October 2019. The fully accessible minibus drives a complete circuit of the park, stopping at the main Richmond Park car parks and the Isabella Plantation. It also stops outside the park at Ham Common crossroads (65 bus stop) and the barrier in Danebury Avenue, near Roehampton Gate. View the minibus timetable
The best time to see the azaleas and rhododendrons in full bloom is the end of April and start of May. View a month-by-month guide of what plants you can see in the plantation.
9. Listen to the sounds of spring
- Hyde Park
- 27 April, 5am-7am
- £10, book here
When visiting London's eight Royal Parks you may notice it's spring by the sight of leaves returning to the trees or the colours of the flowers in bloom, but close your eyes and you may hear spring in the form of woodpeckers drumming, nuthatches calling or chiffchaffs singing. The best time to hear birds singing is at sunrise when they sing more frequently, vigorously and loudly. Referred to as a dawn chorus, male birds sing to attract a mate or warn other males from their territory. At sunrise, join our Learning Team for a guided walk through Hyde Park’s more wooded area to hear the dawn chorus to full effect.
10. Celebrate the blossom at Chestnut Sunday
- Starts at Chestnut Avenue in Bushy Park
- 12 May 2019, 12.30-4.30pm
- Free
With its roots in Victorian times, Chestnut Sunday is an annual celebration of the blossom on the horse chestnut trees in Bushy Park
Festivities include a parade through Chestnut Avenue at 12.30pm complete with military vehicles, vintage cars and City of London horses.
Also, expect live music, pony rides historical re-enactments and traditional fairground rides.
For a full list of events across London’s eight Royal Parks visit https://www.royalparks.org.uk/whats-on
