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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew

Companionship careRichmond upon Thames

Days out in Richmond upon Thames for an older parent

Nine places in Richmond upon Thames that make a good day out for an older parent, from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to Ham House and Garden. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated September 2026

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0

Nine days out across seven towns

The best places to take an older parent in Richmond upon Thames

Four of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for three confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew

Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Garden · Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Kew Gardens is a World Heritage Site with over 300 acres of gardens, the Victorian Palm House and Temperate House glasshouses, the treetop walkway and Kew Palace. There are several cafés and restaurants across the site.

It is a large site, so the carer can plan a route around one glasshouse and a café near the Victoria Gate entrance rather than trying to see it all.

Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Kew

Hampton Court Palace, Hampton

Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle · Hampton

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace is Henry VIII's Tudor palace on the Thames, later extended by Sir Christopher Wren for William III and Mary II. Visitors can see the Great Hall, the Tudor kitchens, the state apartments, the formal gardens and the famous maze.

The palace and gardens are extensive, so the carer can plan a shorter visit around the Tudor rooms and the formal gardens near the café.

Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Hampton

Richmond Park and Isabella Plantation, Richmond

Photo: Stefan Czapski, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Richmond

Richmond Park and Isabella Plantation

Richmond Park is London's largest Royal Park, a National Nature Reserve with herds of red and fallow deer roaming ancient grassland. Inside it, the Isabella Plantation is a woodland garden of ponds, streams and azaleas, and Pembroke Lodge serves tea with views over the Thames valley.

There is a disabled visitors' car park next to the Isabella Plantation, toilets with wheelchair accessible cubicles, and a motorised wheelchair can be booked for use in the garden on weekdays.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Richmond

Bushy Park, Hampton

Photo: Jonathan Cardy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Hampton

Bushy Park

Bushy Park covers over 1,000 acres next to Hampton Court, with herds of deer, the Diana Fountain, avenues of ancient trees and the tranquil Water Gardens and Woodland Gardens. It was a deer park of Henry VIII.

The Woodland Gardens and the café make a good short outing, and the deer can often be seen from the paths without a long walk.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Hampton

Marble Hill, Twickenham

Photo: Jim Linwood from London, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Twickenham

Marble Hill

Marble Hill is a Palladian villa built in the 1720s for Henrietta Howard, set in riverside parkland by the Thames and run by English Heritage. The restored gardens, the house and the Coach House Café sit within free-to-walk grounds.

The house has a new lift to the first floor, the café and toilets are step-free, two wheelchairs can be borrowed, and visitors can be set down outside the house by arrangement.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free outside, paid inside

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Twickenham

Strawberry Hill House and Garden, Strawberry Hill

Photo: Chiswick Chap, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Strawberry Hill

Strawberry Hill House and Garden

Strawberry Hill House was created by Horace Walpole in the 18th century and is the finest example of Georgian Gothic revival architecture in Britain, with fan-vaulted rooms and painted glass. There is a garden and the Garden Café.

The garden and café are reached by a smooth step-free path, the ground floor is fully accessible with a lift to the first floor, there are three Blue Badge spaces and a wheelchair at the entrance, and carers go free.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Carers go free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Strawberry Hill

Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham

Photo: Matt Brown from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Twickenham

Orleans House Gallery

Orleans House Gallery is the borough's public art gallery, set in the surviving 18th century Octagon Room of Orleans House and its riverside woodland garden. It shows changing exhibitions and has the Stables Café.

The gallery is wheelchair accessible with a lift to the upper floors, there are accessible toilets across the site, and the café is in the old stables.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

What their access information confirms

  • Accessible toilet
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Twickenham

WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes

Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Barnes

WWT London Wetland Centre

The London Wetland Centre in Barnes is a large wetland reserve of lakes, reedbeds and meadows run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, with bird hides, otters and ducks and geese from around the world. There is a café and visitor centre.

Manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be booked free of charge, there are seven accessible toilets, most hides are wheelchair accessible, and carers go free.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Carers go free

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Wheelchairs to borrow
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Barnes

Ham House and Garden, Ham

Photo: Stevekeiretsu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Ham

Ham House and Garden

Ham House is a 17th century house on the Thames run by the National Trust, with rich interiors and a formal garden including a kitchen garden and a cherry garden. There is a café in the Orangery.

