Bushy Park

The lowdown

Everyone knows Richmond Park, but its near neighbour Bushy is just as big in spirit and far quieter. The second largest of the Royal Parks, it spreads over a thousand acres next to Hampton Court, and around three hundred red and fallow deer roam it freely, just as they have since Tudor times.

The showpiece is the Diana Fountain and the great Chestnut Avenue, a mile-long ceremonial drive of horse chestnuts laid out by Christopher Wren, which erupts into blossom every May. Tucked away to one side is the Woodland Gardens, a hidden world of streams, ponds and exotic planting that most visitors never find.

It is wilder and less manicured than the central parks, more grassland and water than flowerbeds, and that is its charm. A free, big-sky escape on the western edge of London with deer for company.