Winnie the Pooh sites on the Ashdown Forest

We love visiting the Ashdown Forest and making the pilgrimage to see all the Winnie the Pooh sites! No matter how many times we visit, it’s a lovely day out seeing the sweet nods to the loveable bear throughout the Forest, and the places that inspired stories in the books. This 5km route is an easy one and follows mostly well-trodden grass and dirt tracks, apart from one brief crossing over a quiet country road.

Our route begins at Gills Lap car park, where parking fees have been introduced in recent years. For those without their own transport, a community bus service (number 262) runs between Hartfield and Uckfield on Saturdays, with a bus stop at Gills Lap car park. Following our route, you’ll visit The Enchanted Place, The Heffalump Trap, Roo’s Sandpit, the A. A. Milne memorial, Piglet’s house, Owl’s house, Pooh Sticks Bridge and Winnie the Pooh’s house, before finishing the route at Pooh Corner cafe in Hartfield village. A well-earned cup of tea from a Winnie the Pooh-shaped teapot is the perfect way to end your Pooh walk, and dogs are welcome here on lead!

You can see our photos of all the sites below – some of which you’ll have to use your imagination for! After all, some sites are simply locations that inspired A. A. Milne’s stories. Others, such as Piglet’s house and Pooh’s house, are more recognisable and visitors have left jars of honey or letters for Pooh’s mailbox as tribute. Be prepared for Pooh Sticks Bridge to get busy on the weekends, especially during the Summer holidays, as visitors and their children choose to park in the Pooh car park just 0.8km up the footpath from the bridge. The same goes for Pooh Corner cafe – unfortunately they no longer take reservations so tables are on a first come, first served, walk-in basis. To avoid disappointment for those set on ending their walk here, we’d recommend visiting during the week if possible.

As the Forest is all natural heathland and woodland, there are no facilities on this route until you reach Pooh Corner cafe in Hartfield. There are no poo bins in the Forest or at car parks for those bringing four-legged friends – the only ones on this route are in Hartfield village – so make sure you take it with you.

Find out more about each Winnie the Pooh site on our blog post!