My Ride to the Isabella Plantation, Richmond Park
by Clara Joanes
My family and I had a great day cycling to The Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park with Camden Cyclists. We’ve done loads of rides with the group because it’s so much fun, and once again this one was a big success. Geoff arrived early to check that the towpath had not flooded as it had been on his last reconnoitre the week before! We took the Overground to Richmond and met up with everyone, raring to get going.
The ride was mostly on paths through the scenic park and on the few roads we needed to use, the marshals looked after us very well-my Dad included! After we’d dragged ourselves up a particularly challenging hill, we had a quick break next to the breath-takingly beautiful bend in the River Thames where Geoff, the backstop of the ride, took a photo of me with a Byronesque pose.
After a bit of cycling around some pedestrians on a shared path full of people taking advantage of the sunny weekend, we stopped at a part of the park with an abundance of trees. The park is very formulaically laid out, probably because, as I have recently discovered, it was created to be a hunting ground for James I in 1604, as an add-on to Richmond Palace. While the adults snacked on their pack-ups,the children (Ellen, Eric, Caitlin, who was only 5, Iona, Jens, Leo, Chris, Indra and Luuk) had fun climbing the rickety branches and making dens. The group was probably around halfly made up of children,-kids especially love riding along, and we always go at a steady pace, which suits the little ones and the older ones like me, who love to go fast!-which was great to see. I enjoyed climbing with the little ones, and gorging on tea and KitKats with the adults.
We resumed our cycle shortly afterwards, keeping our eyes peeled for the famous deer of Richmond Park, but sadly not spotting any. We all chatted going along, I personally negotiated with Geoff on when I can do his job too and join him in pursuing my recently-coined term ‘marshality’.
Cycling on through the fields, we finally reached the Isabella Plantation, just in time for lunch. Like a maze, it was extremely easy to get lost in, and it took a while for me, my Mum and Jenny, the other marshal, to find the rest of the group after locking up our bikes. We eventually found them in a hushed, serene picnic spot. It wasn’t hushed for long after the children arrived! Many people’s most notable aspect of the Isabella Plantation was that flowers surround every pathway , especially rhododendrons, azaleas and dahlias, and they really are amazing, with their bright and beautiful purples and pinks. We ate our packed lunches on the grass, accompanied by a lovely green caterpillar that found itself crawling up Jenny’s arm (I think it was jealous of her food).
The children played in the picturesque woodlands nearby, with a game of Hide and Seek ending in one of them getting slightly lost (luckily, we found him before we left). As a cute little girl called Caitlin told me, lots of lovely lakes and streams surrounded us as we ate, and Jenny showed me a whole host of lycosa, wolf spiders, living among the wood. Jens and Eric told me they loved getting lost in all the nature. We strolled around the plantation, and saw some lovely cute fluffy ducklings, which were so small and much adored by the children, who got so worried about their health after pecking at some bread. One of the marshals, Caspar, who comes here often told me that over the seasons the plantation changes a lot, with much variety in colour. The wilderness of the place was much enjoyed by some budding photographers searching for grass snakes and frogs. Overall, I think the Isabella Plantation was best summed up by Jenny as being ‘very planty’.
We dragged ourselves away from the plantation in the end, but were pleased by the thought of getting back on our bikes. But then came the unfortunate climax…
“Geoff, I think we’ve got a disaster.” came from Jenny. It turned out she’d lost her keys to the bike lock which was tied around Geoff’s, my Dad’s, my Mum’s and my own bike. We were stranded. My parents and Jenny went back to search the plantation–subsequently getting themselves lost again-while Geoff and I guarded everyone’s things and sat disconsolately on a log, asking if anyone had a spare Angle Grinder.
The rest of the group went on, cycling to the nearest playground to wait for us there. Geoff and I were despairing, as we thought our ride would be over before we’d even got to the end!
Jenny stumbled out, having lost my parents, and still keyless, followed by my parents in much the same state. We sat around despondently, until ultimately suggesting that Jenny take one last look in her coat pocket, which was where she’d seen them last. She checked the pockets of the cycle jacket but there were no keys. My dad said he’d heard a jangling sound. We tracked the jangles to the lining of the coat -and there were the keys! Sure, it took as long actually getting them out of the lining as searching for the keys, but it was a relief when we managed to retrieve our bikes and pedal on at top speed. And, as Jenny proclaimed, “That’ll be something to write about!”
When we got to the playground, the children and I played a little on the roundabouts and climbing frames, before reassembling the group and setting off. We cycled past loads of ice-cream vans and shops which seriously swayed many of the younger ones in our group. They had to wait, however, till the end of the ride to taste some. We cycled back along the River Thames, pedalling hard and one of the kids accidentally took a turn towards the River! Luckily the shrubbery saved him and he didn’t fall in, but his mother fell as well in surprise (not in the river, on to the pavement). Fortunately, everyone was fine and no one actually got injured.
The ending was happy, and we all went our separate ways, thanking Anna, the leader of the ride. After our various refreshments-including the long-sought after ice-cream, Geoff, my family and I cycled back through West Hampstead and Tufnell Park, very tired and happy. My legs really ached, but I much enjoyed Geoff’s historical knowledge and stories about the area. All in all, it was a rather good day. Thank you Anna, Geoff and Jenny and all of the children and adults who took part in the ride!
You can see all of the photographs we took here.