The garden and Orangery café make a gentle visit on their own, so the carer can decide on the day whether to go into the house.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Ham

Regular groups and events in Richmond upon Thames

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Richmond upon Thames.

  • Dancing · TeddingtonAfternoon tea dance in TeddingtonA recurring afternoon of ballroom and social dancing with tea, plus an optional beginners' class beforehand, in a large hall with room to move. A carer can book both tickets, sit out numbers and manage the tea break.Details
  • Dancing · RichmondStep into Richmond movement class for over 50sA 60 minute dance and movement class for ages 50 plus, open to all abilities and needing no partner, held in the theatre's Upper Circle bar. The venue states the room has no step-free access, so a carer should check the stairs are manageable before booking.Details
  • Photography · KewRichmond and Twickenham Photographic SocietyLong-established camera club meeting Thursday evenings at St Luke's in Kew, with talks from well-known photographers, monthly competitions and an annual exhibition. A carer could handle the evening transport and help print and mount work for competition nights.Details
  • Reading · TwickenhamRichmond Literature Festival author eventsAnnual festival of author talks and literary events, running for over thirty years, with programmes at borough venues including The Exchange in Twickenham. A carer can book one or two afternoon talks with aisle seats rather than a whole day of events.Details
  • Reading · RichmondHome Library Service from Richmond librariesFree home delivery of books, large print and audiobooks for borough residents who cannot get to a library because of age or disability, matched to their reading tastes. A carer can help fill in the reading preferences questionnaire and keep the returns in order between visits.Details
  • Sports · TeddingtonBowls at Grove Gardens with Teddington Bowls ClubClub that has played on the green at The Grove since before the Second World War, with summer matches, club competitions and open days for newcomers. Bowls is gentle enough to take up late, and a carer could go along to an open day and carry the woods.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Richmond upon Thames

At a glance

The nine places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Royal Botanic Gardens, KewKewa full dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
Hampton Court PalaceHamptona full dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
Richmond Park and Isabella PlantationRichmondhalf a dayFreePartlyAskYes
Bushy ParkHamptonan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Marble HillTwickenhaman hour or twoFree outside, paid insidePartlyYesYes
Strawberry Hill House and GardenStrawberry Hillan hour or twoPaid entryPartlyAskYes
Orleans House GalleryTwickenhaman hour or twoFreeAskYesYes
WWT London Wetland CentreBarneshalf a dayPaid entryPartlyYesYes
Ham House and GardenHamhalf a dayPaid entryAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Richmond upon Thames

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

HamptonPetershamKewHampton WickRichmondHampton HillMortlake123456789
  1. 1Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew
  2. 2Hampton Court Palace, Hampton
  3. 3Richmond Park and Isabella Plantation, Richmond
  4. 4Bushy Park, Hampton
  5. 5Marble Hill, Twickenham
  6. 6Strawberry Hill House and Garden, Strawberry Hill
  7. 7Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham
  8. 8WWT London Wetland Centre, Barnes
  9. 9Ham House and Garden, Ham

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Richmond upon Thames

Carers in Richmond upon Thames charge £19 to £22 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £20, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £80 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Richmond upon Thames has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Richmond upon Thames

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Kew, Hampton Court Palace in Hampton, Richmond Park and Isabella Plantation in Richmond, Bushy Park in Hampton, Marble Hill in Twickenham, Strawberry Hill House and Garden in Strawberry Hill, Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham, WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes and Ham House and Garden in Ham. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

Marble Hill, Orleans House Gallery and WWT London Wetland Centre have an accessible toilet. Richmond Park and Isabella Plantation, Marble Hill, Strawberry Hill House and Garden and WWT London Wetland Centre lend wheelchairs. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Richmond Park and Isabella Plantation, Bushy Park, Marble Hill (outside free, inside paid) and Orleans House Gallery. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 36 of the carers with a rate near Richmond upon Thames drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £20 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Richmond upon Thames shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Richmond upon Thames

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Richmond upon Thames

Days out in the areas around Richmond upon Thames

Companionship care by town in Richmond upon Thames

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Richmond upon Thames

See carers near Richmond upon Thames who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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