Bushy Park advertises its pedestrian gates as open 24 hours a day. For twelve weeks of the year they are not, and one of those stretches is running now.
The summary box on the park’s own page says “Pedestrian gates 24/7”. The FAQ underneath says something different:
“The pedestrian gates are open 24 hours a day, except during the six week deer culls from September to mid October and November to mid December. During these months, pedestrian gates open from 8am and close at 10:30pm.”
Two six-week culls, twelve weeks in total, during which the park closes overnight. Checked on 6 October 2026, the autumn cull period is in progress, so the gates are on 8am to 10.30pm rather than round the clock.
If you were planning a pre-dawn run or a late walk in October or late November, that is the difference between a park and a locked gate.
The vehicle gates contradict themselves too
Same page, two answers.
The summary box: “Vehicle gates 8am – 7pm.”
The FAQ: “The vehicle gates open from 6:30am and close at dusk each day, which varies throughout the year.”
An hour and a half of difference at the start, and a closing time that is a fixed hour in one place and a moving one in the other. In December, dusk is around 4pm, which is three hours earlier than the advertised 7pm.
Check the week’s actual times on the park’s own page before driving, which is where the Royal Parks publishes current hours and temporary closures.
D-Day was planned here
The fact that should be on every sign in the park and is on none of them.
“During the Second World War, history was made in Bushy Park when the D-Day landings were planned from a military base set up here, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower.”
The base was Camp Griffiss, and a plaque marks the former site of Eisenhower’s office. The Royal Parks suggest asking one of the volunteer Rangers to point you to it, which is the practical advice: it is not obvious.
So the invasion of Normandy was planned in a deer park in Teddington, next door to where Henry VIII hunted.
Eleven hundred acres, and no Tube
“Bushy Park is approximately 445 hectares (1,100 acres) in size – the equivalent of four Hampton Court Palaces.”
That makes it the second largest of the Royal Parks, after Richmond, and considerably bigger than Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens combined.
Getting there is the catch. “There is no underground station within easy reach of the park, so we would recommend using the mainline rail services.”
Hampton Wick and Teddington, both on South Western Railway, are the closest, to the north-east of the park, and both are a 5 minute walk to the nearest gate.
Cycleways pass through and around the park.
Wren designed the fountain
The park’s landmark has a better pedigree than its surroundings suggest.
The Diana Fountain was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and stands on the long avenue through the middle of the park.
The park traces back to the Tudor period, when it was a favourite deer park of Henry VIII, who lived next door at Hampton Court Palace.
Also in it: historic resident deer herds, scores of protected anthills, ancient woodlands and winding waterways where skylarks nest.
The Woodland Gardens and the Pheasantry Café are the two places most visitors end up, and the gardens are the autumn walk.
Deer rutting season has rules
Worth taking seriously in a park with free-roaming herds.
The Royal Parks publish guidance for the rut in Bushy and Richmond: keep your distance, respect the deer’s space, and keep dogs on a lead.
The rut is one of the great UK wildlife spectacles and it is also when stags are least predictable. The same autumn months carry the cull closures, so September to mid-October is the period when the park is both busiest with wildlife and shortest on hours.
How to plan it
September to mid-October and November to mid-December: gates are 8am to 10.30pm, not 24 hours.
Driving: check the week’s times. The vehicle gates are given as both 8am to 7pm and 6:30am to dusk.
Find the Eisenhower plaque and ask a volunteer Ranger where it is.
No Tube. Hampton Wick or Teddington on South Western Railway, 5 minutes to the gate.
Deer rut: keep your distance and leash the dog.
Autumn walk: the Woodland Gardens, with the Pheasantry Café in them.
Combine it with Hampton Court, which is next door and the same Tudor estate.
Bushy Park
- Address
- Bushy Park, Hampton, London TW11 and TW12, next to Hampton Court Palace
- Nearest
- Hampton Wick and Teddington on South Western Railway, both a 5 minute walk to the nearest gate. No Underground station within easy reach
- Hours
- Pedestrian gates 24 hours, except during the six week deer culls from September to mid October and November to mid December when they run 8am to 10:30pm. Vehicle gates are given as 8am to 7pm in the summary and 6:30am to dusk in the FAQ
- Booking
- None needed
- Price
- Free
- Standing
- At 1,100 acres the second largest Royal Park, with free-roaming deer herds, protected anthills, ancient woodland, the Woodland Gardens and the Pheasantry Cafe
How to get in
The 24/7 pedestrian access advertised in the summary box does not apply for twelve weeks a year, during the autumn and winter deer culls, when gates run 8am to 10:30pm. The vehicle gate times are given two different ways on the same page. The D-Day landings were planned here from a wartime base led by General Eisenhower, with a plaque marking the site of his office which volunteer Rangers can point out. The Diana Fountain was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and the park was Henry VIII’s deer park next to Hampton Court.
Where to go next
Hampton Court Palace is next door and part of the same Tudor estate, and Richmond Park is the only larger Royal Park.
London’s parks compares the gate hours, and Kensington Gardens has its own closing-time trap.
Questions we get asked
Is Bushy Park open 24 hours?
Not all year. The pedestrian gates are open 24 hours except during the two six-week deer culls, from September to mid October and from November to mid December, when they open at 8am and close at 10:30pm. That is twelve weeks a year when the park closes overnight, despite the summary on its own page saying 24/7.
What time do Bushy Park's vehicle gates open?
The park gives two different answers. The summary box says 8am to 7pm, while the FAQ says the vehicle gates open from 6:30am and close at dusk, which varies through the year. In December dusk is around 4pm, three hours earlier than the advertised close, so check the current week's times on the park's own page before driving.
Was D-Day planned in Bushy Park?
Yes. The Royal Parks state that the D-Day landings were planned from a military base set up in Bushy Park during the Second World War, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. A plaque marks the former site of Eisenhower's office, and the park's volunteer Rangers can point you to it.
How big is Bushy Park?
About 445 hectares or 1,100 acres, which the Royal Parks describe as the equivalent of four Hampton Court Palaces. It is the second largest Royal Park after Richmond, and bigger than Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens combined.
How do you get to Bushy Park?
By mainline rail, because there is no Underground station within easy reach. Hampton Wick and Teddington, both served by South Western Railway, sit to the north-east of the park and are each a 5 minute walk from the nearest gate. Cycleways also pass through and around the park.
Can you see deer in Bushy Park?
Yes, there are historic resident herds roaming free. During the autumn rut the Royal Parks ask visitors to keep their distance, respect the deer's space and keep dogs on a lead. Note that the same autumn months carry the six-week cull, when the park's overnight opening is suspended.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 355 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
