Richmond Park in Winter: Gates Shut at 4pm, Cull Closures

Richmond Park’s vehicle gates close at 4pm every day from 23 November to 4 January, opening at 7.30am, and for two spells each winter the pedestrian gates are locked overnight too. Those are the two facts that catch people out: the drive to Pembroke Lodge for a late lunch ends with a locked gate, and a December evening walk in from Sheen Gate is not possible on a weeknight during the cull.

The times below are from the Royal Parks’ 2026 opening times sheet and its Richmond Park FAQs.

The quick answer

• Vehicle gates: 7.30am to 4pm from 23 November to 4 January. They close at 4.30pm from 26 October, 4.15pm from 9 November and 4pm from 16 November, then creep back to 4.15pm on 5 January and 4.30pm on 19 January.
• Pedestrian gates are open 24 hours except during the deer culls, which start on 1 November and 1 February and last up to six weeks. During a cull the gates are locked from 8pm to 7.30am, except on Friday and Saturday nights.
• The rut runs September to November. Keep dogs on a lead near deer and stay 50 metres away, 100 metres from an active stag.

Vehicle gate times, week by week

The Royal Parks opens and closes the vehicle gates at the listed times seven days a week. The winter run is:

The January 2027 rows are from the 2026 sheet and will be confirmed against the 2027 sheet when the Royal Parks publishes it, usually in February. The FAQs put it more simply: vehicle gates open at 7.30am in winter and close at dusk.

The cull closures

The park’s deer are culled twice a year, from 1 November and from 1 February, each for up to six weeks. On those nights the pedestrian gates close at 8pm and reopen at 7.30am, except on Friday and Saturday nights, when the park stays open as usual. That makes the early-December after-work run or walk a Friday-and-Saturday-only thing until the November cull ends, and the same again in February.

The rut, and the dog rules

The rutting season runs from September to November. The Royal Parks asks dog owners to keep dogs on a lead near deer, or walk them elsewhere for the season, and everyone to keep at least 50 metres from the deer and 100 metres from a stag that looks active. Dogs must be on leads during the birthing season in early summer; that is a rule, not advice. The park’s skylark protection zones ask for short leads all year and visitors to stay on the marked paths.

Getting there and parking

There are seven car parks: Pembroke Lodge, Kingston Gate, Broomfield Hill, Robin Hood Gate, Roehampton Gate, Sheen Gate and Pen Ponds, all shown on the park map, and all with the same closing time as the vehicle gates. Payment is by card or phone wallet; cash is no longer accepted.

The nearest stations are North Sheen and Richmond to the north and Norbiton to the south, all on South Western Railway, with a 15 to 25 minute walk to the closest gate. Richmond is also the end of the District line. Train times are on our trains to London page, and the festive timetable, when it lands, on our Christmas travel page.

Food, and the carriage rides

The two cafés are Pembroke Lodge Café and Roehampton Café, with smaller kiosks around the park; the Royal Parks lists their menus and locations in its food and drink section.

In December the park gets its one seasonal event: Operation Centaur’s shire-horse carriage rides from Holly Lodge, on 5 and 6, 12 and 13, 19 to 27 December and 31 December to 1 January, from 10.30am. Details, and the other places to find Father Christmas, are on our Santa’s grotto page.

Still to be confirmed

• The 2027 opening times sheet, which fixes the gate times from January onwards; expected February 2027.
• Any Christmas Day or New Year’s Day variation to the vehicle gate times. The Royal Parks’ FAQs have a Christmas and New Year section and no closure is listed for 2026 yet.

Related: things to do in Richmond · October half term · parking in Richmond · roadworks and travel