Twice a year, Richmond Park is closed at night for approximately seven weeks while deer are culled. The closures begin on February 1 and November 1.

During the deer cull, the pedestrian gates will be locked in rotation from 8pm each evening and opened in the morning by 7:30am, which means you will not be able to cycle anywhere in the park during this time. The closure is for the public’s safety.

The Royal Parks’s team locks the gates in rotation each night. If you arrive at the park shortly prior to locking time, please do not enter unless you are absolutely certain you can easily reach your exit before 8pm. Arrive at, say, 7.59 and you will most likely find your exit gate is already locked – so you will have to ride back to where you entered, which will now be shut as well, then wait for TRP’s team to return on its final sweep and open it for you.

The Royal Parks carries out the culls as a sensible measure to control the number of deer. The amount that needs to be eliminated varies according to the health of the herd, and in later weeks of the cull, the deer can become more adept at evading the park’s team as they become accustomed to its sounds and movement. For these reasons, TRP does not give exact dates for when the operation will finish. We will let you know via social media if the pedestrian gates reopen before our next monthly bulletin comes out.

Additionally, there will be limits on riding your bike in the park when sporting events are held on its main roadway. These dates, should they go ahead, will appear on this page.

To find out more about the road closures and a reminder of the dates nearer the time, please subscribe to our monthly email bulletin.