Play Poohsticks at Pooh Bridge, Hartfield, Ashdown Forest
The windswept purple heath and woodland of Ashdown Forest inspired A.A. Milne to write about the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin and friends. It also inspired E.H. Shephard’s beautiful illustrations.
What magical adventures will your visit inspire?
Ashdown Forest
The atmospheric Ashdown Forest inspired A.A. Milne to write about the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin and friends.
Pooh Bridge
No visit to Ashdown Forest is complete without a visit to picture perfect Pooh Bridge, where Pooh invented the game of Poohsticks.
Be sure to pick up some Poohsticks on your walk to the bridge – they can be hard to find, probably because they are all in the stream!
The Walk
We walk to the bridge from Pooh Bridge car park, which has a little cafe.
The paths are generally flat and buggy friendly, with a gentle hill leading away from the car park.
The Houses
Following the path to Pooh Bridge leads you past a little balancing course and down a hill.
If you leave the path and head into the woods on the right you can find Eeyore’s gloomy house
The Bridge
The bridge jumps straight out of the pages of Milne’s stories, having been rebuilt in 1979 to match Shepard’s illustrations.
Pooh’s House
Winnie-the-Pooh’s house is in a tree stump very near to Pooh Bridge.
To find it, walk to the bridge from Pooh Bridge car park, cross the stream and walk a little way up the lane.
When you get there, don’t forget to knock and “Rnig Also” to see if anyone is home!
Other Story Locations
Ashdown Forest is home to other locations from the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, including Roo’s Sandy Pit, the Enchanted Place, Eeyore’s Gloomy Place and the Heffalump Trap.
It also has a memorial plaque to A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard.
For full details, please see my post about how to create your own Winnie-the-pooh Expotition.
Pooh Corner Tea Rooms and Pooh’seum
A short drive away from Pooh Bridge is the village of Hartfield and Pooh Corner, a tea room and museum dedicated to all things Winnie-the-Pooh.
The Pooh Corner staff are lovely and happy to give advice on places to visit in Ashdown Forest with maps.
Visit the Ashdown Forest website
Further Information
Nearest Town: Hartfield, Ashdown Forest, near East Grinsted
County: East Sussex
Nearest Postcode: TN7 4EX
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 Bridge car park (TN7 4EX).
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 Pooh Bridge and the other enchanted places in Ashdown Forest, near East Grinsted, is summarised below and you can add your own rating under ‘User Rating’ or in the ‘Add Comment’ section below.
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