What's the score with Richmond Park in the winter?

joelsim

What are the opening times for cyclists generally as I don't fancy the A3/Kingston Hill instead?

I've only done it once before in the winter but this year it is going to be on all but the snowy days hopefully, give or take. I remember not being able to see my hand in front of my face so invested in a better light. I may also get a helmet light too but will wait and see how the new one fares.

asprilla

For cyclists it's open all night, except during the culls when it closes at about 8.

pangolin

Yeah culls are in November and February. Opens about 7:30am I think and closes around 8 like Aspirilla says. The rest of the time the ped gates are always open.

joelsim

Cheers fellas

notsoblue

Joelsim wrote:

What are the opening times for cyclists generally as I don't fancy the A3/Kingston Hill instead?

I've only done it once before in the winter but this year it is going to be on all but the snowy days hopefully, give or take. I remember not being able to see my hand in front of my face so invested in a better light. I may also get a helmet light too but will wait and see how the new one fares.

Please please, for the love of god don't invest in a stupidly bright front light. Richmond Park is plagued by riders blinding oncoming cyclists with 900 lumen lights. There might not be any street lights there but theres no need to have a light bright enough to light up the postcode just to get you round the park. Its a danger to other cyclists who use the park imo. If you *must* get bright lights, angle them down.

timmyflash

notsoblue wrote:

Joelsim wrote:

What are the opening times for cyclists generally as I don't fancy the A3/Kingston Hill instead?

I've only done it once before in the winter but this year it is going to be on all but the snowy days hopefully, give or take. I remember not being able to see my hand in front of my face so invested in a better light. I may also get a helmet light too but will wait and see how the new one fares.

Please please, for the love of god don't invest in a stupidly bright front light. Richmond Park is plagued by riders blinding oncoming cyclists with 900 lumen lights. There might not be any street lights there but theres no need to have a light bright enough to light up the postcode just to get you round the park. Its a danger to other cyclists who use the park imo. If you *must* get bright lights, angle them down.

+1 - not that i go there much anymore, but these have forced me to the side of the road while i wait for them to pass on more than once..

iPete

I'd strongly advise doing a late night Richmond ride, good fun and so quiet!

Took a Hope 1 with me and had it on the lowest setting worked great and you want your eyes to adjust so you can spot deer at away from the beam...

asprilla

notsoblue wrote:

Joelsim wrote:

What are the opening times for cyclists generally as I don't fancy the A3/Kingston Hill instead?

I've only done it once before in the winter but this year it is going to be on all but the snowy days hopefully, give or take. I remember not being able to see my hand in front of my face so invested in a better light. I may also get a helmet light too but will wait and see how the new one fares.

Please please, for the love of god don't invest in a stupidly bright front light. Richmond Park is plagued by riders blinding oncoming cyclists with 900 lumen lights. There might not be any street lights there but theres no need to have a light bright enough to light up the postcode just to get you round the park. Its a danger to other cyclists who use the park imo. If you *must* get bright lights, angle them down.

Oh, I keep forgetting that time of year is coming. Nothing makes me happier than riding towards someone who looks like they have a yield of about 8 megatons as they sear my retina and destroy my night vision.

Anyone planning on buying a 700 lumen torch from deal extreme, or a magicshine; don't. Please. You don't need it and everyone thinks you are a cnut.

hstiles

You'd be surprised at how much light pollution there is around Richmond park at night. I frequently ride through the park during the night. If you're coming from Central London, the route via Roehampton Gate along Priory Lane to the first roundabout, then left and up the hill past the White Lodge and penn ponds, right just past car park and through the middle of the park down to the junction by Ham Gate is lovely.

jzed

notsoblue wrote:

If you *must* get bright lights, angle them down.

+1 - I bought 900 lumens as an act of revenge - if the feckers coming with 900 lumens at you don't dim their light, you can angle yours up and blind the feckers too. Can't beat them - join them.* They're great too for spotting the ninja skiers (wtf is that about - never see them in summer, but in winter when there are ski slopes in Europe they decent on the park in pitch black wearing black outfits) and ninja runners. Nearly come a cropper a couple of times.

*I'm pretty considerate with my lights, I angle them down, and cup them with my hand if someones coming the other way (nice hand warmer too) as they have quite a wide beam.

asprilla

JZed wrote:

ninja runners. Nearly come a cropper a couple of times.

Turning left into the park at Roehampton last winter and I spoted a tiny flashing rear bike light in the distance so I accelerate to catch him. It wasn't a bike, it was a runner with a tiny light on the back of his ninja outfit and he was really close. So close that I nearly hit him.....

tgotb

Ninja runners in the road across the middle of the park are a complete menace. Often 20 or more of them, right across the width of the road.

In the Summer they're bad enough, many seem to have a "what are you doing in the middle of our running track" attitude, but in the dark they're a major liability.

notsoblue

The skiers are the worst... In a group of 5 of them flopping all over the road, only one of them will have lights. So you stay on your side of the road, away from the light, and then you get closer and a load of limbs and sticks suddenly appear in the darkness. I had two close calls with skiers, both with me going ~20mph. It would have been pretty messy if we had collided.

jzed

notsoblue wrote:

The skiers are the worst... In a group of 5 of them flopping all over the road, only one of them will have lights. So you stay on your side of the road, away from the light, and then you get closer and a load of limbs and sticks suddenly appear in the darkness. I had two close calls with skiers, both with me going ~20mph. It would have been pretty messy if we had collided.

