54 | Cycling World
swishing tail as she raced for the bridge in the Bard of Aryshire ’ s famous poem .
When I spied two pinpoints of red light bobbing in the near distance , another wave of dread washed over me . Apprehensively I continued pedalling , completely in the dark ( pun intended ) as to what they might be . It was only when I drew level that I saw a man strolling up the path keeping an eye on his two dogs who were off the leash and following their noses in time-honoured canine fashion . They quite sensibly had small lights clipped to their collars .
Colleagues are concerned that I might hit a deer in the park at night . But apart from the occasional close call with a stag ’ s antlers jutting into the road , as the animal bends to nibble at the edge of the grass , I ’ ve had little problem with the wildlife . In fact , on those moonless occasions when it really is close to pitch dark , I can smell the proximity of the deer as I cycle past without actually seeing them . It ’ s a warm , rich , sweaty – indeed , gamey - odour which is quite distinctive .
These animals never seem to sleep and at night and can be found in parts of the park – including in the middle of the roads or on the footpaths – where they are rarely seen during daylight hours . Rutting season is the only time I ’ m especially wary of these creatures . I ’ ve found myself doubling back and adding miles to my route in order to avoid coming too close to the testosterone-crazed stag I can hear – but not see – up ahead .
Maybe that ’ s erring too much on the side of caution as a park spokesperson confirms that the chances of coming to grief with a deer are slim . She tells me that , “ cyclist collisions with deer are very uncommon … in the last year we are aware of only one .”
Not all the park ’ s animals are so belligerent . How many Londoners ’ commute to work takes them through the ethereal , misty , landscape of the park just before dawn ? I ’ ve encountered badgers , trotting along beside my bike , rabbits bobbing off into the grass and even a snake in the middle of the road . I gingerly picked the reptile up with a stick and deposited the animal in the undergrowth away from the risk of being squashed by car tyres . Once , a squirrel took evasive action on my approach but , after a moment of comical indecision , chose the wrong escape route and ran headlong into the side of my front wheel . He fell – cartoon-style , semistunned for a second - then shook himself off and scampered up a tree . If only he ’ d been a chipmunk , he could have starred in his own animated Hollywood blockbuster .
On another occasion , three laid-back mallards had decided to sleep in the middle of the dual-use path where I was riding . I slowed to wobbling velocity and inched past them . They hardly ruffled a feather – my unwelcome intrusion was indeed water off their backs . Recently the same trail was virtually carpeted in rabbits . On my approach , two of them were so startled that they jumped vertically to improbable heights , twisting as they did so , before haring off ( pun intended ) in abject terror .
With an arguably higher potential for accidents involving wildlife and cyclists during the hours of darkness , you ’ d think the park authorities would discourage night-time pedalling . However , the park press office described cyclists as , “ part of the fabric of the park ”. As long as you try to keep 50 metres away from the deer , let them cross the road if they start