Ashdown Forest, the Real Hundred Acre Wood
When I visited Ashdown Forest, the real Hundred Acre Wood of A.A. Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stories, in August 2020, I was on a quickly executed and minimally planned trip across the English Channel from France just before the borders closed again due to rising cases of COVID-19. Years earlier I read online that it was possible to play Poohsticks on the very bridge (albeit rebuilt in the pattern of the original) where A.A. Milne played with his son, Christopher. I spent hours watching Disney’s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with my children when they were young, and in a happy turn of events, I’d read Winnie-the-Pooh* and The House at Pooh Corner* aloud to them earlier in the summer. Lockdown revived reading aloud in our family, and I adored sharing these very witty English classics with my older kids. Our first stop was in Hartfield at Pooh Corner.
Any other time I would have wanted to stop for tea, but during these pandemical times I opted for a quick walk-through of the shop and the exhibits of photographs and books by both Milne and his son Christopher. I’d love to read Pooh in Latin.
From Pooh Corner we drove to the Pooh Car Park to walk the easy distance to the famous bridge. Along the way we noticed Owl’s House up in a tree and another residence we assumed belonged to Pooh since there were offerings of honey left at the door, but I’ve just discovered we missed Pooh’s house! I thought the little red door looked more like an abode for Piglet, and that Pooh’s home should have had the Mr. Sanders sign over the door. We didn’t walk too far past the bridge because it started to rain, but if we’d gone on a bit further we would have seen it. So don’t make our mistake! My son had a sweet Christopher Robin moment swinging in the forest. The floor is covered in ferns, and it was a lovely and peaceful woodland walk.
“Anyone who has read the stories knows the forest and doesn’t need me to describe it. Pooh’s Forest and Ashdown Forest are identical. ”
The water was quite low when we arrived at the famous bridge. It was fun to see the piles of sticks along the edges of the little river, evidence of many, many games of Poohsticks. Our family usually stops for a game any time we cross a bridge, so it was special to play here and to watch every group crossing the bridge stop to indulge in a game, too.
There are several different walking options in this area, and Ashdown Forest is the perfect place to visit with younger children and anyone who loves these stories or just fancies a peaceful woodland walk. For a few more pictures, check out the newly created East Sussex Picture Gallery.
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