Isabella Plantation (Broomfield Hill Gate)

The rhododendrons here will stop you dead in your tracks come late spring. Isabella Plantation is a 40-acre woodland garden tucked into Richmond Park's quieter corner, accessible from Broomfield Hill Gate near Chessington. It's properly absorbing - a maze of paths winding through dense shrubbery, past two ornamental lakes, with specimen trees dotted about that look like they've been planted with genuine care rather than just dumped in.

This isn't a manicured showpiece. It's wild in the best sense - overgrown, atmospheric, the sort of place where you can wander aimlessly for hours without seeing another soul. Walkers and plant enthusiasts will have the time of their lives. Families with restless kids under eight might find it a touch slow without the novelty factor. There's no café, no facilities worth speaking of, so bring water.

Access is free, as it's part of Richmond Park. Allow two to three hours if you want to do it properly rather than just pass through. Spring is unmissable for the rhododendron display, but autumn light filtering through the canopy is equally striking.

If you're staying at Walton on Thames Camping and Caravanning Club Site just five miles away, this makes a brilliant half-day excursion. The nearby Chessington World of Adventures Resort caters to different crowds entirely, but Isabella Plantation pairs well with broader Richmond Park exploration - the deer-spotting, the wider walking routes. It's genuinely worth the drive from elsewhere in Greater London.