Those Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides Through London Parks Are Back For Winter

Looks like this article is a bit old. Be aware that information may have changed since it was published.

Those Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides Through London Parks Are Back For Winter
Hose drawn carriage ride in the snow
Doesn't get much more magical than this. Image: Operation Centaur

Woah, boy! A festive season of horse rides through two of London's prettiest parks is happening again this winter.

From late November through to the start of January, you can sit in the back of a vintage carriage (or brake, to be exact), and enjoy the scenery of either Richmond Park of Bushy Park — pulled by a couple of handsome Shire horses.

Hose drawn carriage ride in Richmond Park
You can even ride on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Image: Operation Centaur

The Richmond Park experience (25 November 2023-1 January 2024) features a 75-minute ride through the park with bells a-tinkling, plus sloe gin and mince pies. You get a blanket to snuggle under, too. (Alas, we can't promise the crisp, snowy day as pictured at the top of this article.) Carriages cost £450 to hire, and carry groups of up to six.

The Bushy Park rides (16-26 December 2023) are a shorter, 25-minute jaunt — and also include festive refreshments. It's £15 per person for this one, and a better bet if there isn't a whole bunch of you.

The rides make for a special wintry/Christmassy escapade, and at time of writing there's even availability for rides on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

We rode with a couple of the horses, Roy and Aragon, a few years back:

Carriage rides through Richmond Park or Bushy Park, 25 November 2023-1 January 2024

Last Updated 01 November 2023

Continued below.