Create Your Own Expotition Through Ashdown Forest
Ashdown Forest is a place to make magical memories, inspire children to run wild, and fall in love with Pooh Bear and friends all over again.
With preparation, you can explore many of the books’ locations.
With imagination, you can see a little boy and his bear still playing.
Preface: Story Trails
A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin discovered Ashdown Forest together.
We decided to follow in their footsteps and create our own Winnie-the-Pooh story trail.
We used a walking route we found online (full details below) and our copies of Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner .
Introduction: “We’re All Going On An Expotition…”
Like Winnie-the-Pooh, we called our expedition an ‘Expotition’.
We chose three areas of Ashdown Forest to visit:
- Pooh Corner, Hartfield village (to set the scene at the Poohseum and to pick up maps so my children could ‘plan’ the Expotition over lunch)
- Pooh Bridge car park (as the first chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh starts at Pooh’s house, which is next to Pooh Bridge)
- Gills Lap car park.
Chapter 1: Pooh Corner
Our Expotition began with lunch at Pooh Corner, a tea room and museum dedicated to all things Winnie-the-Pooh, which helped to set the scene for our story trail.
We also had a good look at the map in the front of the books, which you also can see here on the EH Shephard website.
The Pooh Corner staff are lovely and happy to give advice on places to visit in Ashdown Forest with maps.
Chapter 2: Pooh Bridge
Pooh’s House
Winnie-the-Pooh’s tree stump house is very near to Pooh Bridge.
To find it, walk to the bridge from Pooh Bridge car park, cross the river and Pooh’s house is a very short walk away on the left of the path.
When you find it, don’t forget to knock and “Rnig Also” to see if anyone is home!
Pooh Bridge
This picturesque spot is where Pooh invents the game of Poohsticks.
The bridge jumps straight out of the pages of the books, having been rebuilt in 1979 to match Shepard’s illustrations.
Piglet’s House
You can find Piglet’s tiny house in the woods to the left of the main path (when walking back to Pooh Bridge car park).
Owl’s House
Owl’s high up house is there for the finding too.
Chapter 3: Gills Lap
Note: We followed the walking route linked to below but in reverse because I wanted our trail to end at the Enchanted Place, the location for the last line of the books.
These places and the route are shown on the map linked to below.
Eeyore’s Sad and Gloomy Place (map marker 6)
We didn’t walk all the way to Eeyore’s Gloomy Place – it’s a long way and the name didn’t exactly sell it as a destination!
Instead, we walked a little way past the stream and gazed across at the Gloomy Place before heading back to the stream and Quarry car park.
The North Pole (map marker 5)
A little stream runs through this part of the forest and is believed to be the spot where Roo falls into a pool of water and Pooh finds the North Pole.
Roo’s Sandy Pit (map marker next to the Quarry car park)
This former quarry is now overgrown and is where Pooh and his friends trick Kanga into leaving with Piglet instead of Roo.
The Milne and Shepard Memorial (map marker 3)
The memorial plaque commemorating A.A. Milne and E.H. Shephard has a stunning location
with places to sit and have a picnic or rest tired legs whilst marvelling at the view.
The Heffalump Trap (map marker top left)
If you are brave enough, you can build your own Heffalump trap in this Very Deep Pit dug by Piglet.
But be careful, Christopher Robin spotted Heffalumps just lumping along in this part of the forest…
The Enchanted Place (map marker 2)
Our final stop, the Enchanted Place, is mentioned in the last line of The House at Pooh Corner, which makes me cry every time:
“…in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”
Notes: Planning Your Expotition
Maps and Leaflets
The Pooh Corner staff give advice on which places to visit in Ashdown Forest and also have a little expotition map for children.
I also printed this map and guide I found on another website called Pooh Walks from Gills Lap.
The Paths
The conditions along the paths varies – some parts are uneven and steep and others are flatter and easier.
I have easily taken an all terrain buggy to Pooh Bridge from the Pooh Bridge car park but would opt for a sling when exploring the area around Gills Lap car park.
Visit the Ashdown Forest website
See the walking route we followed
Further Information
Nearest Town: Hartfield, Ashdown Forest, near East Grinstead
County: East Sussex
Nearest Postcode: TN7 4AE, TN7 4EX and TN7 4EN
Opens: Daily
Cost: Free
Where to Eat: Eat at Pooh Corner Tea Rooms or bring a picnic and eat in Ashdown Forest.
Facilities: None but there is a cafe offering snacks and ice cream at the Pooh Bridge car park (TN7 4EX).
How Long We Spent There: Full day
Buggies: You can take an all terrain buggy to Pooh Bridge. The ground is uneven around Gills Lap.
Parking: You can park at Pooh Corner (TN7 4AE), Pooh Bridge car park (TN7 4EX) and Gills Lap car park (TN7 4EN).
Cost of Parking: Free
Wildlife You Might See: Cattle, deer, ponies, birds, butterflies, other insects, snakes and mammals.
Information Written: September 2022
Ratings
Our visit to the many enchanted places of Ashdown Forest in Hartfield, near East Grinstead, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.
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