Isabella Plantation Inside Richmond Park

Take the District line to Richmond, walk into the park, follow signs to Isabella Plantation. A woodland garden inside the deer park, reached by a gentle walk through open grassland where the oaks hold court.

The plantation is an azalea-and-rhododendron garden at its best in mid-to-late spring — pinks, purples, whites dappled through with slanting sunlight. A small pond mirrors the sky. Boardwalks over a quiet stream. Deer nibbling at ferns just beyond the path.

It's modest compared to Kew, and it won't blow your mind if you're expecting spectacle. But on a spring weekday morning before the families arrive, it's one of the quieter, prettier walks in London. A kingfisher sometimes works the pond, a blue flash that justifies the trip if you catch it.

Free. Parking at Roehampton Gate. Flat paths, stroller-friendly. Bring sturdy shoes for post-rain mud.