Get some 900 lumen torches and burn their retinas :twisted:

pangolin

I just don a fur coat and antlers, they get off the road pretty quickly.

joelsim

hstiles wrote:

You'd be surprised at how much light pollution there is around Richmond park at night. I frequently ride through the park during the night. If you're coming from Central London, the route via Roehampton Gate along Priory Lane to the first roundabout, then left and up the hill past the White Lodge and penn ponds, right just past car park and through the middle of the park down to the junction by Ham Gate is lovely.

That's my normal route. Look out for me at about 8:15am from Kingston Gate to Roehampton, or about 6:15pm t'other way on a Black Boardman Hybrid struggling up that steep hill to White Lodge...

On the lights front I got these amongst other things as I had £100 of my C2W voucher left over as the bike was reduced. I hope they are plenty bright enough.

http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/HL-EL530/

http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/TL-LD1100/

I attempted once last year with one of these.

http://www.cateye.com/en/products/detail/HL-EL450/

I may as well have just closed my eyes, couldn't see a thing.

London_Falcon

Complete newbie here. Have been doing the bike commute once a week for a few weeks including the Ham Gate, White Lodge, Roehampton gate bit, then Putney - Kings Road etc to Moorgate.

Richmond Park around 7:30am and back again 6:30pm is by far the best bit of the whole 16miles.

Say hi if you see me!

veronese68

I have simlar problems in Bushy Park when it's dark. The woman with a pair of spaniels with flashing lights confused me the first time I stumbled across them. Flashing lights dashing all over the place. 1 had the front light, the other had the rear. Very confusing. I have been riding through and only realised how close the deer were by the smell. That was a worry.

notsoblue

Veronese68 wrote:

I have been riding through and only realised how close the deer were by the smell. That was a worry.

Hah! I noticed that. They don't half reek do they? Also in October/November during the rutting season you can hear the bucks roaring in the dark. First time that happened I shat bricks (and got a new RP lap PB).

tgotb

Veronese68 wrote:

...a pair of spaniels with flashing lights...

That's a euphemism I haven't heard before...

Koncordski

London_Falcon wrote:

Complete newbie here. Have been doing the bike commute once a week for a few weeks including the Ham Gate, White Lodge, Roehampton gate bit, then Putney - Kings Road etc to Moorgate.

Richmond Park around 7:30am and back again 6:30pm is by far the best bit of the whole 16miles.

Say hi if you see me!

Same route, same time. I'll keep an eye out. I used to do evening rides around the park before I commuted and in the winter I have a stupidly bright light but it's firmly angled down! Bloody skiers in full black lycra across the width of the road, not cool!

t4tomo

Koncordski wrote:

[Bloody skiers in full black lycra across the width of the road, not cool!

Skiers?????? I didn't realise there was a ski slope in Richmond Park - not much snow for that matter, particularly in the middle of the road.

asprilla

t4tomo wrote:

Koncordski wrote:

[Bloody skiers in full black lycra across the width of the road, not cool!

Skiers?????? I didn't realise there was a ski slope in Richmond Park - not much snow for that matter, particularly in the middle of the road.

Roller skiiers. After a relatively quiet summer they are beginning to crawl out from under their rocks.

At the risk of sounding like a cabbie following a cyclist; they are all over the place like they own the road, no lights, no high viz, no helmets, have they got a bloody deathwish.........

jzed

This might explain it:

http://www.rollerski.co.uk/events9.html

4 week course for beginners starting 6.30pm last night.

Maybe a few emails to them suggesting lights, hi-viz.....

t4tomo

Ah like cross country skiing on Tarmac or long roller blades with poles!. Never come across that.

Looks too much like hard work really. Take lift up mountain, ski down, drink beer in sunshine is my idea of skiing.

jzed

Apparently - roller skiing or skating is not permitted on the road when it is open to traffic. Explains why they suddenly emerge from nowhere about this time of year

asprilla

JZed wrote:

Apparently - roller skiing or skating is not permitted on the road when it is open to traffic. Explains why they suddenly emerge from nowhere about this time of year

How about the bit from White Lodge to Ham Cross? It's still the road, it's just that it's restricted to permit holders.

notsoblue

To be fair they do seem to wear lights, the problem is that not all of them in the group do. This clearly conflicts with my desire to ride fast around the park in the dark.

jzed

Where you may skate in the Royal Parks
With some exceptions, we allow skating in the Royal Parks in the same places as we allow cycling, but skaters must be particularly cautious if skating on the park roads.

In Richmond and Bushy Parks - on the tarmac cycle paths, and on the roads when they are
closed to motor traffic.

tgotb

JZed wrote:

http://www.rollerski.co.uk/events9.html

I actually had a go at this a few years ago. Primary reason to do it is as training for cross-country skiing, which suspect is another reason we see more of it in the Winter; quite a few guys train here and then travel to the Alps to race on real snow. Most rollerskis have built-in friction to replicate the feel of real skis, which is why they're relatively slow (compared with eg rollerbaldes).

TBH, all the rollerskiers I've come across have at least made an effort (within the limits of their ability) not to block the entire road. By contrast, some of the large groups of runners seem to be more worried about maintaining their position in the pack than in leaving part of the road clear for people coming the other way.

Edit: I wonder whether the local running clubs are responding to run-ins with the London Dynamo chain gangs...

roger_merriman

The cull is on in bushy not sure about richmound so have to go around if before 7am